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GC2015

GC2015

Norm Smith Medallist
Veteran
May 27, 2013
9,696
12,279
AFL Club
Gold Coast
After seeing Andrew Dillon's comments today that essentially confirmed State of Origin will return next year in a Victoria v Western Australia at Optus Stadium on Saturday February 14, I thought it would be a good opportunity to start a rep footy thread to discuss future selections given a few of our lads are likely to feature next year. Obviously Noah Anderson and Matt Rowell will get selected to play for the Big V and it looks very likely that Ben King will partner Jeremy Cameron as the two key forwards that line up for Victoria. Wil Powell is probably our only player that has a shot at making the West Australian team. Can't see Swallow or Farrar making the WA state team.

There's also some clarity on the eligibility rules (state you spent most of your teenage years in) and it likely means Lachie Weller would be classed as a Queenslander for State of Origin. Hopefully the AFL allows Queensland to assemble a state team in the coming years because we should have plenty of representatives in that team and it'll be a great showcase of how far we've come as a state when it comes to footy up here.

www.afl.com.au

No change to father-son rule, State of Origin announcement 'soon'

The return of State of Origin is gathering pace
www.afl.com.au www.afl.com.au
au.news.yahoo.com

AFL’s big State of Origin ruling

Under the AFL’s State of Origin eligibility rules, some of the game’s biggest stars could represent unexpected states when the game returns in 2026.
au.news.yahoo.com au.news.yahoo.com

SUNS REP FOOTY HISTORY

2011
Australia - Trent McKenzie, Zac Smith

2013
Indigenous - Harley Bennell, Jarrod Harbrow, Steven May
Australia - Jarrod Harbrow

2015
Indigenous - Jarrod Harbrow, Jarrod Garlett, Sean Lemmens

2017
Ireland - Pearce Hanley

2020
All Stars - Lachie Weller

2025
Indigenous - Joel Jeffrey, Ben Long
 
And there it is. AFL State of Origin is officially returning on February 14, 2026 - Western Australia vs Victoria @ Optus Stadium. So, now the questions is - how many of our players get chosen? Assuming it's only WA and Vic competing, I would think Anderson, Rowell, Collins and King would be just about certain to be picked for the Big V and Powell should get into the Sangropers team. Mac Andrew might be a chance for Victoria as well, but I doubt it. What do you guys think?

 
i dont want any SUNS selected.
its a farce

with daylight saving, even a night game will start at 430pm Perth time - and thats often hottest part of the day in Perth
plus the grounds over there are notoriously hard at start of season as the dry hot summer hardens the sandy subsoil

keep rowell, ando and anyone else well away from this tired, stupid concept
 

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GC2015 said:
Our first ever state representative! You'd have to think there's a good chance Noz will join Rowell in the Victorian team and I think Powell is a good chance to make the WA team. King might make the Vic team as well. I guess we'll find out over the next few weeks as they announce more players.
Click to expand...

How big are the squad sizes. Are they going in with an extended bench?
 
SUNS said:
How big are the squad sizes. Are they going in with an extended bench?
Click to expand...
They named 27 players on each team for the Bushfire state game back in 2020 so maybe it will be something similar to that? More bench players to rotate should reduce the likelyhood of injury so I suspect they will do that.

I'm actually really interested to see how Rowelly goes when he's surrounded by the best in the business. Will he still shine or will superstars like the Bont overshadow him?
 
GC2015 said:
They named 27 players on each team for the Bushfire state game back in 2020 so maybe it will be something similar to that? More bench players to rotate should reduce the likelyhood of injury so I suspect they will do that.

I'm actually really interested to see how Rowelly goes when he's surrounded by the best in the business. Will he still shine or will superstars like the Bont overshadow him?
Click to expand...

I dont think it is going to be a heavily contested game, much like the bushfire games. Lots of outside run and carry with bugger all pressure. Will probably suit Noz a lot more!
 
SUNS said:
I dont think it is going to be a heavily contested game, much like the bushfire games. Lots of outside run and carry with bugger all pressure. Will probably suit Noz a lot more!
Click to expand...
You're probably right. I reckon there's a fairly good chance that Rowell, Noz and Daicos will all get named and it'll be a Carey reunion in the Big V.
 
Noah has been confirmed as a player for Victoria alongside Rowelly in the upcoming State of Origin match v WA. Carey Grammar will be ecstatic to have the three schoolmates playing together for the first time at the professional level.

