Every year around this time, I manage to get locked into a debate with someone about why the AFL doesn’t have State of Origin.
The discussion – we won’t call it an argument – tends to arrive after the NRL has enjoyed a blockbuster Origin clash which rated its socks off.
And here we are again, this time following the State of Origin clash at the MCG last Wednesday where – forget about the massive number of national viewers – the Melbourne television audience was 491,000, coupled with a 91,513 crowd.
Combine this with disjointed rounds in the AFL competition as each team receives its annual bye, and from some quarters the calls have again arisen about looking at an AFL Origin clash or clashes on a standalone weekend.
I suggested a few years back on this site that maybe it was time to bring Origin back to AFL, and I was shouted down. Not surprising, having tried it in the past, and watched the format wilt and die.
We must remember that Origin was in fact AFL’s game, and way back in 1977 Western Australia and Victoria played the first Origin game a week after North Melbourne beat Collingwood in the grand final replay.
The concept expanded unsuccessfully and lasted until just before the turn of the century, when it was decided to finally give it away. While a comeback has been hinted about regularly since, it has never really been likely.
The reasoning is logical – the fans don’t care about state rivalry, they care only about their clubs, which is all well and good and I totally understand that.
Another logical reason is that the whole two tribes thing – Queensland and NSW. The argument is that because AFL is ‘national’, the two tribes philosophy doesn’t work.
But wouldn’t something different be worth a try? Humour me please…
Forget about a four-team competition. Forget about Victoria versus Western Australia as it originally was. Please, forget about The Allies. How about, an Us versus Them.
Everybody loves Us versus Them, no matter what the contest.
Forget about their origins. Forget their birthplaces, forget about where they first played elite footy. Make it about where they are right now. The Us – players currently playing for the 10 Victorian clubs, six of those being original VFL clubs from 1897, plus Hawthorn, North, Richmond and the Bulldogs. Why Us? Because it was their competition first.
The Them – made up of players currently playing for the other eight ‘interstate’ (as they have always been known) clubs.
Now stop shooting it down and laughing at the concept.
As a footy fan, and also a Sydneysider, I’d certainly go watch and support a team made up of players based out of Victoria.
Look at the list you have to choose from.
Nat Fyfe, Rory Sloane, Scott Thompson, Aaron Sandilands, Lance Franklin, Matt Priddis, Will Schofield, Chad Wingard, Travis Boak, Jeremy Cameron, Gary Ablett jnr, Sam Reid, Kieren Jack, Jarrad McVeigh, Michael Walters, Stephen Hill, Michael Barlow, Nic Naitanui, Luke Parker, Dan Hannebery, Patrick Dangerfield, Kurt Tippet, Taylor Walker, Callan Ward, Dylan Shiel, and of course, Josh Kennedy and Josh Kennedy.
The fact that three out of Victoria teams sit atop the ladder right now might mean the Them team are loaded, but the Us team have plenty to pick from as well.
Trent Cotchin, Brett Deledio, Dustin Martin, Alex Rance, Marc Murphy, Bryce Gibbs, Robert Murphy, Jake Stringer, Tom Boyd, Joel Selwood, Steve Johnson, Tom Hawkins, Jobe Watson, Dyson Heppell, Tom Lonergan, Harry Taylor, Jack Ziebell, Brent Harvey, Drew Petrie, Luke Hodge, Jordan Lewis, Jarryd Roughhead, Cyril Rioli, Shaun Burgoyne, Sam Mitchell, Jack Gunston, Isaac Smith, Steele Sidebottom, Nick Riewoldt, Scott Pendelbury, Dane Swan, Tyson Goldsack, Nathan Jones and Jesse Hogan.
Sorry, but you can’t tell me you couldn’t find two sensational teams among those players to compete in an Us versus Them contest?
Can’t, or don’t want to.
Forget the ‘not broken don’t fix it’ notion, why not add something to it?
OK, off you go, shout me down again.
AFL State of Origin fan
Guest
Of course this guy doesn't think State of Origin matters to the fans, he's from Sydney, he never experienced State of Origin, because New South Wales next to never had a team, and when they did they were shit! But nearly all of the fans in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia love the concept, and want it returned!
michael steel
Guest
Redheads versus the rest.
Jackso
Guest
So you agree - 9-11 was the contrived score in an SOO game in 2001. Roy masters agrees with Harry.. http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/blues-disdain-only-gave-maroons-extra-firepower-20130627-2oyzg.html http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/billys-lowpenalty-diet-has-players-tightening-their-belts-20110322-1c58h.html http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/fox-pundits-ignorance-just-isnt-bliss-for-codes-tragics-20120309-1upor.html http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/dramatic-licence-whistleblowers-in-danger-of-playing-to-script-to-ensure-theatrical-finale-20120806-23qe1.html http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/why-not-drug-test-nrl-referees-20130530-2nduo.html .
Cugel
Roar Rookie
Also, 9/11 was an inside job.
Anthony Maguire
Guest
You really can't get over Essendon can you? Rather an unhealthy obsession of yours isn't it?
