As the State of Origin rivalry between Queensland and New South Wales takes fever pitch in the rugby league, let’s think about what it would be like if the AFL were to revive the concept in the near future.
State of Origin has not been played in the AFL since 1999, however in 2008 a one-off match was played between Victoria and the Dream Team, with Victoria winning the match by 17 points and Brendan Fevola being awarded the Allen Aylett Medal.
The match was a commercial success with 69,294 people attending the match at the MCG and a further 1.3 million viewers tuning in on Channel Ten nationwide.
Since then there has been a lot of debate as to whether the State of Origin concept should be brought back, but despite support from the fans and players, the AFL has repeatedly reiterated that it would not be revived due to the packed calendar.
Anyway, let’s get back on topic and outline my vision for any future AFL State of Origin series.
Teams would be formed out of the five mainland states of Australia (Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, New South Wales and Queensland), and players would be selected based on either their junior club or state of birth.
Take Nick Riewoldt as an example – while he was born in Tasmania, he played his junior football in Queensland, which means he would earn selection for that state, and would make as their perfect captain seeing he has led St Kilda since 2008.
Over a six-week period, the five teams would play against each other in a round-robin format lasting five weeks, and then the two best-performed teams would play off in the final for a trophy to honour E.J. Whitten in the sixth week.
Whichever team finishes on top of the ladder (or, in other words, as the best performed team after the round robin stage) would then host the final.
The competition would start in the first weekend of October, which would be the weekend after the AFL grand final, and conclude just in time for the start of the cricket season.
It could have succeeded the NAB Challenge as the means of pre-season match practice, however not only would every ground except Domain Stadium be unavailable due to the cricket, players would also risk carrying an injury into the beginning of the season.
So, without further ado, here are some of the potential AFL State of Origin teams:
Victoria
Backs: Josh Gibson, Dustin Fletcher, Nick Malceski
Halfbacks: Scott D. Thompson, Luke Hodge, Dion Prestia
Centre: Trent Cotchin, Jobe Watson, Scott Pendlebury
Half-forwards: Jarryd Roughead, Travis Cloke, Patrick Dangerfield
Forwards: Tom Lynch*, Jeremy Cameron, Steve Johnson
Followers: Shane Mumford, Joel Selwood (c), Gary Ablett Jr (vc)
Interchange: Josh P Kennedy, Jimmy Bartel, Travis Boak
Substitute: Dyson Heppell* – Tom Lynch from the Gold Coast Suns
Coach: Alastair Clarkson
Assistants: Chris Scott, Ross Lyon
South Australia
Backs: Shannon Hurn (vc), Brian Lake, Corey Enright
Halfbacks: Brodie Smith, Joel Patfull, Shaun Burgoyne
Centre: Jack Redden, Ryan Griffen, Jared Polec
Half-forwards: Bernie Vince, Matthew Pavlich (c), Paul Puopolo
Forwards: Eddie Betts, Jay Schulz, Chad Wingard
Followers: Will Minson, Scott Thompson, Adam Goodes
Interchange: Bryce Gibbs, Lachie Neale, Angus Monfries
Substitute: Luke DunstanCoach: Brenton Sanderson
Assistants: Nathan Buckley, Mark Bickley
Western Australia
Backs: David Swallow, Zac Dawson, Harry Taylor
Halfbacks: Cale Hooker, Luke McPharlin, David Swallow
Centre: Harley Bennell, Matt Priddis (c), Andrew Swallow (vc)
Half-forwards: Mark LeCras, Lance Franklin, Daniel Wells
Forwards: Hayden Ballantyne, Josh J Kennedy, Lewis Jetta
Followers: Aaron Sandilands, Nat Fyfe, Stephen Hill
Interchange: Nic Naitanui, Bradley Hill, Daniel Rich
Substitute: Cam McCarthyCoach: John Worsfold
Assistants: Guy McKenna, Peter Sumich
New South Wales
Backs: Brent Staker, Phil Davis (vc), Dean Terlich
Halfbacks: Matt Suckling, Dane Rampe, Sam Gilbert
Centre: Daniel Cross, Anthony Miles, Brandon Jack
Half-forwards: Craig Bird, Tom Hawkins, Isaac Smith
Forwards: Luke Breust, Taylor Walker, Ben McGlynn
Followers: Hamish McIntosh, Jarrad McVeigh (c), Kieren Jack
Interchange: Jarrod Witts, Isaac Heeney, Adam Schneider
Substitute: Harry CunninghamCoach: John Longmire
Assistants: Lenny Hayes, Wayne Carey
Queensland
Backs: Lee Spurr, Daniel Merrett, Clay Cameron
Halfbacks: Jarrod Harbrow, Rory Thompson, Courtenay Dempsey
Centre: Claye Beams, Josh Thomas, Dayne Zorko
Half-forwards: Andrew Raines, Kurt Tippett, Charlie Dixon (vc)
