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Matthew Lloyd for Victoria attempts to mark in front of Sean Wellman for South Australia during the State of Origin AFL match between Victoria and South Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on May 29, 1999. Slattery Images
In the past, this time of year we’d be discussing State of Origin football. We’d be discussing which players were worthy of pulling on the Big V. We’d be discussing who’ll be lining up for the Croweaters or Sandgropers.
Sadly, those days are gone.
We aren’t discussing Michael Barlow’s Victorian debut. We aren’t discussing Buddy Franklin booting goals for Western Australia, or Matthew Pavlich booting goals for South Australia. We aren’t discussing Chris Judd and Gary Ablett playing alongside each other.
Recently, however, the AFL did manage to re-open the door to Origin football. As part of their consultation with supporters over changes to the fixture, one of the options the league presented included staging representative football during the pre-season.
It shows that the AFL are certainly open to the idea.
Players, too, have come out backing the return of Origin. Judd and Nick Maxwell, both club captains, earlier in the year called for Origin to replace the NAB Cup. A number of other players, Jonathan Brown among them, made similar noises around the time of the Hall of Fame Tribute Match in 2008.
Bringing back Origin makes a lot of sense. In fact, in this age of expansion – not just in the number of teams, but the number of games, too – it seems like a perfect idea for the AFL.
The concern, though, is what happened to Origin in its latter years. And to be fair, when you look back on those years, it’s not that hard to understand why it had to come to an end.
The move to a national competition took a lot of the heat out of state rivalries. South Australian fans could all of the sudden cheer on their boys against the Victorians week in, week out. Ditto West Australian fans.
Then there were issues relating to the loyalty of players, with club often taking priority over state. Holding the event annually and mid-season was a recipe for disaster in this respect.
But as I’ve written before, those two excuses are no longer valid when you fast forward to today and, while doing so, simply learn from the mistakes of the past.
South Australia and Western Australia have moved on from the days where their State of Origin sides were comprised almost fully of players from Adelaide and West Coast. Gone are the days of those clubs holding a 100 per cent market share in their respective states, too.
The player loyalty issue is where the learning from the past comes in. Back in the day, players wanted to represent their state, but to be continually asked to do it year after year took its toll. Missing an Origin game, for those who’d already played in one, became not such a big deal – especially if they were carrying a niggling injury or had a concerned club in their ear.
Holding any Origin matches during the pre-season – or even after the season’s finished, à la International Rules and overseas exhibition games – is a must. And only every second or third year.
After that, there should be little room for concern.
Yet the AFL are still reluctant. It’s mindboggling, especially when you consider the potential bringing back Origin has.
The league right now are considering all sorts of options to bring about more broadcast dollars. Tonight it’s Thursday night football. Earlier in the year it was Monday night football. They’ve thrown up a 24-round season, a 10-team finals series, you name it.
Origin would add to the list of games it can take to television networks. And if it works and fans can’t get enough of it – which would have to happen if managed right – then that just opens up even more broadcast dollars down the track.
And of course, there’s another element to Origin footy that would add to the game, albeit a less tangible one.
It’s called having a true form of representative football.
There’s just something about bringing together rival fans and players and having them all on the one side. There’s something about seeing the best of the best on the park at the one time. There’s something about giving fans of clubs low on the ladder something else to cheer about.
International Rules, even when played regularly, doesn’t quite fill such a void. But Origin does.
Just picture it. Picture Adam Cooney grabbing the ball in the midfield and setting up Pavlich for an easy set shot. Picture Judd handpassing to Ablett, who sends it forward to Brown, who dishes it off to Stephen Milne or Steve Johnson.
Picture it all and then ask yourself whether the AFL should bring back State of Origin or not.
Surely, it’s time.