At the end of it they hand out Australian Jumpers and they actually play against other Nations
There is no comparison. SOO Rugby League is the pinnacle of the season - ours is not, there is zero demand for it. It’s finished.
AFL State of Origin - time to bring it back?
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There is no comparison. SOO Rugby League is the pinnacle of the season - ours is not, there is zero demand for it. It’s finished.
Tasmanians don't get a go? I'd throw SA or NSW into Tier 1, make Queensland its own team and enter Tasmania into Tier 2. So it would look like this:
Tier 1
Vic Metro
Vic Country
Western Australia
South Australia OR New South Wales/ACT
Tier 2
South Australia OR New South Wales/ACT
Queensland
Tasmania
Northern Territory
Run a promotion/relegation system that rewards the best Tier 2 team with a spot in Tier 1 for the following season and relegates the worst performed Tier 1 team into Tier 2. If we ever get to a point where Vic Metro AND Vic Country are regularly getting beaten then you can consolidate them into one team.
The Tassie and NT teams may need some help from the state leagues but I also think that creates a great opportunity for players who wouldn't normally get nationally coverage to announce themselves against AFL players and put forward their name to get drafted in the MSD or ND depending on when the games are played.
Funnily enough, there is actually 23 Tasmanians in the AFL this year so theoretically there are enough players if you ignore positions. but that's obviously not a realistic way of doing this. It should change soon when the Devils enter the AFL and they are presumably handed access to their own junior academy. I'd guess they would be looking to have at least 50% of their list being homegrown so that's around 20 extra Tasmanian players to choose from.
Tassie should be able to put together a fairly competitive state team if they've got 40-50 AFL players to choose from. That would be in line with Queensland and New South Wales.
Bjo187
Premiership Player
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What's silly? It's the truth.
Steel should definitely be in the team, probably Howard too, Rampe is already there
To South Australians and Queenslanders, could someone give a go of making teams for you? I am curious to see how they would compare.
There is literally zero reason for SoO in AFL footy.
Firstly, only cretins hate other states. Let's be honest.
Secondly, only two states (soon to be one) don't already get represented in earnest in the regular comp each week
Thirdly, I don't think players particularly care about their home state in a footballing sense.
Fourthly, the obvious risk versus reward in playing in SoO games in terms of injury.
Fifthly, modern footy is so system based that most players would be completely bamboozled and rendered useless without it. So the game would suck.
Sixthly, the players are all mates.
Seventhly, recovery is too hard to slot a game in somewhere during the season.
Firstly, only cretins hate other states. Let's be honest.
Secondly, only two states (soon to be one) don't already get represented in earnest in the regular comp each week
Thirdly, I don't think players particularly care about their home state in a footballing sense.
Fourthly, the obvious risk versus reward in playing in SoO games in terms of injury.
Fifthly, modern footy is so system based that most players would be completely bamboozled and rendered useless without it. So the game would suck.
Sixthly, the players are all mates.
Seventhly, recovery is too hard to slot a game in somewhere during the season.
Representative football is something most sports do. We are one of the only sports that does not get to see the best of the best competing against each other.
Carlton vs Melbourne is Perth Glory vs Newcastle Jets, Vic Metro vs Western Australia would be Brazil vs Germany.
But you've answered your own question (statement).
We don't get to see the best of the best because due to the 8 or so reasons I Iisted, it never actually would be the best of the best.
It would be the best players in the comp, going half arsed. And that is just uninteresting and irrelevant.
It would be close to it. 6 teams, which, especially for the top tier teams means some of the best players in the competition.
I guarantee you Vic Metro, Vic Country and Western Australia would have better best 22's than any team currently in the AFL.
Bjo187
Premiership Player
- Apr 30, 2020
- 4,157
- 5,906
- AFL Club
- Essendon
Actually they did a statistical analysis into it a few years back, it's on the internet somewhere and every one of Vic, s a, w.a, qld and nsw would beat the premier team of the afl competition in any given year (I dunno how they did it, maybe on SuperCoach points or something, I can't remember) I found it very interesting.
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But they're not going to be trying. That's the issue.
Engimal v3
Premium Gold
Not interested. The Allies are boring.
They are professional athletes. Pride will make them try, not to mention wanting to be seen as being worthy of being in their representative team.
No one is suggesting the Allies be a team.
Even if they did try, would absolutely hate players injured in what's basically an exhibition.
But hey, they represented their state !!
But hey, they represented their state !!
I'm not that familiar with soccer but what's the bigger accomplishment? Premier League or whatever the largest comp prize is or the world cup, euro cup etc.
Feels apples and oranges comparing state football to representing country in the biggest sport on the planet.
Doesn’t need to be explained over and over. There is demand for international football and rugby leave state of origin (which is only two states anyway). There is absolutely no demand for representative footy. It’s a product of its era. Let it go
Only because the AFL have de-prioritised it.
I want to see the best the AFL can be, where the best players, genuine stars are on every line.
Give them a few weeks of training and Vic Country would beat any AFL team. They would make the Hawthorn team of the 2013 to 2015 era look a bit second rate.
You cannot whip up passion for player’s states out of thin air. A poll taken around the league would show an extreme disinterest for State of Origin.
Comparing Vic Metro vs WA to Brazil vs Germany is just not right. It would be more like a bad translation of the NFL Pro Bowl which is a snoozefest devoid of passion and defensive intent. Do you really want to see forwards kick bags against defenders that aren’t interested? That’s not a display of the quality of our game at all.
Yes.
Vic vs SA.
If Vic wins, SA to properly label beer glass sizes.
Middy/pot < Schooner.
Vic vs SA.
If Vic wins, SA to properly label beer glass sizes.
Middy/pot < Schooner.
Engimal v3
Premium Gold
Yeah, but Tassie doesn't have enough players to field a (realistic) team, so I'd have no reason to watch.
I think you're overestimating it.
You only need to look at the NBA All-Star game to see how irrelevant and uninteresting it becomes when the players don't care.
Few people loved SoO more than me when I was a kid. That Vic vs. SA game at the G when Lockett, Dunstall and Brereton all played together was easily my favourite sports moment up until that point, and for a few years after too. As a kid, I didn't think it got any better than that.
But it only worked back then because it was a genuine 'us against them' thing. Not only does not one under the age of 70 consider other states as an enemy anymore - the players certainly don't.
FWIW, the only rep type think that could even remotely be interesting, would be the All Australian team playing against the All Australian Reserves team.
There may be some whiff of competition kick in if they did that. The AA guys would not want to lose to the 2nds.
