Imagine this. It’s October 2007, the Melbourne Storm are only just discovering the might of their powers with Queensland quartet of Jeremy Smith, Cooper Cronk, Billy Slater and Greg Inglis. They’ve just won the grand final convincingly over a Manly side that was simply overpowered.
Now imagine that Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater turn around to Craig Bellamy and the Storm and say that they want to go home to Queensland . Billy wants to go home to Far North Queensland to be with his family and Cooper Cronk wants to go and be a part of the new Gold Coast Titans squad in his home state.
One of the greatest trios in NRL history would have never been a thing at club level and the Storm may not have had the amount of success – or one of the biggest scandals – in the game.
But by 2007 Billy Slater was already a crucial part of the Queensland State of Origin set-up and Cooper Cronk had been crowned the successor to Darren Lockyer as the legend’s career continued to be dwindled by injury.
Three times a year these Queensland boys would assemble together. They would bond, they would heal and, most of all, they would become each other’s biggest fans and supporters.
Fast forward to 2017, and once again the AFL is faced with a ridiculously crazy trade period. Jake Lever, Josh Schache, Bryce Gibbs, Charlie Cameron, Brendon Ah Chee, Adam Saad and Devon Smith are all going to be involved in trade talks to ‘return home’.
This has become a trend in the AFL after the 2013 trade period gave us the phrase ‘The Go Home Five’ when the Brisbane Lions were cruelled by rising starts Elliot Yeo, Sam Docherty, Jared Polec, Billy Longer and Patrick Karnezis all deciding that home was a much better place than what was being built at the Gabbatoir.
But what if State of Origin existed in the AFL?
What if, instead of three haemorrhaged rounds in the middle of the year, the AFL held a State of Origin tournament?
Vic Metro, Vic Country, South Australia and Western Australia make up one division, Tasmania, Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales-ACT make up another. All eight sides play three games each in a round robin format, with the winners crowned from those three games.
Suddenly for three weeks in the middle of the year you get to go home.
It would stop the flood of players seeking trades back to their mates and family and it would stop the ridiculous scuttlebutt every offseason. It would all just stop.
Maybe I’ve taken a far too simplistic view, but name me another sport where players so openly struggle being away from home.
In my view it’s the lack of representative football in AFL that brings on this homesickness that makes teams outside of the big markets struggle to grow and maintain quality lists.
Seano
Roar Rookie
How disgusting is it that every Anzac Day we celebrate the sacrifice of young men who went to the other side of the world to fight with a game full of boys who can't live a state away from there mummy's! Seriously anyone who claims go home factor should be laughed at.
Johnno
Guest
Players say they want to go home for family reasons because they get what they want....clubs & the AFL cave in and the player goes home. Don't make it so easy and a different reason will be the flavour of the month.
Paul D
Roar Guru
My understanding is there will be a state of origin competition as part of the AFLW. Surely that should be enough to satisfy all those parochial types for whom it's all about representing state pride
Timmuh
Roar Guru
I'd love to see SoO back (with actual states) but, sadly, the clubs will never let that happen and demand isn't really there (it seems especially among younger fans). Playing it now, when IR is sometimes played, would be the only option but even that seems incredibly improbable. It certainly is not a fix for the go-home factor.
Leonard
Guest
Agree strongly! Do player-movement stats support this "epidemic" claim? Anyway, some of these 20-somethings are trousering tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars for, basically, doing what they love. How about (except in cases provable emergency) they HTFU and stop sooking? Tens of thousands of other 'workers' have to move to keep their jobs or to advance their careers - why should these mummy's boys be an exception? This is a case study in How-to-Lose-Public-Sympathy-in-One-Easy-Lesson. Repeat: HTFU.
