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

[Howard Littlejohn]

Okay mate. You can keep living in the 1970s where all you care about is whether the Blues beat Essendon or Collingwood. I'm going to focus on whether my team can find a way to beat the two-time defending premiers Brisbane in 2026 and I'll embrace the return of state footy for what it is. I'm at least going to give this iteration a chance before deciding if I hate it!

Let's revisit this in February and see if 'no one in Victoria gives a sh*t' like you suggest. I reckon we'll see good TV viewership for this game (even in Victoria) and a sell out crowd in Perth. That's my prediction and I wouldn't be surprised if the success leads to another state game being booked between Victoria and South Australia in 2027.

I think we will for a one-off. I don't think it will be sustainable, outside once every 3-4 years so it stays fresh for players who get the chance 2-3 times in their careers. Clubs don't want it at all, and it seems fairly clear the fan base is split.
2027 may happen, it will still hold novelty factor. Anything after that will probably see decline to oblivion again if tried too often.

 

[RUNVS]

I think we will for a one-off. I don't think it will be sustainable, outside once every 3-4 years so it stays fresh for players who get the chance 2-3 times in their careers. Clubs don't want it at all, and it seems fairly clear the fan base is split.
2027 may happen, it will still hold novelty factor. Anything after that will probably see decline to oblivion again if tried too often.

Mix it up so next year is SA vs WA, the year after NSW vs QLD.

 

[GC2015]

I think we will for a one-off. I don't think it will be sustainable, outside once every 3-4 years so it stays fresh for players who get the chance 2-3 times in their careers. Clubs don't want it at all, and it seems fairly clear the fan base is split.
2027 may happen, it will still hold novelty factor. Anything after that will probably see decline to oblivion again if tried too often.

From what I can tell, the plan is to have South Australia host Origin in 2027 and I'm guessing the idea is for SA to play the winner of WA and Victoria for (presumably) some kind of Champions of Australia game. It's basically been confirmed by Mitch Cleary already:



The SA Premier Peter Malinauskas also confirmed that they want it in 2027:



So I reckon it almost definitely happens in 2027, unless this first game is a complete flop. If it's a massive success then I suspect there will be moves made to include QLD + NSW in the future and that's likely why Ashcroft has been told that he can't play for Victoria. Assuming it's a success, I'd have SA host Victoria and QLD play NSW on the same weekend in 2027. Create an actual national state competition that people have a reason to get into and rotate it around every few years so it doesn't get stale.

 

[RUNVS]

From what I can tell, the plan is to have South Australia host Origin in 2027 and I'm guessing the idea is for SA to play the winner of WA and Victoria for (presumably) some kind of Champions of Australia game. It's basically been confirmed by Mitch Cleary already:



The SA Premier Peter Malinauskas also confirmed that they want it in 2027:



So I reckon it almost definitely happens in 2027, unless this first game is a complete flop. If it's a massive success then I suspect there will be moves made to include QLD + NSW in the future and that's likely why Ashcroft has been told that he can't play for Victoria. Assuming it's a success, I'd have SA host Victoria and QLD play NSW on the same weekend in 2027. Create an actual national state competition that people have a reason to get into and rotate it around every few years so it doesn't get stale.

Victoria should not play next year as we don’t want the concept to become too VIC centric.

 

[GC2015]

Victoria should not play next year as we don’t want the concept to become too VIC centric.

I think it'll just come down to which state wins this first game. South Australia will want to play the winner at Adelaide Oval, not the loser.

 

[Bjo187]

Give SA the state game next year and put gather round to Perth for a year, footy there needs a shot in the arm desperately and it's the first year of the NRL team there so they'd wanna own the town.

I don't like this concept of locking the big events into one venue forever, it's a big missed opportunity to promote the game all across Australia. Maybe SA get gather round every second year or something, but use the successful concept to boost the code all across Australia.

 

[Bostonian]

Victoria should not play next year as we don’t want the concept to become too VIC centric.

Yeah, imagine the nationwide interest in a NSW v SA game

 

[RUNVS]

Yeah, imagine the nationwide interest in a NSW v SA game

I watch Carlton vs Fremantle games, and NSW vs SA would be far more interesting than that.

 

[Bostonian]

I watch Carlton vs Fremantle games, and NSW vs SA would be far more interesting than that.

Obviously you have no life to want to fill it with such dross.

 

[RUNVS]

Obviously you have no life to want to fill it with such dross.

You have posted over 25,000 posts in 9 years on this forum. Not saying it is a bad thing, but clearly you are interested in football outside of your own club.

 

[GC2015]

Yeah, imagine the nationwide interest in a NSW v SA game

You can thank me later when you're done watching this tight semifinal clash between your two favourites state teams:

 

[RUNVS]

You can thank me later when you're done watching this tight semifinal clash between your two favourites state teams:

Could be some mistakes here but

B: N.Blakey, D.Rampe, J.Buckley
HB: I.Cumming, H.Himmelberg, Z.Williams
C: E.Gulden, T.Green, B.Campbell
HF: L.Schultz, T.Walker, I.Heeney
F: C.Sharman, T.Marshall, S.Wicks
FOL: J.Witts, J.Hopper, M.Kennedy
IC: K.Briggs, N.Murray, H.Perryman, C.Mills
SUB: C.O’Sullivan

vs

B: C. Budarick, H. Andrews, J. Payne
HB: J. Bowes, A. Aliir, A. Sexton
C: W. Ashcroft, B. Keays, J. Fletcher
HF: N. Cumberland, C. Dixon, B. Reville
F: C. Cameron, E. Hipwood, M. Chol
FOL: E. Read, A. Davies, B. Scott
IC: B. Uwland, C. Graham, L. Ashcroft, T. Fullarton
SUB: W. Graham.

would be a good game to watch.

