News "State of Origin is back" - Eddie McGuire, March 2025

[Cmarsh]

It has to come from head office for SOO to work. They must put SOO above all else and make rules and refs which make it impossible for players not to participate and have huge club penalties for not participating.
Only then will the fans see it for what it should be which is the pinnacle of the sport.
But if you ist the clubs dictate things then the fans will turn a blind eye to it.
The AFL have to promote the changes as the blockbuster of the blockbusters and then the players have to want to play for their state.
I think they do want to but they have their clubs in their ear telling them other things.
The clubs must be told in no uncertain terms that SOO is the pinnacle and they will make it so that the players will beg to play it.
Like you said before that’s a big leap from what we have so it’s hard to see. But until the AFL make it their pinnacle it will never be what it should be

You are not going to convince the players it is the sport's pinnacle when clearly the pinnacle is a premiership.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

You are not going to convince the players it is the sport's pinnacle when clearly the pinnacle is a premiership.

Not overnight you won’t but it has to start somewhere.
Only in our sport have we ignored representative footy and to the sport’s detriment.
And it’s very difficult to to say the premiership is the pinnacle anymore when we are not ever sure anymore the premiers are the best team.

 

[Carringbush2010]

It has to come from head office for SOO to work. They must put SOO above all else and make rules and regs which make it impossible for players not to participate and have huge club penalties for not participating.
Only then will the fans see it for what it should be which is the pinnacle of the sport.
But if you let the clubs dictate things then the fans will turn a blind eye to it.
The AFL have to promote the changes as the blockbuster of the blockbusters and then the players have to want to play for their state.
I think they do want to but they have their clubs in their ear telling them other things.
The clubs must be told in no uncertain terms that SOO is the pinnacle and they will make it so that the players will beg to play it.
Like you said before that’s a big leap from what we have so it’s hard to see. But until the AFL make it their pinnacle it will never be what it should be

Regardless it needs fan investment, HQ dictating to clubs 'this is now the pinnacle ' will only work if us fans adopt it as such.

Dunno about you sharkey but even when SOO was at its peak in the late 70s early 80s I was more invested in my Pies winning flags. SOO was a 2nd interest, was more happy if Pies players performed well rather than if vic won or not. All my school mates were the same.

If we do get a renaissance of SOO my interest will be the same, I'll fairly speculate most would be the same

 

[Carringbush2010]

RL fans don’t really value it higher. Well they do, but it only for a few weeks. If you ask a RL fan about their hopes for season 2026, the vast majority would want their team to do well, and would not be thinking about SOO. In June and July it is irresistible, but it is soon forgotten and fans focus returns to their club winning the premiership.

If we are talking about a AFL SOO game in February, it only has to hold our attention for a fortnight. Which it likely would.

Well the impression I get is that SOO is the pinnacle. I don't subscribe to the idea that you can two equal pinnacles in one sport.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

Regardless it needs fan investment, HQ dictating to clubs 'this is now the pinnacle ' will only work if us fans adopt it as such.

Dunno about you sharkey but even when SOO was at its peak in the late 70s early 80s I was more invested in my Pies winning flags. SOO was a 2nd interest, was more happy if Pies players performed well rather than if vic won or not. All my school mates were the same.

If we do get a renaissance of SOO my interest will be the same, I'll fairly speculate most would be the same

It was one day a year the WA fans forgot about club footy and got behind their state.
Might be hard to change it now.

 

[RUNVS]

You are not going to convince the players it is the sport's pinnacle when clearly the pinnacle is a premiership.

Generally speaking a State of Origin team is a better team than any premiership team.

 

[Cmarsh]

It was one day a year the WA fans forgot about club footy and got behind their state.
Might be hard to change it now.

West Coast fans might need the distraction on footy other than the state of their own club. Could work.

 

[Cmarsh]

Generally speaking a State of Origin team is a better team than any premiership team.

Yes but fans won't be as emotionally invested like they are their own club.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

West Coast fans might need the distraction on footy other than the state of their own club. Could work.

Wont be long mate and the powerhouse will rise again

 

[My_Username]

It was one day a year the WA fans forgot about club footy and got behind their state.
Might be hard to change it now.

