At least once a month, the debate of whether the AFL should revive State of Origin or introduce an All-Star game seems to arise.
For as long as the AFL is going to neglect the issue, the debate will rage throughout media outlets, workplaces, pubs and schools across the country.
There is no doubting that the AFL is missing out on a possible goldmine.
Across the world there are many examples of successful events in all different sports. Close by, the NRL has an All Stars game and a world-renowned State of Origin series every season.
It is well known that getting the chance to represent their home state or heritage is a huge incentive for footallers in the eastern states. Unlike the AFL, the NRL administrators aren’t afraid to risk possible injuries, which means they can put on the best spectacle possible.
The recent NRL All Stars versus Indigenous All Stars game is a great example of how much the public enjoy seeing the best of the best go at it. The regular encounter is now an unofficial season launch.
While this was all going on, the AFL attempted a similar contest by setting up an Indigenous team to play Richmond. The drastic lack of publicity and coverage should have been embarrassing.
Once again I believe it all comes back to the AFL’s fear of losing one or two stars to injury and having them miss some of the regular season.
This naive outlook becomes laughable when you realise that two of the biggest sporting leagues in the world, both financially and in terms of popularity, hold regular All Star showcases.
The NBA and the NFL are multi-billion dollar industries, but they don’t mind letting their superstar players who have contracts worth tens of millions of dollars play in these showpiec events.
They do this because they know that it is an important part of the spectacle that is the NBA and the NFL. What if Lebron or Kobe did a knee and missed a year? Well, what if? Even with this in mind, they still let them play.
I hope that some time in the near future the AFL realises that bringing back State of Origin or introducing a regular All Star game would add a whole new dimension to the season and would more than likely be a huge success.
Big Bert
Guest
Here's Think TV Ratings for last year: http://www.thinktv.com.au/SiteMedia/w3svc371/Uploads/Documents/Weekly%20Ratings%20Report%20-%20Week%2039%20&%2040%202012.pdf So at this stage the top 5 Sports Broadcasts this year 1. STATE OF ORIGIN QLD V NSW 3RD - MATCH 4,023 2. STATE OF ORIGIN RL QLD V NSW 1ST - MATCH 3,942 3. RUGBY LEAGUE GRAND FINAL 3,875 4. STATE OF ORIGIN RL NSW V QLD 2ND - MATCH 3,853 5. AFL: GRAND FINAL: HAWTHORN V SYDNEY 3,829
bryan
Guest
Obviously,Vic -v-WA!! Back in the day,when there was no AFL,the interstate games were in fact, a contest between the various state footy leagues -----WANFL -v-SANFL-v- VFL. We were OK against the South Aussies,but the Vics always had enough dough to seduce away the best players from both of the other leagues,& would usually stomp all over us. We still used to have 50,000+crowds at Subi for interstate games,before the later stands reduced its capacity. The first few SOO games gave us a real chance,& we won more often. The advent of the AFL removed most of the WA-v-Vic vibe,& people lost interest.. The WAFL has now effectively deteriorated to an AFL "seconds" competition,& SOO using AFL clubs would basically be a reshuffling of an already familiar deck,which,in my opinion wouldn't create that much interest.
Football fan
Guest
The AFL have to bring back State of Origin, the players won't take a All Star game seriously like what happen's in America. Play 2 State of Origin games a year, 1 in the pre season & 1 mid year, and have a national carnival every 3 year's.
swannies05
Roar Pro
I love the idea of an all-stars game the night before/morning of the Grand Final. I especially like the idea of the night before. It would give 50-60,000 fans a chance to see a showpiece game on the GF weekend, surely a good thing considering how hard it is to come by Granny tickets. Not sure how motivated the players would be though, especially those that lost a Preliminary a week before... as well all know though, money talks...
Timmuh
Roar Guru
No. West Coast and Adelaide are clubs that are in different states. That's club v club, not state v state. Indeed, the biggest rivalries in both cases are within the same state. They are certainly not state teams. Nor are they Origin based.
John
Guest
I swear these articles are written once a month just to keep the Australian Football v Rugby League debate going strong.....
Phelpsy
Guest
Just out of curiosity does anyone have the overall rating figures for afl last year ... Both fox and fta combined .... Oh and regionals ? Just wo wondering how the afl did. Snd the top shows for fox as well as curious whether nrl still had the top 77 or whatever top rating shows on fox ?
Phelpsy
Guest
Could you do it as the best players say under 22 ? Or some age limit ? Like soccer at the Olympics ?