 

[Bostonian]

You can thank me later when you're done watching this tight semifinal clash between your two favourites state teams:

Pass.

 

[Bostonian]

You have posted over 25,000 posts in 9 years on this forum. Not saying it is a bad thing, but clearly you are interested in football outside of your own club.

This forum has more than football on it.

 

[RUNVS]

This forum has more than football on it.

Well whatever you are talking about you clearly don't have a leg to stand on accusing people of having too much time on their hands.

 

[Bostonian]

Well whatever you are talking about you clearly don't have a leg to stand on accusing people of having too much time on their hands.

Well unlike most people on here I have a thread that shows I actually do get out and touch the grass.

Do you?

 

[RUNVS]

Well unlike most people on here I have a thread that shows I actually do get out and touch the grass.

Do you?

Um, weird flex, but okay, you are still online a lot.

 

[Johnny Bananas]

Mix it up so next year is SA vs WA, the year after NSW vs QLD.

Why not have two games in 2027 and do both? Why wait?

I'd be happy to see NSW vs QLD. As much as the Allies may be a fine concept for the U18s, I think it'd be a hindrance to have them in senior SOO anymore. Nobody wants to watch the Allies, they only want to see their own state.

 

[Johnny Bananas]

Obviously you have no life to want to fill it with such dross.

This is extremely ironic given who is posting it.

 

[Johnny Bananas]

I'm betting SA footy fans will be incredibly jealous watching the Big V and the Sandgropers go head-to-head next year and will start negotiations to host their own SoO game at Adelaide Oval the following year.

Nail on the head.

 

[Cleavy]

I'm betting SA footy fans will be incredibly jealous watching the Big V and the Sandgropers go head-to-head next year and will start negotiations to host their own SoO game at Adelaide Oval the following year.

so SA vs The Allies then?

 

[GC2015]

Why does the Victorian media keep pushing this false narrative that Kozzy played all his junior footy in South Australia? This is verifiable untrue. Look at this 'Going Home' documentary (below) that the Melbourne Demons put together last year where Kozzy goes back to his "home" in Quairading, Western Australia. At 17:20 in the video it shows him going back to his junior footy club in Quairading and he even says "I grew up there, all my family live there. I learned how to play footy there actually, and basically did all my primary schooling there before I moved over to Adelaide." He even shows in the documentary that he started his secondary schooling (year 8) in Quairading. It's really strange that the Victorian media is completely ignoring verifiable facts to push this narrative that Kozzy only ever played junior footy in SA (not true) to then use it as evidence as to why the Ashcroft decision was incorrect. Why push fake news? Where's the integrity to do the tiniest bit of research like I did and discover it's not true?

There's no double standard here. Ashcroft learned to play football at Broadbeach / Southport (QLD) and Pickett learned to play football in Quairading (WA). Both have been correctly aligned to those states.

Quairading | Kysaiah going home

In May, Kysaiah Pickett made a special trip back to his Western Australian home of Quairading

www.melbournefc.com.au

so SA vs The Allies then?

South Australia will host Victoria at Adelaide Oval in 2027 (unless the first game in Perth is a complete flop) and if the AFL wants to expand the competition to include more states then I reckon it'll be QLD vs NSW. Eddie McGuire made it pretty clear in March that the AFL isn't interested in reviving the Allies concept and would rather run a proper state competition that include QLD and NSW. Apparently the AFL believes the draft talent coming out of the northern states in the last few years has changed their mind about what's possible with a national State of Origin competition. If it happens, then Will Ashcroft will obviously become the face of Queensland footy in every sense.

 

[Bjo187]

Allies is a really poor concept nobody cares about. It's gotta be state based or nothing.

 

[Demon13304]

Allies is a really poor concept nobody cares about. It's gotta be state based or nothing.

Yep. Imagine if it was the FIFA world cup and they went "you guys always can't get very far so what we'll do is combine Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and a bunch of Pacific nations and we'll see how you go." No one would get behind that and I can't imagine anyone in NSW/QLD/Tassie getting behind the Allies.


I think NSW and ACT is the only one that could really combine. Queensland and NT would be nice but idk how they'd feel about that

 

[Bjo187]

Yep. Imagine if it was the FIFA world cup and they went "you guys always can't get very far so what we'll do is combine Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and a bunch of Pacific nations and we'll see how you go." No one would get behind that and I can't imagine anyone in NSW/QLD/Tassie getting behind the Allies.


I think NSW and ACT is the only one that could really combine. Queensland and NT would be nice but idk how they'd feel about that

Yeah just do it NSW and "ACT players that have lived in NSW at some stage' and Qld and 'NT players that have lived in Qld at some stage'. That covers 90% of players from those areas coz the academies send them to the Giants and suns in those states for their careers anyway. It means those 2 territories players can mostly be involved and it also strengthens the depth of NSW and QLD.