Bretto
Guest
So proves my point in relation to Gene's rant. He had a crack at 5 interstate teams and the Vic power clubs. The AFL would be nothing without them. While the comp is not perfect, realities in terms of distance, TV rights, and crowds skew certain aspects of the draw and other things. Please see EPL if you want to see a truly uneven playing field.
Momentbymoment
Guest
Not sure how the Academies are a special privilege. The northern clubs pay millions to run them after the AFL made a mess of it for over 30 years.
Harry
Guest
Please - RL SOO is a confected game designed to be close until there is a need for a decider. The trailing team , as happened the other night, gets the benefit of the refs decisions until the 65th minute when NSW got the benefit of all decisions to ensure a decider. The refs pull out an offside penalty when they need to get a team back into the game because with the 10 metre rule and six tackles, the team receiving the penalty scores a try in the next set of six in more than 30% of the time. There is always a controversial decision so its in the papers for the next few days. Its pantomime. Please don't bring it into AFL and risk the pressure for a close game.
Lroy
Guest
Why cant they have it as part of the pre season comp? WA versus Vic on a Sunday, SA versus Allies same day, next week the two winners and losers from week one play each other.... we get a winner, players go back to their clubs after playing 2 games.. not so arduous is it?? While this is going on you have your NAB cup getting played on the Saturdays in the states where they aren't getting the Origin games... The origin games are played one year in Perth, next in Adelaide, then Melbourne... Sydney, Brisbane.. repeat. Not rocket science is it??
anchorman
Guest
The original SOO, was not an AFL idea.It didn't belong to the VFL as it was back then in 1977.It was the brain child of one Leon Larkin who was a Subiaco stalwart. He was the one who got it started. It was a WA idea.Don't take credit for something that you had nothing to do with.
anchorman
Guest
It was NOT an F game. It belonged to Leon Larkin, a Subiaco Board member. He came up with the idea. So the game as it was back then was a WAFL game, not a VFL or AFL game. Bloody Victorians take credit for everything that is Australian rules. If you doubt it read the history of West Australian football.
Alex
Guest
Perfect. Thought this was the best method for years. The next year you start by playing whichever team you didn't play the previous year. And you just take turns playing home/away, like Davis cup
Shaw
Roar Rookie
Get modern and corporate: players who use android vs apple ios (phone of origin) . Gen y are more passionate about that than state borders.
Bretto
Guest
You better hope the AFL stays "socialist" as you call it. The salary cap and draft are the only things that stop the AFL from becoming another version of the EPL. Remove them and there are 4-6 clubs that wouldwin it every year.
Time to reassess
Guest
NSW could beat Victoria these days in football. Easy...Think about it - Kieran Jack, Jarrad McVeigh, Taylor "Tex" Walker, Sam Rowe, Tom Hawkins, Luke Breust...for starters you couldn't get a better forward line than a NSW as per some of the above players. Langford, Isaac Smith, Suckling, Craig Bird...etc. We will never know though as there is so much media dislike and player dislike towards state football. It should be tried once (including NSW and Queensland) and if doesn't work then scrap it. No harm in trying it. And SA used to regularly beat Victoria in the 1980s with Sticks Kernahan kicking bags of goals. Once he kicked 10 goals for SA and he was partly marked up by Bruce Doull.
Time to reassess
Guest
In reply to where is Gene, the AFL's gives special priveleges - and you didn't include North Melbourne in that list? Look at their annual report each year. The AFL gives North an extra 3 million each year...and helps them out with their little Tasmanian adventure, and funds the building of their facilities at Arden Street. And then you include Carlton in the list that the AFL helps out. That is laughable. Carlton, along with other "rich" clubs is currently funding North, Carlton puts money in for the AFL's "equalisation program" despite being last on the ladder and losing 2 million last year and 3 million this year. You need to look at your figures and reassess. The AFL only grudgingly helped Carlton with their membership program this year, despite them rushing to help North and Footscray and other teams if a similar request was asked for.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
Just a different way of having Victoria v DreamTeam, which got a crowd as a one off but was despised by most outside Victoria. The only good side of that misconception was that pople from SA and WA got a tase of why those of us from minor states hated the Allies. Origin or nothing for me. Sadly, in reality that means nothing. But nothing is better than conglomerate teams with no basis for their existence.
Jackso
Guest
The NRL comp falls into disrepair while SOO is on - it wouldn't work in AFL. And how about Billy Slater playing SOO and then out for the rest of the year - what would the clubs say about that (Storm pay him $800K and he gets $50K for SOO) when he went into the game with a bad shoulder....
GoGWS
Roar Guru
No. Teams from QLD, NSW and Tassie are going to have to use players from their state leagues - there wouldn't be enough AFL listed players from these states to field a SOO team. Even WA and SA might pluck players from the local state league. So there wouldn't be 122 AFL players. Your numbers are incorrect.
GoGWS
Roar Guru
Well don't look now but SOO sides from WA and Sa have been the Vics in the past, and the first SOO game at a national carnival (1979) was won by WA over Victoria. On the day a talented team from any state could beat any other state. It's just one of those 'non-reasons' people come out with to oppose SOO returning to the AFL