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
If I had to be hard pressed to do it, Id drop the NAB Cup every 4 years, and have a preseason carnival featuring all states and a knockout format, like the old State of Orign carnivals.Id move the International Cup to every 4 years and have the matches as curtain raisers, making it an unoffical quadrennial world cup.
radiolimes
Guest
State vs state? so WCE and the Crows formation wasn't viewed as state vs state then? SOO is played every round surely, why the need for a showpiece game, as the whole existance of the AFL negates this. Unless people really get excited supporting the Allies.
GoGWS
Roar Guru
I had a similar idea...but I'd make it a curtain-raiser game to the GF and make it Vic v WA and Vic v SA alternately...the incentives for players would be to represent your state, and to get to play with the best of the best in front of a packed MCG...and some players will never get to play on the G on GF day in their whole careers because of where they are on the ladder (e.g. Western Bulldogs currently) at least having a SOO on GF day would give them that chance...and it'd make for a good lead in...
Floyd Calhoun
Guest
They're both pretty good line ups Brewski. More than adequate reason for the cynics to think again about their agenda I reckon. Not that that will matter to them of course.
Floyd Calhoun
Guest
No.
Boomshanka
Guest
Player eligibility for the War of the Roses competition was always based on the player's region of birth or if born outside of those two counties then eligibility was based on the region where they first played rugby league at professional level. This is unique as the representative game between VIC and SA (I'll accept this was earlier) would have been based on where the person resided as has been common practice in Australia until very recent times. One might say that Mr Whitten "invented" the concept for the local code, but it was hardly "new" or "novel" even in 1977. I'll accept that the QRL looked enviously at the VFL origin series and that my friend is why the Rugby League State of Origin took off. It needed years of being flogged by the NSW boys (using their own Queenslanders) to build up the resentment that fuels the beast. Understanding that gives a clear reason why it is so popular. I personally do not believe that SOO is the pinnacle of the game - that is the preserve of the local TV Network who can't lose (despite who wins). Despite hoarding the game for many years, it remains a consistent ratings puller three times a year only matched by the NRL and AFL grand finals. BTW: The two counties (circa traditional boundaries) under consideration here have a population greater than modern day NSW or QLD and the comparison is a fair one.
Phelpsy
Guest
My point is however that it would lose its intensity somewhat from the 2 state rivalary it currently enjoys. If you keep it to two states in nsw and qld then you end up with players missing out who are of star quality. Currently there are kiwi's and other nationalities missing out but what about if other states start developing nrl players who are stars and they miss out ?
Brewski
Guest
Thanks AR, i don't hear that much :).
Brewski
Guest
Very interesting 'link' between Neanderthals, the Basque language and the Basque themselves, through their blood group. But anyways........
Australian Rules
Guest
good post
Australian Rules
Guest
Nice quote. But you're still wrong. First, you referenced a game in England where two counties competed in a league match in 1895. In Australia, there were SA v Vic games in 1879 so yours is an incorrect rebuttal in any event. Second, in terms of an organised, yearly event in Australia that was actually called "State of Origin", the first one was WA-v-Vic in 1977. RL followed suit 3 years later. Again, in this context, "Origin" was an Australian Football invention. Third, as blindly Orwellian as you may think Aussie Football fans are (and we do love our history I'll admit) - facts are facts. Your logic in reading a post which you claimed was "blatantly incorrect", is to respond with a post of your own which is...blatantly incorrect. I won't expect an admission from you...but another nice citation would be nice.
Brewski
Guest
@ Phelpsy, TBH i can never see that happening in RL, maybe NZ can join SOO, but then it's not SOO is it. ATM both QLD and NSW can put pretty dam good AF teams in , the depth of players is not there, but the named teams would be very competetive. This is the AFL's conundrum, abeit a good one to have IMO Qld B: J.Drummond, D.Merrett, J.Macdonald HB: J.Harbrow, T.Williams, C.Dempsey C: A.Raines, T.Bell, D.Armitage HF: D.Zorko, N.Riewoldt, M.Osborne F: B.Whitecross, K.Tippett, D.Hale Foll: B.Hudson, D.Beams, R.Bail Int: K.Hunt, R.Petterd, S.Hampson, C.Stiller NSW B: M.McVeigh, L.Roberts-Thomson, B.Staker HB: S.Gilbert, P.Davis, M.Suckling C: J.McVeigh, D.Cross, I.Smith HF: C.Bird, T.Hawkins, B.McGlynn F: A.Schneider, T.Walker, J.Koschitzke Foll: H.McIntosh, L.Hayes, K.Jack Int: T.Young, D.Addison, J.Townsend, T.Armstrong That is a team from the beginning of last year, players like Claye Beams, Charlie Dixon and Yagmoor from QLD may sneak in. We could also have a SOO coach, Longmire for NSW and Voss for QLD. A NSW forward line of Walker, Hawkins and Koschitcke is pretty good.