Remove this Banner Ad

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

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

This is what ChatGPT says can be the NSW side

B: N.Blakey, D.Rampe, J.Buckley
HB: I.Cumming, H.Himmelberg, Z.Williams
C: E.Gulden, T.Green, B.Campbell
HF: L.Schultz, H.Himmelberg, I.Heeney
F: C.Sharman, T.Marshall, S.Wicks
FOL: J.Witts, J.Hopper, M.Kennedy
IC: K.Briggs, N.Murray, H.Perryman, H.Cunningham
SUB: C.O’Sullivan
 
This is what ChatGPT says can be the NSW side

B: N.Blakey, D.Rampe, J.Buckley
HB: I.Cumming, H.Himmelberg, Z.Williams
C: E.Gulden, T.Green, B.Campbell
HF: L.Schultz, H.Himmelberg, I.Heeney
F: C.Sharman, T.Marshall, S.Wicks
FOL: J.Witts, J.Hopper, M.Kennedy
IC: K.Briggs, N.Murray, H.Perryman, H.Cunningham
SUB: C.O’Sullivan
Would get flogged by 10 goals. On a good day. 20 on a bad.
 

Log in to remove this Banner Ad

This is what ChatGPT says can be the NSW side

B: N.Blakey, D.Rampe, J.Buckley
HB: I.Cumming, H.Himmelberg, Z.Williams
C: E.Gulden, T.Green, B.Campbell
HF: L.Schultz, H.Himmelberg, I.Heeney
F: C.Sharman, T.Marshall, S.Wicks
FOL: J.Witts, J.Hopper, M.Kennedy
IC: K.Briggs, N.Murray, H.Perryman, H.Cunningham
SUB: C.O’Sullivan
GPT hasnt heard of T. Walker or C. Mills? I assume the replication of one of the Himmelbergs it meant to say Elliot Himmelberg, but surely replace him with T. Walker.
 
GPT hasnt heard of T. Walker or C. Mills? I assume the replication of one of the Himmelbergs it meant to say Elliot Himmelberg, but surely replace him with T. Walker.

It has not lol.

Here is what else it suggested, which I think can be used as a starting point but obvious mistakes are expected


South Australia
B: M. Michalanney, C. Wilkie, B. Cox
HB: W. Day, C. Ballard, M. Redman
C: J. Dawson, L. Neale, C. Rozee
HF: W. Hayward, R. Thilthorpe, A. Neal-Bullen
F: K. Chandler, D. Fogarty, I. Rankine
FOL: B. Grundy, G. Hewett, T. Powell
IC: S. Draper, J. Lukosius, M. Phillipou, R. Burton
SUB: T. Sparrow.

Western Australia
B: L. Duggan, T. Barrass, J. Clark
HB: J. McGovern, S. Taylor, L. Baker
C: S. Bolton, P. Cripps, E. Yeo
HF: C. Warner, A. Naughton, M. Walters
F: L. Ryan, O. Allen, J. Hogan
FOL: T. English, T. Kelly, L. Jackson
IC: L. Henry, J. Amiss, H. Chapman, B. Walker
SUB: J. Waterman.

Queensland
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.

Victoria
B: T. Stewart, D. Moore, J. Ridley
HB: N. Daicos, J. Weitering, J. Sicily
C: C. Petracca, M. Bontempelli, S. Walsh
HF: J. De Goey, J. Cameron, T. Greene
F: B. Fritsch, C. Curnow, C. Weightman
FOL: M. Gawn, C. Oliver, Z. Merrett
IC: J. Viney, J. Daicos, L. Davies-Uniacke, S. Darcy
SUB: N. Larkey.
 
It has not lol.

Here is what else it suggested, which I think can be used as a starting point but obvious mistakes are expected


South Australia
B: M. Michalanney, C. Wilkie, B. Cox
HB: W. Day, C. Ballard, M. Redman
C: J. Dawson, L. Neale, C. Rozee
HF: W. Hayward, R. Thilthorpe, A. Neal-Bullen
F: K. Chandler, D. Fogarty, I. Rankine
FOL: B. Grundy, G. Hewett, T. Powell
IC: S. Draper, J. Lukosius, M. Phillipou, R. Burton
SUB: T. Sparrow.