That's the thing.

In WA/SA, it was a huge deal.

In Vic, it was little more than a distraction from the regular season.

This applied to both the fans and the players, and as much as the media tried to hype it up in Vic, it never really caught on.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

That's the thing.

In WA/SA, it was a huge deal.

In Vic, it was little more than a distraction from the regular season.

This applied to both the fans and the players, and as much as the media tried to hype it up in Vic, it never really caught on.

There was many reasons for that. Before it was SOO both WA and SA were not competitive with Victoria. In fact many WA players played for Victoria against WA.
Don’t never really took off to the VIC fans as it was always an easy win for the most part.
Then SOO happened and things became much closer and so the WA and SA fans jumped behind it while the VIC fans didn’t as their certain win was now gone and decades of easy wins were gone. The Vics simply didn’t like the concept I don’t think.
But of a shame but that’s just how it was. SOO Needs the Vics to get behind it, the only way that happens is if WA and SA keep knocking them off. At the moment that might be difficult.

 

[Walshawk]

Well the impression I get is that SOO is the pinnacle. I don't subscribe to the idea that you can two equal pinnacles in one sport.

Lots of sports have multiple pinnacles - for a soccer fan in England - EPL v World Cup, tennis has multiple grand slams. What do you mean by ‘pinnacle’? For the player or the fans?

 

[RUNVS]

Lots of sports have multiple pinnacles - for a soccer fan in England - EPL v World Cup, tennis has multiple grand slams. What do you mean by ‘pinnacle’? For the player or the fans?

Yep, it is possible to have more than one. In fact we are one of the few sports that only have one.

I mean look at the NRL, they have 3 as they have club, state and country. Us fans of the State of Origin concept for AFL are only asking for 2.

Also seems dumb that we are the only sport that does not have the best playing the best. I for one would love to see the game of Australian Rules Football played at the highest possible level sometimes, meaning the best players all playing in the one game.

Even South Australia and Western Australia as State of Origin teams would wipe the floor of any current AFL team.

 

[My_Username]

There was many reasons for that. Before it was SOO both WA and SA were not competitive with Victoria. In fact many WA players played for Victoria against WA.
Don’t never really took off to the VIC fans as it was always an easy win for the most part.
Then SOO happened and things became much closer and so the WA and SA fans jumped behind it while the VIC fans didn’t as their certain win was now gone and decades of easy wins were gone. The Vics simply didn’t like the concept I don’t think.
But of a shame but that’s just how it was. SOO Needs the Vics to get behind it, the only way that happens is if WA and SA keep knocking them off. At the moment that might be difficult.

Most of the players were from the VFL (nb. I said MOST) so Vic fans got to see them every week anyway and WA/SA fans didn't need to fret over potential for injuries.

Also, almost all of the games were played in Perth/Adelaide in order to give the WA/SA teams a better chance (the few games in Melbourne were thumpings...travel and 'home state advantage' was a MUCH bigger deal back then after all).

Both of those tended to make Vic fans less interested.

Also noteworthy that SOO died when WCE came in, so the first factor applied to WA fans as well. (WCE was a major player in ending it, because a significant portion of their team ended up playing SOO when they'd have preferred them to rest).

 

[Carringbush2010]

It was one day a year the WA fans forgot about club footy and got behind their state.
Might be hard to change it now.

And that may be the difference between vic fans and non vic fans, seems vic fans have more interest in their club than what non vic fans do. Vic fans never forgot about their club.

I think you'll find that vic footy fans aren't so much vic fans as maybe non vic fans are of their state.

Evidence maybe that start up clubs like Ade, WC and Freo gained instant public interest in their states? If so why so? What is that state pride is taken up in a club competition, which is an expanded comp on the other side of the country, by the public?

 

[Carringbush2010]

Lots of sports have multiple pinnacles - for a soccer fan in England - EPL v World Cup, tennis has multiple grand slams. What do you mean by ‘pinnacle’? For the player or the fans?

There isn't multiple pinnacles, by its definition the pinnacle is THE pinnacle.

For footy fans THE pinnacle is the flag, and obviously for clubs and players too.