Daz
Roar Pro
Successful clubs like West Coast in the 1990s - 2000s, Brisbane in the 2000s, Sydney in the last 20 years far fewer 'go home' players. Brisbane now and Gold Coast now are seeing it because those players are starved of good times. This means players get homesick more. The jury is still out on GWS, with their initial loading of high pick talent there were always going to be players that wanted to leave after a few years there. I suspect the 'go home' factor will taper off there. Fremantle and West Coast don't seem to have as many players wanting to go home. Adelaide have had a bad run lately with several players, but it's not a crisis. I don't see many at Port Adelaide leaving either. Victorian clubs also face the 'go home' factor for interstate draftees. Strangely enough, Tasmanian recruits never seem to experience this.
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
Saying it's an epidemic is probably overstating it by a fair margin.
truetigerfan
Guest
More quality players necessitates this. Exposes them to elite footy for AFL scouts to cast their eyes over them. Gives them more exposed 'draft form'. Also better for the top level U18 competition . . . minnow states such as Qld cannot compete in the top division. 2 Vic teams makes sense! After all, the majority of drafted players are usually from Victoria. Not sure what this has to do with State of Origin footy, though.
Leonard
Guest
There is absolutely NO PROBLEM in the AFL for which SoO is the cure. It works in the NRL because their game is played in just the two state (+the ACT?). Had WA and SA been settled as one colony becoming the state of SE Australia, it might've been a goer. Time to let it 'RIA', as in Rest in Apathy.
themadchatter
Guest
Why exactly should there be a Vic metro side and a Vic country? Why not have 1 Victorian side period as the other states do. Further example of the supposed "Australia's game" being very Victoria biased.
Trevor
Guest
They used to have zones, but they got rid of it after Hawthorn kept getting the best players because they were in their zone. That's what built their 70s and 80s dynasties. Best way to do it is to get rid of free agency, allow clubs to trade as they (not the players) see fit and require players to retire or play at the same club if they don't like it. Any attempt to come out of retirement should require them to seek a trade from the club they walked out on.
truetigerfan
Guest
Maybe the teams who perceive it to be a problem should become even more insular and only draft from their home state. No need to impose restrictions on all teams. It isn't that big a problem! As far as SOO goes? A resounding NO!
steve
Guest
State of origin is dead let it lie. The only way to reduce the "Go home factor" is to keep the kids in their home states in the first place. All 18 team need academy's like the northern clubs, and a bidding system that keeps the local kids home more often that not. Each Team has Zones and Father/Son that they can pull kids from for their academy to help develop and then the same rules apply in the draft that the northern clubs have now.60% of the draftees are from Vic so the Vic teams should balance well. Vic kids have more chance of staying in Vic, SA Kids in SA etc. removes the go home.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Yep! Even the very very last game when everyone knew it was going to be the last game, only pulled 26,000 to the G in 1999 Even North Melbourne would be disappointed by that crowd
Paul D
Roar Guru
And by AFL I meant SOO. More coffee required.
Mattician6x6
Guest
Ppl do forget that, remember the travisity that was the Allies? Watched wa v allies in last state of origin @subi and maybe 20 thousand turned up was an underwhelming event to say the least.
Paul D
Roar Guru
There will be issues with the game in the 2050’s and there’ll still be old soaks suggesting state of origin as a solution Ain’t never going to happen. State of Origin is a parasitical concept that ultimately hampers growth of the regular season, as the NRL is discovering. Remember too, AFL died of almost total indifference on part of the public. Supporters of AFL seem to forget this sometimes. I hardly think following a 17 year hibernation the appetite for it has improved.
Mattician6x6
Guest
Besides Judd and Gehrig wce only lose non wa who are surplus/fringe players. Go home factor won't excist if you run a professional organization.
Trevor
Guest
Can you expand? Saying "In my view" with no evidence is hardly a compelling arguement. Players playing SOA would not get to go home. They would be playing football, possibly in a different state to their home. Requests to trade would not just stop. Hell, they might even increase (no evidence need be provided, but it is my view).
Tony Tea
Guest
No.