Western Australia
B: L. Duggan, T. Barrass, J. Clark
HB: J. McGovern, S. Taylor, L. Baker
C: S. Bolton, P. Cripps, E. Yeo
HF: C. Warner, A. Naughton, M. Walters
F: L. Ryan, O. Allen, J. Hogan
FOL: T. English, T. Kelly, L. Jackson
IC: L. Henry, J. Amiss, H. Chapman, B. Walker
SUB: J. Waterman.

Queensland
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.

Victoria
B: T. Stewart, D. Moore, J. Ridley
HB: N. Daicos, J. Weitering, J. Sicily
C: C. Petracca, M. Bontempelli, S. Walsh
HF: J. De Goey, J. Cameron, T. Greene
F: B. Fritsch, C. Curnow, C. Weightman
FOL: M. Gawn, C. Oliver, Z. Merrett
IC: J. Viney, J. Daicos, L. Davies-Uniacke, S. Darcy
SUB: N. Larkey.
Walters retired. . Replace him with Buckenara
 
Yes could play Gunston pocket Cameron FF and Curnow bench.
King deserves the spot if we are going off stats but, feel the others are more deserving.

Paul Curtis is the obvious Vic small forward to work in this setup.

In fact he’d probably destroy it in this side getting the last defender.

Moore and Curtis are Vics best two medium/small forwards these days.
 
Chris Scott and Dean Cox announced as coaches.

AFL seemed to have adopted the NRL's branding of just calling it 'Origin'. Always thought that was a bit shit, why would we copy that.
 
Chris Scott and Dean Cox announced as coaches.

AFL seemed to have adopted the NRL's branding of just calling it 'Origin'. Always thought that was a bit shit, why would we copy that.

Not a massive fan of having current coaches doing this. Surely there are coaches who can do the job who are either assistances or outside of the system entirely, sort of like how the NRL do it.

Having current coaches can potentially lead to bias, and potentially trying to protect their own players, or in some cases the opposite and prioritising their own players at the selection table.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

"Each coach and their selection committee, led by a Chairman of Selectors to be named shortly, will soon select their squads, with player announcements to start next month. Players will be picked based on their junior club location from where they were drafted."
 
Not a massive fan of having current coaches doing this. Surely there are coaches who can do the job who are either assistances or outside of the system entirely, sort of like how the NRL do it.

Having current coaches can potentially lead to bias, and potentially trying to protect their own players, or in some cases the opposite and prioritising their own players at the selection table.
Yeah I agree.

I mean it's an exhibition game, give it to David King or something for shits and giggles.

Besides, Chris Scott has enough on his plate what with all his Morris Finance stuff etc.


But yeah to be serious for a minute - I don't doubt Scott and Cox's ability to be professional here - it's not like they are responsible for proper training and could overtrain them or anything - but surely they can find someone else, it would be cleaner that way and add another interesting aspect.
 
Yeah I agree.

I mean it's an exhibition game, give it to David King or something for shits and giggles.

Besides, Chris Scott has enough on his plate what with all his Morris Finance stuff etc.


But yeah to be serious for a minute - I don't doubt Scott and Cox's ability to be professional here - it's not like they are responsible for proper training and could overtrain them or anything - but surely they can find someone else, it would be cleaner that way and add another interesting aspect.

Could easily do something like

Victoria - Brett Ratten
Western Australia - Adam Simpson
New South Wales - John Longmire
Queensland - Nathan Buckley (I know, not from Queensland but could still work)
South Australia - Simon Goodwin

Everyone there is a former coach, and very professional.
 
