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

[Pistol Night]

Very sad they not done this mid year, it will be nothing but a little exhibition match with virtually no meaning at this time of the year. Again the AFL stuff it up. No idea this organisation.

A stand alone mid year bye with SOO would ruin the AFLs ambition to have 384 bye rounds every year

 

[Rob]

Very sad they not done this mid year, it will be nothing but a little exhibition match with virtually no meaning at this time of the year. Again the AFL stuff it up. No idea this organisation.

Wouldn't work mid season, players wouldn't play.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

Wouldn't work mid season, players wouldn't play.

The AFL have the power to make them play, they just say a 3 week suspension from the club.
And they won't play pre season either if they don't want to.

If the AFL don't take it serious then why have it. If you have SOO then it must be seen as the highest level of the sport. If it isn't then don't play it. It's up to the AFL to make it the pinnacle.

 

[Rob]

The AFL have the power to make them play, they just say a 3 week suspension from the club.
And they won't play pre season either if they don't want to.

If the AFL don't take it serious then why have it. If you have SOO then it must be seen as the highest level of the sport. If it isn't then don't play it. It's up to the AFL to make it the pinnacle.

Easy to say but what you're suggesting is unenforceable. And would ultimately piss fans off. They're not going to want to sacrifice their club for this.

If it's ever going to work, pre season is the best time to hold it. It's the only time where you might get buy in from the players.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

Easy to say but what you're suggesting is unenforceable. And would ultimately piss fans off. They're not going to want to sacrifice their club for this.

If it's ever going to work, pre season is the best time to hold it. It's the only time where you might get buy in from the players.

Has no meaning in pre season for me. And clearly most others think the same from what others are saying.

Each to their own.

 

[basashi]

If you have SOO then it must be seen as the highest level of the sport. If it isn't then don't play it.

That kind of settles it.

 

[HairyO]

Until one of them gets injured and misses games.

There is a reason SOO died in the AFL. Clubs were pressuring players to miss it due to the risk of injury being so high.

In case anyone has forgotten, look up "Tony Hall injury State of Origin"

Tackled by a team mate who was nearly as gutted as Hall was. In the final years Sheedy would routinely make his best players be unavailable. Then all the other coaches started doing the same.

Either its an exhibition game or its an U22 game. It wont be anything else. The clubs wouldnt allow it.

 

[Sphynx]

He's the single most decorated player in the modern era.

If he has to hold any more trophies his shoulders are literally going to fall off.

I'm not even sure he is going to be able to lift the premiership cup in 2026 without help.

Based on what exactly?

I’m sure you will pull out something obscure, but he’s not even the most decorated player playing at the moment.

Neale has as many Brownlows, as many B&F’s at Brisbane alone, he also won two at Freo, an AFLCA, an AFLPA and he’s a premiership captain…and he will play game 300 early next year…

 

[Rod Stroker]

Powell Taylor Baker
Clark Barrass Humphries
Bolton Cripps Curtin
Pickett Naughton Waterman
Hill Hogan Georgiades

English Warner Jackson

Neale Starcevich Cameron Ah Chee

vs

Stewart Weitering Worrell
Young Wilkie Sheezel
Holmes Bont Mcluggage
Greene Cameron Butters
Elliot Darcy Gunston

Gawn Daicos Serong

Newcombe Morris Smith King

can you replace Sheez with someone else? Impey?

 

[The Tilt]

Easy to say but what you're suggesting is unenforceable. And would ultimately piss fans off. They're not going to want to sacrifice their club for this.

If it's ever going to work, pre season is the best time to hold it. It's the only time where you might get buy in from the players.

Isn't October the obvious option? This worked okay for International Rules.

I think the key thing is for SOO to only happen every 2 or 3 years. Do it every year and the worry is Victorian players in particular will start looking for excuses to not play.

 

[GenericUsername202]

Very sad they not done this mid year, it will be nothing but a little exhibition match with virtually no meaning at this time of the year. Again the AFL stuff it up. No idea this organisation.

I think it's better to do it during the post season. I would do it 2 weeks at the GF, as the players would still be fit enough to be in game shape and any injuries wouldn't effect the next season.

 

[Bucking Bronco]

The finals bye should occur after the Prelim finals ensuring anyone who got concussed or sustained a minor injury has enough time to recover for the GF.