Forwards: Andrew Boston, Nick Riewoldt (c), Jesse White
Followers: David Hale, Dayne Beams, Rohan Bail
Interchange: Shaun Hampson, David Armitage, Zac Smith
Substitute: Ricky PetterdCoach: Leigh Matthews
Assistants: Michael Voss, Marcus Ashcroft
And this is what the schedule would look like:
Week 1
Game 1: Victoria versus South Australia, MCG, Friday night, 7:50pm
Game 2: Queensland versus New South Wales, Gabba, Saturday night, 6:20pm
Bye: Western Australia
Week 2
Game 3: Western Australia versus Victoria, Domain Stadium, Friday night, 5:40pm
Game 4: South Australia versus Queensland, Adelaide Oval, Saturday night, 6:50pm
Bye: New South Wales
Week 3
Game 5: New South Wales versus Western Australia, SCG, Friday night, 7:50pm
Game 6: Queensland versus Victoria, Gabba, Saturday night, 6:20pm
Bye: South Australia
Week 4
Game 7: South Australia versus Western Australia, Adelaide Oval, Friday night, 7:20pm
Game 8: Victoria versus New South Wales, MCG, Saturday night, 7:20pm
Bye: Queensland
Week 5
Game 9: Western Australia versus Queensland, Domain Stadium, Friday night, 5:40pm
Game 10: New South Wales versus South Australia, SCG, Saturday night, 7:20pm
Bye: Victoria
Week 6
Game 11, final: Team 1 versus Team 2, Team 1’s home ground, Saturday night
Key points
* There are eleven games: ten round-robin matches, and the final.
* Each team plays four games each, two at home and two away.
* No team has a six-day break.
* Because there are five teams, one team must have a bye during any week.
* Whichever team finishes on top of the ladder after the round robin hosts the final.
* Home ground advantage alternates each year, though the fixture will remain the same (e.g. Game 1 would be played in Adelaide the next year, Game 2 in Sydney, etc.)
* All times are in daylight saving local time.
Who do you think would win the AFL State of Origin series that I have proposed, on the basis of the teams that I have formed? Would we see some high-quality matches and who will shine for their teams? And who would make your side if you could form one?
Organiser
Guest
QLD wouldn't be interested. Too many NSW supporters live here
Organiser
Guest
"QLD's hate for NSW rather than the other way around"; lol. NSW hates everybody!!!!! Hasn't anybody ever noticed?
GoGWS
Roar Guru
Put away the Sherrin boys and girls...we all have to play soccer now. Didn't you hear. We all have to play the 'world game'!! FFS give us a break.
Irritated by stupidity
Guest
ACT could be allowed to count as NSW and Tasmania and NT can make one big team and than I would like it.
GoGWS
Roar Guru
The best format is the original 1979 format held at Subiaco, or a slight variation on it. Over one weekend hold a national carnival of three SOO games - two semi-finals on the Friday/ Saturday then a final on Tuesday night. And all done at the end of the season. You have to be realistic at this stage and just 'give' semi-final spots to the 'big 3' (WA, SA and Vic) who in the short term are going to be the best teams and then let all other states (NSW, QLD, Tassie, ACT, NT) compete to be the challenger state. As an example: Semi-final #1 - WA v Challenger, Semi-final #2 - SA v Vic and then the winners of each semi play off. In the short term WA and SA host the carnival, and the host state to play the challenger in the semi (so that the host has a better chance of making the final). History shows that WA and SA public support these SOO games much more than he Vic so let WA/SA alternately host. Tweak the hosting later if required. The challenger state can be decided by 'challenger games' held during the season; mid-week games could be held late in the finals when a lot of players no longer have club duties. The 1979 challenger was QLD who beat out Tassie. Some sort of challenger system is the way to go - don't come up with meaningless hybrid teams. The teams have to be QLD or NSW or Tassie or NT or ACT. For the challenger state it'd be a victory to qualify for the national carnival, and stranger things have happened - they could even win it in rare years. It is hard to see SOO happening again in the AFL but if they could make it happen in 1979 then you reckon it'd be possible today. To me it's a no brainer but the AFL seems to have shut the door. The one advantage of an AFL SOO over the NRL version is that if it is done in 1979 style it'd be open to players from all over Australia. As it is NRL SOO only covers half of the nation, and a huge portion of NRL players from Polynesian/NZ backgrounds don't identity with it.
