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It's time to bring State of Origin back to the AFL

Roar Rookie
30th March, 2016
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The AFL could do with some kind of rep football.
Roar Rookie
30th March, 2016
57
1303 Reads

Upon the start of the 2016 AFL season, I sat in a University tutorial discussing the hype that the NRL’s State of Origin creates each year no matter the circumstance.

It is an all-out battle with big hits, biff and a genuine drive to win. Queensland versus New South Wales never meant so much and yet despite the recent dominance of Queensland over the past decade, Origin never became repetitive or boring.

I’m definitely not the first bloke to make a call for it, but after Round 1 of the AFL has passed I can’t see any reason why the AFL does not bring Origin back.

A genuine rivalry between the Big V and the Croweaters-reborn played across the mega games under the lights of the ‘G and Adelaide Oval… to me nothing seems better.

The last time the two teams went head to head was May 29, 1999, at the MCG with a measly 26,000 in attendance to watch the Big V dispatch the Croweaters comfortably.

In today’s football, I will not deny, as a South Australian, that Victoria would boast most of the league’s premier talent. If the game was to go forth they would field names like Gary Ablett, Patrick Dangerfield, Scott Pendlebury, Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell, Lance Franklin, Scott Selwood, Jarryd Roughead, Cyril Rioli, Todd Goldstein, Dan Hannebery, Travis Boak, Ollie Wines, Dustin Martin, Alex Rance, Jake Stringer and both Josh Kennedys.

To see those names on any opposing list is definitely frightening, and in comparison to a list of South Australia’s best which would most likely include the likes of Chad Wingard, Sam Jacobs, Eddie Betts, Shaun Burgoyne, Isaac Smith, Hamish Hartlett, Shannon Hurn, Bernie Vince, Scott Thompson, Matthew Pavlich, Corey Enright, Lachie Neale, Bryce Gibbs, Brett Ebert, Phil Davis, Paul Puopolo and maybe the emergence of nuggety Caleb Daniel.

Despite what some may point to being a large gap in list talent, in the context of the battle and passion that would come along with representing your state on a new stage for all of Australia to see, the game would be pretty competitive.

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It would be so satisfying to watch some of the AFL’s best play it out in a heated environment, with everything to play for and the attitude of having to win. There wouldn’t be anything better to watch.

So I say to the AFL, bring back the Big V and the Croweaters, give us Origin, and sit back, crack open a cold one and enjoy the show.

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