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

[shaqsuns]

Give it a chance ffs. I remember when 90% of this forum was sooking about Gather Round when it first got announced, and now it’s easily one of the best weekends of the season.

WA footy badly needs a shot in the arm and this could be it. If you don’t try new things, you’ll never know if you’re onto a winner.

All I want is a close, competitive game, because let’s be real — rep footy only works if the contests are tight. The bigger issue though is WA’s development. The talent coming through is shocking right now — only one kid tipped to go in the top 30 this draft, and none in the top 20. If that doesn’t improve, it’ll kill off State of Origin before it even has a chance.

No gather round is still shit, the only games that feel like they have atmosphere are the crows and port games.

The NRL need origin because their product is terrible and is only played in two states.

 

[PrancingPony]

Good move, I don't know how any football fan could be upset with seeing more football.

Give me a "winner stays in" stipulation each year, so they can rotate the challenger.

 

[Bucking Bronco]

groan. No.

So you like it being played in the Pre-Season like the Victoria vs Allies Bushfire Appeal game 5 years ago that was like a training drill with none of the players wanting to get hurt before the season started.

Got it.

At least if players do an ACL the week before the AFL GF they will be back before the end of the following season, meaning they won't run the risk of missing out on a premiership, unlike if they are to do an ACL in February

 

[Rob]

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.

October is when everyone gets their surgery done with maximum recovery time to the pre season. Never mind a lot of players who were eliminated 6 weeks earlier won't want to stay match fit.

 

[Bird Man]

As long as it is competetive and not like the all star games in the US

 

[RUNVS]

I really hope that the AFL organise a NSW vs QLD game but knowing them they will likely forget that the two states exist and that they have a rivalry with each other.

 

[glengowan]

Good to see it back. I like that they've put it as WA vs VIC, so then the winner can play SA the year after to determine the most elite football state.

 

[Rich01]

I really hope that the AFL organise a NSW vs QLD game but knowing them they will likely forget that the two states exist and that they have a rivalry with each other.

The academy cup.

 

[RonnieRaven]

No gather round is still shit, the only games that feel like they have atmosphere are the crows and port games.

The NRL need origin because their product is terrible and is only played in two states.

Have you been to gather round?
I went to the Barossa to watch the dockers it was like a country grandfinal it was great.
I parked for free a couple hundred metres from the ground and my son and I had a blast.

 

[RonnieRaven]

I really hope that the AFL organise a NSW vs QLD game but knowing them they will likely forget that the two states exist and that they have a rivalry with each other.

AFL aren’t forgetting new business growth corridors.
I hope this is a joke
The only reason it’s in WA is they put up the most cash and will get bums on seats.
I’m sure WA will happily give up an exhibition game for academies and round zero so WA clubs get two in season byes.

 

[Not a mere cat]

Interesting decision. Not sure too many fans are begging for SOO to return. As others have said Feb 14 in Perth will likely be pretty hot.

I can’t get into the footy in summer so I won’t be watching. Do we know if it’s going to be on FTA or only Fox?

 

[Bostonian]

Vic v WA is interesting to any other state why?

 

[Grumpyshades]

yawn

 

[Altum Volantes]

Vic v WA is interesting to any other state why?

Wait till it's SA vs WA - that'll get everyone engaged...

 

[RUNVS]

Vic v WA is interesting to any other state why?

Because you get to see a much higher quality of game than you ever would between two AFL teams?

 

[iameviljez]

Good move, I don't know how any football fan could be upset with seeing more football.

Give me a "winner stays in" stipulation each year, so they can rotate the challenger.

It's got a real 'oh that's nice dear' feel to it IMO

 

[Elite Master]

Dumb decision to do it in Feb.

Most players won't want to play a full-on 'serious' game so early in the season, so it will either be

a) A game where all the star players sit out.

b) A game where everyone goes at half rat power because nobody wants to get injured, or is still underdone.