Do we think Trac will also get selected for the Big V? How about Powelly for the Black Swans? Kingy? Collo?

www.afl.com.au

Victoria adds more star power to squad ahead of AAMI AFL Origin

Victoria has confirmed a further nine players who will join the ‘Big V’ squad to face Western Australia in AAMI AFL Origin on Saturday, February 14 at Optus Stadium
www.afl.com.au www.afl.com.au
 
GC2015 said:
Noah has been confirmed as a player for Victoria alongside Rowelly in the upcoming State of Origin match v WA. Carey Grammar will be ecstatic to have the three schoolmates playing together for the first time at the professional level.

Do we think Trac will also get selected for the Big V? How about Powelly for the Black Swans? Kingy? Collo?

www.afl.com.au

Victoria adds more star power to squad ahead of AAMI AFL Origin

Victoria has confirmed a further nine players who will join the ‘Big V’ squad to face Western Australia in AAMI AFL Origin on Saturday, February 14 at Optus Stadium
www.afl.com.au www.afl.com.au
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Being the selfish Suns person I am, I'd prefer if none were selected, even though I recognise the huge honour it is for any player to represent their State...and congratulate them for doing so.
 
How are they being selected?
Is it from phone votes through the app?

Without studying the field, I’d say unlikely that petracca get selected.
 

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Choppers said:
Being the selfish Suns person I am, I'd prefer if none were selected, even though I recognise the huge honour it is for any player to represent their State...and congratulate them for doing so.
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I'm guessing it's because you're worried about injuries? I've seen several people suggest this, but I'm inclined to side with the players like Gawn, Cripps and Bont who said they're very likely to being playing scratch matches at that point in time any way so the risk of injury is there regardless. Just look at Errol Gulden injuring himself in our preseason game against the Swans last year.

The Kings Ransom said:
How are they being selected?
Is it from phone votes through the app?

Without studying the field, I’d say unlikely that petracca get selected.
Click to expand...
Max Gawn alluded to Petracca and Oliver potentially being selected for Victoria with a genuine 'that'd be nice' comment the other day followed by discussing the advantage they would have if it happened considering they've played so much footy together.

Garry Lyon is picking the Vic side (does he have a Demons bias?) and Glen Jakovich is picking the WA side. Selection based on where the club that you're drafted from is based i.e. Rowell & Anderson are eligible for Victoria because they were drafted from Oakleigh. Although there has been one exception to the rule so far with Kysaiah Pickett granted permission to represent Western Australia given he spent the majority of his childhood in WA and is a Noongar man, despite being drafted from a SANFL club when he was living with his uncle Byron towards the end of his secondary schooling.

If this iteration of Origin succeeds, then it's possible we'll see a Queensland state team formed in the coming years and a player like Lachie Weller will be eligible to represent the Maroons because he was drafted out of Broadbeach/Southport, but he could also request an exemption like Kozzy due to spending the majority of his childhood in Tassie. At this point it's not clear whether the Ashcrofts are considered Queenslanders or Victorians, but if they are considered Queenslanders then our hypothetical state team will be considerably stronger than it would've been without them. I'd be very interested to see a Queensland state team play in a few years from now because we've seen a dramatic jump in first round picks coming out of the Sunshine State in the last few years and I reckon it'd be a very formidable side in 2-4 years from now when a lot of them start hitting their prime years.

Plus, it'd just be great to have a state side to get behind, especially when your club side isn't doing so well. We've seen how well that's worked with Queensland in the NRL's State of Origin and I'd love to see the state passion carried across into the AFL. There would be no shortage of Suns players in a Queensland state team!
 
who would be your 2026 qld state team GC2015

Any I’ve missed below?

Uwland Andrews Fletcher
Zorko payne Coleman
Bowes Ashcroft Ashcroft
Cameron hipwood Weller
Walter Gallop read

R: ?, keays, Graham

B: uwland, Patterson, Addinsall, Murray
 
The Kings Ransom said:
who would be your 2026 qld state team GC2015

Any I’ve missed below?