Katfish
Roar Guru
I agree with the Mackenzie call, I thought he was extremely stiff to miss out on AA last year and is a terrific key defender who is on par with Talia. However, I don't think that WA will be able to kick a winning score opposed to the Vic backline. It will simply be a game of the midfielders and Vic have WA well and truley covered there.
No Tasmania
Guest
Dear Tasmania You no longer exist. Seriously, East coast vs West coast, Vics vs The rest, 2 captains pick sides, combined Nsw/qld/act/nt/Norfolk island sides --- you people are living in a fantasy world. State of origin is dead. That hybrid garbage will be soon too. Let's just stick to real club footy.
jax
Guest
exactly 13th and that's without LeCras, Mackenzie or Rance. WA would win I'm sure of it.
jax
Guest
No he isn't
jax
Guest
The Vic midfield is stronger but WA has a massive advantage with Nic & Sandi. Nic absolutely destroyed Mummy earlier in the year. Priddis is more than handy, he will get his hands on the ball as often as anyone. Mackenzie had a better 2014 than Talia. Talia was excellent but hear me out. WC had 8-11 of their best 22 players missing for 90% of the season and most of them were midfielders so there was a lot of ball coming into their defensive 50 with very little midfield pressure being applied e.g. the Cats had 62 inside 50's and beat WC by 75 points yet Hawkins only kicked 3 goals at Skilled, that's an enormous effort by Ezy. The Crows had a much better midfield last year which helped Talia out big-time. With Ezy taking care of the biggest and best Vic forward (he beats them all regularly) WA then has the luxury of choosing between Johnson, Rance, McPharlin and McGovern. I can't see the Vic's kicking a winning a score against that defense. Then take a look at the WA forward line and boom, game over I'm afraid. It would be a great game with WA nudging out the Vic's in a close one.
Funktapuss
Guest
Play it midweek. Why not, the players are only training anyhow!?
Katfish
Roar Guru
WA do not have the best midfield. Fyfe is the best in the comp and while Priddis is handy but it doesn't go much further than that. Victoria have Pendlebury, Ablett, Dangerfield, Selwood, Hannebery, Gray, Parker, Ward, Watson and JP Kennedy. The Vic Backline of Hurley (leading the race for AA), Talia (reigning AA), Gibson (best 3rd tall in the comp) and Shaw (best small lockdown defender for the competition this year) is probably equal to, if not slightly ahead of the WA backline. As much as I'd love to see the Big V go down to WA or SA, I don't think its going to happen.
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
Yeah, all those kids taking up lawn bowls so they can represent Australia is taking massive numbers out of the AFL.
Chris
Guest
Australian based sports such as AFL have a massive image issue with the fact that players can't represent their country on the world stage. The fact that the AFL has 1 professional league in the world is a problem of huge proportions. Kids want to play for their country which means playing AFL excludes them from that honour. As the world becomes smaller and world superstars are now easily watchable kids align themselves with world superstars and want to emulate them on the world stage.
Avatar
Roar Guru
Imagine them leading the Croweaters to a win over their "home" state....
13th Man
Guest
Its funny that the two WA teams captains are the Captain and Vice Captain of SA.
13th Man
Guest
why need the All Stars, WA would beat the Vics on their own. Best mids (Fyfe and Priddis), Best Forwards (Buddy, Kennedy, Ballantyne) best Ruckmen (Sandi and Nic Nat), Best Defence (McPharlin, Harry Taylor, McGovern, Johnson). I think WA is the strongest by far, maybe have WA, SA, VICS and All Stars. e.g. WA v VIC All Stars V SA.
13th Man
Guest
Sandilands or Nic Nat taps down to Fyfe and Priddis, straight to Buddy and Kennedy up forward with Walters, Ballantyne and Jetta crumbing. Not to mention, McPharlin, Harry Taylor, Johnson and McGovern all down back. BEAT THAT!
13th Man
Guest
Also Dawson isn't West Australian.
13th Man
Guest
WA is above SA. I think the WA side would beat anyone.