"Each coach and their selection committee, led by a Chairman of Selectors to be named shortly, will soon select their squads, with player announcements to start next month. Players will be picked based on their junior club location from where they were drafted."
I think that would mean no Kosi Pickett for WA :(
 
I think that would mean no Kosi Pickett for WA :(

Also it should be the first club they played for, not the club they were drafted from, especially since some non-Victorians come to Victoria for their draft years to get more noticed, like Cyril Rioli for instance. He is not a Victorian, but he would be under that rule.
 
Also it should be the first club they played for, not the club they were drafted from, especially since some non-Victorians come to Victoria for their draft years to get more noticed, like Cyril Rioli for instance. He is not a Victorian, but he would be under that rule.
Absolutely. Another example is Will Ashcroft, who is clearly a Queenslander but could qualify for Victoria under the rule proposed.

They should be doing everything they can to help the other states that aren't Victoria, as Victoria clearly has the most players in the comp as is. I say this as a Victorian through and through

Hopefully the rule gets a bit more fleshed out in the coming weeks
 

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

"Each coach and their selection committee, led by a Chairman of Selectors to be named shortly, will soon select their squads, with player announcements to start next month. Players will be picked based on their junior club location from where they were drafted."
If accurate, that would confirm that there is zero idea of it ever being more than a few states when a government puts in shit-tons.
And basically allows the Vics free rein of boarding school kids that the mid-1990s to bushfire game rules did not allow.
 
Also it should be the first club they played for, not the club they were drafted from, especially since some non-Victorians come to Victoria for their draft years to get more noticed, like Cyril Rioli for instance. He is not a Victorian, but he would be under that rule.
Looks like under these rules Charlie Cameron plays for WA, despite originally starting his footy, and spending most of his childhood, in Queensland.
 
Also it should be the first club they played for, not the club they were drafted from, especially since some non-Victorians come to Victoria for their draft years to get more noticed, like Cyril Rioli for instance. He is not a Victorian, but he would be under that rule.
You can go one step further and use the example of a current player in Daniel Rioli, who was actually born in Western Australia and grew up on the Tiwi Islands in the NT. Under these rules, he is only eligible to play for Victoria AGAINST the state of his birth (WA) and would be ruled ineligible to play for the NT if they ever get to participate because he boarded at St Patricks in Ballarat for the latter part of his schooling.

Imagine that. A Rioli NOT being eligible to represent the NT (or his state of birth - WA) and instead is only eligible to play for Victoria in a State of Origin competition. How ridiculous. Another son of NT football royalty in Ben Long, who was born and raised in Darwin, is also only eligible to play for Victoria in this version of SoO. Same goes for Maurice Rioli Jr and Steven May. At this point, you may as well just say the Northern Territory is in Victoria if they're going to allow this to happen because a lot of NT players that make it to the AFL end up boarding in Victoria.

Looks like under these rules Charlie Cameron plays for WA, despite originally starting his footy, and spending most of his childhood, in Queensland.
Ridiculous. That's not State of Origin. That's state of draft year and completely goes against the original idea of having state teams that are comprised of homegrown players. It massively favours the states with private schools who hand out football scholarships to exceptional talents around Australia. So many examples of players being eligible for the wrong state sides:
  • Queensland born and raised Will + Levi Ashcroft only eligible to play for Victoria
  • Queensland born and raised Charlie Cameron only eligible to play for WA
  • NSW born and raised Jacob Hopper only eligible to play for Victoria
  • NT born and raised Zac Bailey only eligible to play for South Australia
  • NT born and raised Daniel Rioli only eligible to play for Victoria
  • NT born and raised Ben Long only eligible to play for Victoria
  • NT born and raised Steven May only eligible to play for Victoria
  • WA raised Kysaiah Pickett only eligible to play for South Australia
Just a few examples. They've messed it up if this is what they deem fair SoO rules.
 
WA are going flogged by 10 at least too.
I reckon WA will get closer to a full strength team than Vic, and I reckon they'll care more about it, and I reckon the crowd will get onboard and get feral.

I'd still expect Vic to win, but it'll be closer than what a lot people are saying given those factors
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Predict the 2026 State of Origin teams

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

Back
Top