So either a glorified VFL v WAFL game, or a glorified practice match.

So basically what State of Origin was like in the last few years of the late 90's then? It was so bad that after 1999 they killed it, and has been dead ever since.. Till now.

 

[iameviljez]

Dumb decision to do it in Feb.

Most players won't want to play a full-on 'serious' game so early in the season, so it will either be

a) A game where all the star players sit out.

b) A game where everyone goes at half rat power because nobody wants to get injured, or is still underdone.

So either a glorified VFL v WAFL game, or a glorified practice match.

I agree completely. Do it in July, or not at all IMO.

 

[Altum Volantes]

So basically what State of Origin was like in the last few years of the late 90's then? It was so bad that after 1999 they killed it, and has been dead ever since..

This is about blokes from the 80s and 90s that remember it through rose coloured glasses. Gary Lyon and the like. In reality the concept was waining sharply by 1995 - one could suggest it followed Ted Whitten out the door in that regard.

The Allies concept was well intended but ultimately a failure that absolutely nobody was interested in seeing. WA and SA relied too heavily on West Coast and Adelaide to field teams, and neither club were supportive of participation.

At the end of the day, this is most of all about the AFL's desperate search for their 'NRL SOO'.

 

[iameviljez]

In reality the concept was waining sharply by 1995 - one could suggest it followed Ted Whitten out the door in that regard.

It was already on the way out before the Whitten game - the crowd to that game was a brief shot in the arm for the concept. Even then, it still 'only' attracted 60k IIRC.

 

[Altum Volantes]

It was already on the way out before the Whitten game - the crowd to that game was a brief shot in the arm for the concept. Even then, it still 'only' attracted 60k IIRC.

As I recall, 1993 was the last year they really went 'all in' but the weak state sides of the non-Footy states meant there were some really poor games and WA (mostly West Coast) just stopped putting out decent teams due to availability issues. SA and Vic were still flying the flag but by 1995, the end was nigh.

I think it kinda got lost in the shuffle in 1996, among all the Centenary events and then once it returned in the later 90s it was cooked completely and nobody really cared when it stopped - became an immediate throw back.

 

[Bostonian]

Because you get to see a much higher quality of game than you ever would between two AFL teams?

Not you won't.

Why would you think players that have never played together before and won't be going the full 100% will be the same level as a team that's far more familiar with each other and playing for 4 points?

 

[speedpeck23]

Vic v WA is interesting to any other state why?

Yeh, I guess Patrick Cripps playing for WA in front of 60,000 plus WA fans won't be that exciting for you.

 

[iameviljez]

Yeh, I guess Patrick Cripps playing for WA in front of 60,000 plus WA fans won't be that exciting for you.

Probably not...?

Noah Anderson is in with a serious shout for the Brownlow this year, but I don't really care about him playing for my home state.

I know that the smaller states are a bit more parochial, but I don't know that it runs that deep.

 

[The Educator]

This is about blokes from the 80s and 90s that remember it through rose coloured glasses. Gary Lyon and the like. In reality the concept was waining sharply by 1995 - one could suggest it followed Ted Whitten out the door in that regard.

The Allies concept was well intended but ultimately a failure that absolutely nobody was interested in seeing. WA and SA relied too heavily on West Coast and Adelaide to field teams, and neither club were supportive of participation.

At the end of the day, this is most of all about the AFL's desperate search for their 'NRL SOO'.

Whether you like or it not, any time I read somebody using the word "desperate" to describe the AFL's actions I just assume projection


The AFL often misses the mark because it acts from a "knowing the price of everything but the value of nothing"....far more from a lack of emotional feel rather than the emotional insecurity. Emotional insecurity better describes people who lose it at the AFL for doing anything

Ultimately the AFL in it is own words is looking to "add content to the calendar" and sees SoO as an avenue. To the extent that it is contemplating the NRL in this is competition for bandwidth in February