‘Groundswell’ for AFL State of Origin after more than 25 years

UPDATED
AFL’s biggest name players are behind a return to State of Origin, with the game’s captains firmly in favour of representative football.

All 18 captains gathered in South Melbourne on Sunday night with league officials including chief executive Andrew Dillon.

The response from captains was overwhelming. Geelong skipper and AFL Players’ Association president Patrick Dangerfield said, “There’s a real appetite for it”.

“The balance with these things is not oversupplying, though, because you want it to mean something,” Dangerfield said.

“I think that was one of the special parts around the (Indigenous All Stars) game last week, that it’s not every year so there’s real meaning behind it and you have the best players playing in it.”

He said while the load on players as they build toward the season proper was a heavy consideration, February “hit a high note” among captains for the Origin fixture to feature.

Reigning premiership captain Lachie Neale said he would “love” to feature in a State of Origin clash.

“I feel like the general consensus between the captains is that it’s a good thing for the game, and around this time of the year would be a good time to play it,” he said.

“It’d be a great showcase. I’d love to play against the best and with the best.”

Brownlow medallist Patrick Cripps – who hails from Western Australia – said he would “100 per cent play”.

“Just watching the (Indigenous) All-Stars game, I thought the atmosphere was unbelievable,” he said.

“It also gives players a chance to actually mingle with guys you might have grown up with, but also that you don’t really know too well.

“You still remember some of the rep footy when you grow up … they’re some of the best weeks you have in your footy career.”

Greater Western Sydney skipper Toby Greene said the proposal had a great reception on Sunday night.

“I had all the big dogs (on my table) anyway, so they’ll be making the decisions,” he laughed.

“Hopefully it gets done.”

INDIGENOUS ALL STARS INSPIRE STATE OF ORIGIN TALKS
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon will raise the prospect of a State of Origin series with players and coaches, following the success of the Indigenous All Stars match on Saturday.

Mr Dillon said backing from players and clubs allowed the All Stars match at Perth’s Optus Stadium to thrive and he was “absolutely committed” to holding the showpiece* again.

However, if the All Stars don’t want to play annually, Mr Dillon said he would explore the possibility of State of Origin.

“We’re absolutely committed to Indigenous All Stars, whether that’s every year or every couple of years, that’s the bit we’ve got to work through,” he said.

“In the other years, I think that’s where you could look at other types of representative football, whether it’s State of Origin or All Stars; they’re the things we need to discuss.

“The player buy-in is what’s really important, I think, when you see representative football at its best is when the players are highly engaged*.

“Like the All Stars were on the weekend – and also a shout out to Fremantle for how they embraced the concept as well.”

Mr Dillon was confident support for State of Origin would not be an issue.

“I think historically it was, but from what we saw, because the players were so keen to play for the All Stars, I think that put the clubs in the position,” he said.

“I think they’ve (clubs) seen how the players embraced it (and) what they got out of it – how much it meant to the players – and that’s when the clubs got behind it.”

Mr Dillon wouldn’t speculate* on how soon State of Origin could be played but said he would speak to players and clubs about potentially playing it next year.

“I can’t rule it in or can’t rule it out, but it will certainly be a conversation I would like to have with the players and the clubs,” he said.

“I think there seems to be a bit of a groundswell* for it … people are keen for footy.”

The last State of Origin match was between Victoria and South Australia in 1999.

INDIGENOUS ALL STARS’ BLAZING TRIUMPH
The roaring success of last weekend’s Indigenous All Stars match may see the exhibition games* become a permanent fixture on the AFL calendar.

As skipper, Michael Walters made it his mission to attract the best of the best to the first Indigenous All Stars match in a decade.

Alongside AFL Indigenous and multicultural engagement manager Pauly Vandenbergh, the 34-year-old rallied* the league’s biggest names.

Historically, some clubs have initially refused to release players but Saturday’s squad was stacked with talent. No one said no and those who didn’t play were out due to injury or personal circumstances.

Under Walters’ leadership, the All Stars defeated Fremantle by 43 points to move to a 7-7 overall record. And the 17-year veteran* of the competition was bursting with pride.

“You can put us all in a room, we’re from all over Australia but we’re united,” Walters said after the game. “It’s about us coming together, united, playing the game we love. Football wins.”

Four-goal forward Bobby Hills said it was “great to play in”.

“When we play a brand of football like that, we’re unstoppable,” Hill said. “It was one of the most fun games ever … It’s something I’ll cherish forever.”

The Fremantle Dockers were on the receiving end of the Indigenous All Stars’ flair but the Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir has joined calls for the tradition to continue.

WATCH THE VIDEO

POLL

GLOSSARY

• showpiece: a very good example of something that attracts attention or admiration
• engaged: when someone becomes interested or involved in an activity
• speculate: guess, hypothesis, to form a theory without knowing the facts
• groundswell: growth of strong feeling about something among a large group of people
• exhibition games: sports game that is not part of any league or official competition but intended for players to practice, to entertain people, or to show their skill
• rallied: brought together for a shared effort or purpose
• veteran: a lot of experience of a particular activity

EXTRA READING

Aussie makes Super Bowl history

NBA deal brings stars Down Under

Aussie steals NZ multisport crown

QUICK QUIZ

1. What allowed the Indigenous All Stars to thrive, according to AFL boss Andrew Dillon?
2. When was the last AFL State of Origin match and players from which two states took part?
3. How many goals did forward Bobby Hills score for the Indigenous All Stars?
4. Which team did the All Stars defeat at Optus Stadium last weekend?
5. Who captained the Indigenous All Stars team?

LISTEN TO THE UPDATE

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. How would it work?
The Rugby League State of Origin is played between New South Wales and Queensland. Which states would play in an AFL State of Origin? Think about how this competition should be organised. Write paragraphs explaining how you think an AFL State of Origin contest should be run and why your ideas are the best.

Time: allow at least 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education

2. Extension
“State of Origin is a bad idea and should never be part of any sport!”

Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Write an explanation, with reasons, for your opinion.

Time: allow at least 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education

VCOP ACTIVITY
Read with Kung Fu punctuation
Pair up with the article between you and stand up to make it easy to demonstrate your Kung Fu punctuation.

Practise reading one sentence at a time. Now read it again, while acting out the punctuation as you read.

Read and act three sentences before swapping with your partner.

Take two turns each.

Now ask your partner to read a sentence out loud while you try and act out the punctuation. Can you keep up? Swap over?

Try acting out two sentences – are you laughing yet?