 

[Carringbush2010]

Generally speaking a State of Origin team is a better team than any premiership team.

Probably list wise but definitely not as a team, teams are built on systems and how to use their players over time.

SOO teams are coddled together for a game or two with whoever the coaching panel is that won't intimately know every one of their players. It's basically 'on the fly' to win against another team who are also playing 'on the fly'

Guaranteed, a good club team (without losing any players to the SOO teams) would win against any SOO team, purely because they've gelled together over time and have a system built over time.

Probably wouldn't even be a contest.

 

[Cmarsh]

Eligibility will be an interesting question.

I saw it suggested on another forum that Father-Son eligibility could used. If a player had a parent that originally was from another state other than where they played their junior footy, that player could be eligible to play for that state in SoO.

That would make Sam Darcy eligible play for SA.

 

[Demon13304]

Eligibility will be an interesting question.

I saw it suggested on another forum that Father-Son eligibility could used. If a player had a parent that originally was from another state other than where they played their junior footy, that player could be eligible to play for that state in SoO.

That would make Sam Darcy eligible play for SA.

A lot of these rules are a bit vague, but there's a father/son rule at the bottom here on the NRL sheet

https://www.nrl.com/siteassets/documents/state-of-origin-eligibility-rules.pdf

I don't mind it. I think I read somewhere that Will Ashcroft would qualify for Queensland but Levi would technically qualify for Victoria, which just seems wrong to me lol. With a father son rule, Levi qualifies for Queensland

 

[Cmarsh]

A lot of these rules are a bit vague, but there's a father/son rule at the bottom here on the NRL sheet

https://www.nrl.com/siteassets/documents/state-of-origin-eligibility-rules.pdf

I don't mind it. I think I read somewhere that Will Ashcroft would qualify for Queensland but Levi would technically qualify for Victoria, which just seems wrong to me lol. With a father son rule, Levi qualifies for Queensland

I mean, Victoria found a way for Jason Dunstall to play for them despite being born in Queensland and playing all his junior footy in Queensland, so I don't mind if the eligibility rules are bent against them a little.

 

[My_Username]

Generally speaking a State of Origin team is a better team than any premiership team.

A SOO team might have better players, but that's not the same as having a better team.

A good team a game plan (actually, multiple gameplans), role players to make it happen, players playing for their teammates, and knowing each other well.

A good SOO team, playing a bruise free SOO game will probably produce a good highlight reel, but put them in a premiership and they'd struggle.

 

[Rabish Binney]

I remember going to several SOO SA vs VIC games in the 80's and 90's at Football Park.

The quality of the games was unbelievable - simply because the players were invested in it.

It's changed now and TBH as much as I'd love to see it come back, I'd rather my club win a flag.

Doubt very much that SOO will happen. If it does, it wont be like the old times which defeats the purpose of staging it.

 

[Gough]

I remember going to several SOO SA vs VIC games in the 80's and 90's at Football Park.

The quality of the games was unbelievable - simply because the players were invested in it.

It's changed now and TBH as much as I'd love to see it come back, I'd rather my club win a flag.

Doubt very much that SOO will happen. If it does, it wont be like the old times which defeats the purpose of staging it.

It was also a chance for SANFL players to play against VFL or WAFL players, the side wasn't completely dominated by players playing in Victoria yet.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

I mean, Victoria found a way for Jason Dunstall to play for them despite being born in Queensland and playing all his junior footy in Queensland, so I don't mind if the eligibility rules are bent against them a little.

The later rules were actually pretty decent, even if I can't remember the exact age bracket.
Where a player lived (not played) the most in their "formative years", whatever that was defined as. Aged 8-18 or something, where a player learned their football got to claim their football.
No more Dunstall or Pritchard playing for Victoria.

 

[Consolaçao]

If it didn’t work as a standalone game in the middle of the AFL season in the 1990s, why is it going to work as a one-off event in the middle of the cricket season?
Back then, clubs didn’t want to risk their players, and it’ll be the same story. There’ll be a tacit agreement among players to take it easy on each other, and the fans will see it for what it is.
Another dumb idea by Dillon.