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I’ve reluctantly come to accept that State of Origin will never be meaningfully resurrected in the AFL.
The clubs won’t support it, no one can agree on the right format and it’s just too difficult to find the multiple weeks necessary in an already crowded and lengthy season.
But the players support the concept of representative football and I, for one, would love to watch a showcase of the best versus the best – so long as it doesn’t degenerate into a lightweight exhibition match.
The question is who are the two teams that play? Victoria v “All-Stars”? East Coast v West Coast?
Both are options that are commonly put forward and both are somewhat flawed.
In an effort to re-invigorate the Pro Bowl this year the NFL pitted two of the game’s great ex-players (Deion Sanders and Jerry Rice) against each other as coaches of the two teams. These two coaches selected their teams via a Pro Bowl draft where each took a turn to select players.
The two coaches concerned also shared one of the NFL’s great on-field rivalries when they played and the banter between them in the lead-up to the game and during the draft was highly entertaining.
Neither wanted to lose the match against the other.
On field this year the Pro Bowl looked to be a much more competitive contest and less the pale imitation of real football it had become in recent years.
I think this year’s NFL model is something that is worth considering by the AFL.
Imagine if two great rivals (Jakovich and Carey?) or two great champions (Ricciuto and Brereton?) were to coach and they had to pick their teams by taking turns in a draft-like format where they had to pick 25 players each.
They would have to pick ‘real’ teams with the make-up of the 25 to consist of two ruckmen, three key forwards, three key defenders, five medium/small forwards, five medium/small defenders and seven midfielders.
It would be fascinating to watch that draft and the potential match-ups as they unfold on a TV special. Then the coaches talk up their teams and talk down each other until the match.
The teams could have a couple of light training runs together which would be more an opportunity to establish team spirit and give the players the chance to talk up the game to the media – for example, how much they’re looking forward to playing with Player X and against Player Y
Then make actual match performance a significant factor in All-Australian selection.
Surely a sponsor for the game wouldn’t be too hard to find.
Team names will be somewhat an issue, but the following year each coach would be allowed to preselect a certain number of players (say six) from last year’s team prior to the actual draft.
This allows for some team continuity and rivalry to develop over time. The original coaches would have to stay on for a few years to assist with that continuity and rivalry before passing the mantle on to a suitable replacement – maybe a recently retired player who played in his team.
I think the AFL can find space for one genuine representative match each year, or at worst every second year – all they have to do is get the format right.
And I think this is a different option that warrants genuine consideration and debate.
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