Uwland Andrews Fletcher
Zorko payne Coleman
Bowes Ashcroft Ashcroft
Cameron hipwood Weller
Walter Gallop read

R: ?, keays, Graham

B: uwland, Patterson, Addinsall, Murray
Click to expand...
That's pretty close to my QLD state team. Assuming he's eligible, Allir likely gets the nod ahead of Payne for mine or we could play all three tall defenders if the match ups require it. I'd probably put Chol in the ruck and have him rotating with Read. Bailey Scott and Sam Marshall picked before Addinsall and Murray (at the moment). Maybe one of Leo or Rogers if they show something as a small forward. I suspect Dan Annable is going to show us something very compelling in 2026 that would likely result in state selection. Also, you probably have to go with Vossy as the coach.

I'd be very curious to see how this team goes if Queensland is permitted to play Origin over the next few years. We're pretty young, but we have plenty of talent! Give it a few years and I reckon we'll be seriously challenging the likes of SA and WA.
 
Confirmed - Will Ashroft is officially a Queenslander (see below). The AFL has deemed the 14 years he spent living on the Gold Coast and playing junior footy for Broadbeach/Southport is the deciding indicator of his State of Origin eligibility. I'm not the biggest fan of his, but there's no denying that our hypothetical state team is considerably stronger with him and his brother in it. I suspect the plan is for Queensland to play New South Wales in an AFL Origin match in February 2027 and Vossy will coach the team. We're going to see a lot of Suns selected to play for Queensland if that's the case!

 

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GC2015 said:
Confirmed - Will Ashroft is officially a Queenslander (see below). The AFL has deemed the 14 years he spent living on the Gold Coast and playing junior footy for Broadbeach/Southport is the deciding indicator of his State of Origin eligibility. I'm not the biggest fan of his, but there's no denying that our hypothetical state team is considerably stronger with him and his brother in it. I suspect the plan is for Queensland to play New South Wales in an AFL Origin match in February 2027 and Vossy will coach the team. We're going to see a lot of Suns selected to play for Queensland if that's the case!

Click to expand...

He's pissed.
“I like to think of myself (as a Victorian), yeah. I’ve played here since I was 14 – I was part of a lot of Victorian teams all the way through and then was drafted out of the Sandy Dragons and St Kilda City,” he said.

“Apparently they’ve decided now that I’m not eligible, so I’m not playing unfortunately.

“I’m pretty pissed about it, but I think there’s been some changes to the criteria.

“I would have loved to play for Victoria, but unfortunately it isn’t happening.”

Meanwhile Kozzy gets to play for WA because why? He did all his footballing in SA, was born in SA and was drafted from SA.
A bit of double standards.
 
Jen2310 said:
He's pissed.
“I like to think of myself (as a Victorian), yeah. I’ve played here since I was 14 – I was part of a lot of Victorian teams all the way through and then was drafted out of the Sandy Dragons and St Kilda City,” he said.

“Apparently they’ve decided now that I’m not eligible, so I’m not playing unfortunately.

“I’m pretty pissed about it, but I think there’s been some changes to the criteria.

“I would have loved to play for Victoria, but unfortunately it isn’t happening.”
Click to expand...
While I agree there is possibly some hypocrisy at play, Ashcroft is absolutely a Queenslander in my eyes and has rightfully been told no in regards to playing for Victoria. It sounds like they've expanded the selection criteria since the Kozzy decision was announced and I imagine we'll get some clarity on that at some point.

IMO it's the right decision in terms of Ashcroft's actual origin and also for the growth of the game. AFL State of Origin has the potential to be massive if we get it right by having 5-6 genuinely competitive states playing against one another. Having Ashcroft(s) play for Queensland is a game changer for overall competitiveness and I just don't feel he would have anywhere near the same level of impact playing for Victoria. FWIW I think Charlie Cameron should have been aligned to Queensland as well.

Jen2310 said:
Meanwhile Kozzy gets to play for WA because why? He did all his footballing in SA, was born in SA and was drafted from SA.
A bit of double standards.
Click to expand...

Here's an excerpt from a Herald Sun article that details Kozzy's background:
Pickett was born in Port Lincoln but at around three or four years of age he moved in with Rebecca, Byron Pickett’s sister, back in Perth.

... before he moved back to South Australia to be with uncle Byron at around 15 years of age.
Click to expand...

So born in South Australia and there until 3 or 4, Western Australia between 4 to 15 and then back to South Australia between 15 to 18. That must tick enough boxes for the AFL to deem him West Australian in a similar way to Will Ashcroft.
 
GC2015 said:
While I agree there is possibly some hypocrisy at play, Ashcroft is absolutely a Queenslander in my eyes and has rightfully been told no in regards to playing for Victoria. It sounds like they've expanded the selection criteria since the Kozzy decision was announced and I imagine we'll get some clarity on that at some point.