2 SoO games occur during this bye round, one on Friday night and one on Saturday night, using 4 teams (SA, WA, Vic & Allies), with the match-ups being determined on a rotating basis each year.

The 2 winners play each other on Grand Final week on the Friday night before the GF.

Players are picked from the 16 teams not playing in the Grand Final.

This ensures players are still match-fit and in competition mode, unlike in February where they will be listless as is often seen during pre-season games

 

[Carringbush2010]

pretty much sums it up...
this will be a let down

And likely kill it off for good.

 

[Pistol Night]

And likely kill it off for good.

Nah its like Hey Hey Its Saturday. Some campaigner will have a crack in another 10 years and itll still be ****ed

 

[WilloTree]

Freo should offer Fyfe and Walters. Put a few bums on seats, and it doesn't interrupt prep for round 1.

I sure hope they don't let any of the best 23 play. There's literally nothing in it for the club.

 

[Bjo187]

One thing that's strange is why you'd make it on Valentine's day when you have the whole month to choose, or even the Sunday you could do it at twilight in Perth, absolute primetime back to the east coast.

This must have been a Dillon decision it's that stupid, arguably the busiest restaurant night of the year and a lot of blokes won't wanna upset the mrs by watching the footy that night.

 

[Cmarsh]

One thing that's strange is why you'd make it on Valentine's day when you have the whole month to choose, or even the Sunday you could do it at twilight in Perth, absolute primetime back to the east coast.

This must have been a Dillon decision it's that stupid, arguably the busiest restaurant night of the year and a lot of blokes won't wanna upset the mrs by watching the footy that night.

Probably a better date than going to the movies.

 

[Cmarsh]

can you replace Sheez with someone else? Impey?

But why is your club's player deserving of protection from something going wrong more than a player from another club?

 

[Rod Stroker]

But why is your club's player deserving of protection from something going wrong more than a player from another club?

because
1) I don't want any of our players at risk of injury
2) Impey has had a better year off half back any way

 

[Cmarsh]

because
1) I don't want any of our players at risk of injury
2) Impey has had a better year off half back any way

But can't a Hawks fan also not want Impey to become injured by not have him play? You're happy to risk another club's player.

 

[Rod Stroker]

But can't a Hawks fan also not want Impey to become injured by not have him play? You're happy to risk another club's player.

frankly I don't think any clubs players should be risked. It's a pointless game, no need for it

 

[Cmarsh]

frankly I don't think any clubs players should be risked. It's a pointless game, no need for it

Here's the way I see it -

All clubs will want their players to play practice matches during the pre-season. It's obvious that players can also get injured in those matches. See Errol Gulden last pre-season.

If clubs are concerned, for whoever of their players get picked to play in SoO, the club simply removes that player from another pre-season match, again, a match they could get injured in anyway.

It's really not as hard as some make it out to be.

 

[The Tilt]

The finals bye should occur after the Prelim finals ensuring anyone who got concussed or sustained a minor injury has enough time to recover for the GF.

2 SoO games occur during this bye round, one on Friday night and one on Saturday night, using 4 te*ams (SA, WA, Vic & Allies), with the match-ups being determined on a rotating basis each year.

The 2 winners play each other on Grand Final week on the Friday night before the GF.

Players are picked from the 16 teams not playing in the Grand Final.

This ensures players are still match-fit and in competition mode, unlike in February where they will be listless as is often seen during pre-season games

groan. No.

 

[juss]

I feel like at this time of year, players seem more prone to ACLs and other season ending injuries.

It's one or two of them to a star player and then clubs are going to shit the bed and want to pull their best players out and we'll have like a B+ state of origin level teams.

Either that or it will be played as a complete no intensity training run and and it'll be really lame.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

I think this is just a way to see what it looks like, to get the ball rolling.

I think there would be a way to have all states involved, and maybe just tournament that happens every 2 or 3 years to keep it special

Its this way because the WA government put in the money. Just as we get gather round because the SA government put in the money.

It would be great of it morphed into a genuine competition at some point, but its difficult to manage with seven possible teams (NT isn't a state, but should be competitive enough against Tas most of the time) needing to split over 2-3 divisions and any game not including Vic likely to get very few viewers.

Much more likely is a big audience first up due to rarity, with players and many fans keen while there's novelty factor; before fading back to getting dumped again a few years later.