Roar Rookie
Joined May 2020
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Almost as pleasant as a Sunday afternoon at the local suburban footy ground.
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Hi Jeznez,
Thanks for the feedback.
ROO almost resembles the SOO abbreviation. Maybe we could market the ‘roo’ as an alternative to the wallaby?
I agree we should not stack the players to one side unevenly, but again that was why WAFL devised the Origin concept to begin with!
If we were to pick on position to fix this, could that resemble a draft pick format? That could demonstrate that undeniably there’s talent outside of the Test series.
What would a rugby State of Origin look like?
Hi Sheek,
State of Origin has undoubtedly been floated numerous times. My aim was to visualise a 2020 origin. That’s difficult with a postponed season, but the new Rugby Australia CEO Hamish McLennan has suggested the idea so it could be on the table in the future.
Rather than analyse the reasons why it could not work, I reviewed the current 2019-20 structures in place and tweaked a potential solution.
I agree the restrictions on movement place a caveat on where the player truly feels is their home. Matt Burke once referred to Israel Folau as the ‘obvious example’ when trying to decide who gets to be on the team.
AFL was right to look at the junior clubs for selection, because Western Australia and South Adelaide could boast of their player’s early talent before they were snatched by the wealthier Victoria.
League’s origin is more of a marquee event, so the players might be wearing the wrong jersey but the crowds will still come. It also benefits from a more domestic audience and less of an emphasis on Test series (though they exist, their calendar is not nearly as numerous as rugby’s). That’s why I suggested a one-off game.
There may be 5 provinces in rugby, but can we rely on the same teams in these provinces to consistently be featured every Origin? We both share similar sentiments about Western Force’s departure from Super Rugby.
League is played outside of New South Wales and Queensland, but their team colours are so entrenched in our psyche that to substitute another state would cause confusion.
I’m open to seeing what other states in league could be included, but the teams are set for now.
This comes back to my final point about the purpose of a rugby Origin. Is it to grow the game at the grassroots level? Personally I think it’s to show non Rugby fans that there can be excitement outside of the Test series. For rugby diehards, it’s a reward for their faith which has been tested on multiple occasions. It could also be a return to the tribalism that’s been underestimated by those who haven’t been to a local grand final.
Rugby is structured differently, as you point out. Instead of comparing it to league, we could work with rugby’s unique structure and focus on its strengths that make it a world class game.
What would a rugby State of Origin look like?
I reckon Scott Higginbotham would deliver just as much on the field!
What would a rugby State of Origin look like?