IMO it's the right decision in terms of Ashcroft's actual origin and also for the growth of the game. AFL State of Origin has the potential to be massive if we get it right by having 5-6 genuinely competitive states playing against one another. Having Ashcroft(s) play for Queensland is a game changer for overall competitiveness and I just don't feel he would have anywhere near the same level of impact playing for Victoria. FWIW I think Charlie Cameron should have been aligned to Queensland as well.
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Will's brother Levi might be classified as Victorian given he grew up here from a younger age.

Does QLD have enough stars to field a 30 player team? I don't think its a team we'll see for a while. Maybe eventually if it keeps going
2027 prob SA v WA/VIC
 
Jen2310 said:
Will's brother Levi might be classified as Victorian given he grew up here from a younger age.
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Possibly. It really just depends what kind of eligibility criteria the AFL chooses to use. Levi was born in Queensland and first played junior footy here for Broadbeach and Southport (like Will) so it may just end up being the exact same ruling.

Jen2310 said:
Does QLD have enough stars to field a 30 player team? I don't think its a team we'll see for a while. Maybe eventually if it keeps going
2027 prob SA v WA/VIC
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Stars? Probably not. Players? Yes. My QLD team would look like this:

B: B.Uwland, H.Andrews J.Fletcher
HB: D.Zorko, A.Aliir, K.Coleman
C: J.Bowes, A.Davies, L.Ashcroft
HF: L.Lombard, E.Hipwood W.Graham
F: T.Gallop, J.Walter, J.Rogers
R: M.Chol, B.Keays, W.Ashcroft
Int: E.Read, J.Payne, S.Marshall, Z.Uwland, D.Patterson
Coach: M.Voss

Depth: B.Scott, C.Budarick, S.Ryan, C.Wagner, B.Reville, D.Annable, B.Addinsall, J.Murray, K.Coulson, L.Gulbin, C.Graham, K.White, S.Brain

I'd start by having Queensland play New South Wales in February 2027 on the same weekend that South Australia presumably hosts Victoria and just see how it goes.
 
GC2015 said:
Possibly. It really just depends what kind of eligibility criteria the AFL chooses to use. Levi was born in Queensland and first played junior footy here for Broadbeach and Southport (like Will) so it may just end up being the exact same ruling.


Stars? Probably not. Players? Yes. My 2027 QLD team would look like this:

B: B.Uwland, H.Andrews J.Fletcher
HB: D.Zorko, A.Aliir, K.Coleman
C: J.Bowes, A.Davies, L.Ashcroft
HF: L.Lombard, E.Hipwood W.Graham
F: T.Gallop, J.Walter, J.Rogers
R: M.Chol, B.Keays, W.Ashcroft
Int: E.Read, J.Payne, S.Marshall, Z.Uwland, D.Patterson
Coach: M.Voss

Depth: B.Scott, C.Budarick, S.Ryan, C.Wagner, B.Reville, D.Annable, B.Addinsall, J.Murray, K.Coulson, L.Gulbin, C.Graham, K.White, S.Brain

I'd start by having Queensland play New South Wales in February 2027 on the same weekend that South Australia presumably hosts Victoria and just see how it goes.
Click to expand...

Not sure that team is troubling any other state. Not until some of those young players become in and outright stars.
Its too young of a team in the present. Give it 5 years I suppose. SOO meant to be the best of the best, so I'd fear if a side like this played against a stacked Vic, SA or WA side. Boys v men indeed.
 
Jen2310 said:
Not sure that team is troubling any other state. Not until some of those young players become in and outright stars.
Its too young of a team in the present. Give it 5 years I suppose.
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There's a few stars in there like Will Ashcroft, Harris Andrews and possibly still Dayne Zorko. Some really solid citizens in there as well like Jaspa Fletcher, Eric Hipwood, Jack Payne, Keidean Coleman, Aliir Aliir, Bodhi Uwland, Ben Keays and Mabior Chol. There's no doubt the team will be considerably stronger in a few years from now when guys like Levi Ashcroft, Jed Walter, Ethan Read, Zeke Uwland, Sam Marshall, Ty Gallop, Leo Lombard and Dylan Patterson show their worth. That's why I'd start state football against a weaker New South Wales team in 2027 and go from there. Aim to play WA or SA in 2028/29.
 

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