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Predict the 2026 State of Origin teams

Who wins the 2026 SoO game - Victoria v Western Australia?

  • Big V

    Votes: 17 77.3%
  • Sandgropers

    Votes: 5 22.7%

  • Total voters
    22

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Would think Vlaustin for D Houston in VIC team. Houston has been a disappointment and didn’t finish top 10 in Pies B&F. At nearly 36, I don’t think Danger should be playing. He’s been there and done that.

They'll have the mentality of mainly wanting 'big names', so there may be some stupid Danger or Pendlebury types who shouldn't be in the team.

Of course there will be essentially nobody in the country that will actually base their decision to watch the game based on random elderly players, but the bean counters probably won't think that.
 
Why's he included then?

Oh, never mind. You included a link from May 2, for some reason.
To give people an idea of what the teams may look like. Most of the guys named in May 2025 would still be named in February 2026 if the all players choose to put their hand up to play. McGovern is one of the few named that won't be able to play in February 2026.

They'll have the mentality of mainly wanting 'big names', so there may be some stupid Danger or Pendlebury types who shouldn't be in the team.

Of course there will be essentially nobody in the country that will actually base their decision to watch the game based on random elderly players, but the bean counters probably won't think that.
I think they said selected players will be offered approximately $20,000 each to take part in the game and they hope that will be enough incentive to get most of the best players to commit to it.

Kinda crazy to think Pendles could represent Victoria for the first time in 2008 and then once again 18 years later in 2026, with a third appearance occurring in 2020 as well. I'm sure the AFL want to play into stories like that and it will probably see Pendles getting chosen on the bench for the Big V.
 

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Bzparkes is right. Why include someone who retired. Unless he's making a one off appearance? And they're going to use golf gloves and nfl helmets? Refereed by the tooth fairy and timo Kane smoking mary Jane on an aeroplane. Ahh I see. Makes sense.


What.
 
My WA team

Humphries Taylor Baker
Clark Barrass Powell
Jackson Cripps Curtin
Bolton Georgiades Naughton
Waterman Hogan Coniglio

Cameron Pickett Warner

Mcvee Rivers English Zuharr

Vic

Stewart Weitering Worrell
Daicos Moore Holmes
Merrett Rowell Anderson
Greene Darcy Bont
Cameron Curnow Butters

Gawn Serong Smith

Dunkley Mcluggage Callaghan Gunston
 
My WA team

Humphries Taylor Baker
Clark Barrass Powell
Jackson Cripps Curtin
Bolton Georgiades Naughton
Waterman Hogan Coniglio

Cameron Pickett Warner

Mcvee Rivers English Zuharr

Vic

Stewart Weitering Worrell
Daicos Moore Holmes
Merrett Rowell Anderson
Greene Darcy Bont
Cameron Curnow Butters

Gawn Serong Smith

Dunkley Mcluggage Callaghan Gunston
VIC kills that wa team. We’ve fallen a long way since five years ago
 
SA, with no one to play, but a strong team.

B. Michalanney Cox Redman
HB: Wanganeen-Milera Wilkie Laird
C: Dawson Day Rozee
HF: McCreery Thilthorpe Pickett*
F: Rankine Fogarty Stengle
R: Grundy Horne-Francis Neale
I: Petty Close Milera Lukosius Neal-Bullen

*SA's claims are he was born there and spent yrs 10,11,12 prior to being drafted. If it's WA playing the Vics one year and SA the next, he might as well play for both...
 
SA, with no one to play, but a strong team.

B. Michalanney Cox Redman
HB: Wanganeen-Milera Wilkie Laird
C: Dawson Day Rozee
HF: McCreery Thilthorpe Pickett*
F: Rankine Fogarty Stengle
R: Grundy Horne-Francis Neale
I: Petty Close Milera Lukosius Neal-Bullen

*SA's claims are he was born there and spent yrs 10,11,12 prior to being drafted. If it's WA playing the Vics one year and SA the next, he might as well play for both...
Obviously it depends on the exact rules as it seems they up for debate again, but if they go with the final set of SoO rules and the (paraphrasing) "state lived in the most during a player's formative years", rules then if he didn't move to SA until he was 16 he probably would be considered WA (depending excactly when he move to WA, but I'm assuming quite early).
I can't recall the exact bracket used - but after the mid-1990s players had only one eligible state. (No more Dunstall being Qld/Vic, Carey being NSW/SA, Pritchard being Tas/Vic, etc)
 

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My WA team

Humphries Taylor Baker
Clark Barrass Powell
Jackson Cripps Curtin
Bolton Georgiades Naughton
Waterman Hogan Coniglio

Cameron Pickett Warner

Mcvee Rivers English Zuharr

Vic

Stewart Weitering Worrell
Daicos Moore Holmes
Merrett Rowell Anderson
Greene Darcy Bont
Cameron Curnow Butters

Gawn Serong Smith

Dunkley Mcluggage Callaghan Gunston
On 2025 form Curnow shouldn’t get a gig, but Gunston deserves to be in starting lineup
 
My WA team

Humphries Taylor Baker
Clark Barrass Powell
Jackson Cripps Curtin
Bolton Georgiades Naughton
Waterman Hogan Coniglio

Cameron Pickett Warner

Mcvee Rivers English Zuharr

Vic

Stewart Weitering Worrell
Daicos Moore Holmes
Merrett Rowell Anderson
Greene Darcy Bont
Cameron Curnow Butters

Gawn Serong Smith

Dunkley Mcluggage Callaghan Gunston
Thats an incredibly strong Victorian bench. Theres no way this match will be approaching competitive.
 
I don't see how Charlie Cameron could be considered a West Aussie under any form of State of Origin criteria. Born in Mount Isa, grew up in Mornington Island, boarded in Brisbane (where he first played footy for Marist) until he was 17 and then moved to WA. How could he possibly be considered anything other than a Queenslander when he was born here and spent the first 17 years of his life here?

I think he's ineligible for WA if the rules are serious (which they should be). Shai Bolton and Kozzy Pickett aren't bad replacements!
Has the eligibility criteria even been announced by the AFL yet? Feel thats an important aspect missing from this discussion.
 

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Has the eligibility criteria even been announced by the AFL yet? Feel thats an important aspect missing from this discussion.
Don't think so.
Presumably it will be soemthing like the "lived in the most during formative years" rule, but maybe not. Given we're only ever likely to see Vic and WA, the rules might be modified to something to maximise available players and be more akin to the old "wherever can be bothered to claim you no matter how tenuous" rules that applied until the mid 1990s.
 

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Predict the 2026 State of Origin teams

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