Club CEOs and league interested in return to AFLW State of Origin

[Teen Wolf]

The AFL benefited by millions last year from the cut they take on any and all betting on the afl/aflw games.
They are a strong lobbying group on fixtures and changes to the game.


I’d love to see SOO, I’d like to see players match fit and ready to go.

Some players need 6months to get ready for the season

Yes it's a cut per the law, not a voluntary donation, so the betting agencies really don't have any influence. Regardless, they want the same thing broadcasters and sponsors want: wall-to-wall football across the weekend. Hence they'd be in favour of filling out the lean mid-year bye rounds with women's SoO. I don't get your point.

Fortunately the season ends in December, then starts in September, so that would be 9 months of prep time. Some players are coming back from knee recos though, which takes 12 months, so maybe we just cancel football altogether.

 

[CrowdedHouse]

My take:

It has to be a one-off match(es) each year and not a series of games over several weekends.

The originally mentioned 2015 Women's exhibition match rated well not because it was "best of the best", but the novelty factor.

If you do a series of games in a year, the novelty impact is weakened, and in turn affects the crowd and TV Numbers.

If we hold it one day/weekend a year, say in June, we can maximum the exposure... especially if we get a little creative.

2024: Do something like a SA v Vic, WA v Qld, Tas v NSW.
2025: International Rules in Ireland
2026: State of Origin again, change combinations, but have the Vics play away.
2027: International Rules in Australia
And so on...

You could even trial (during the state of origin years) an Ireland v Indigenous All-Stars (Aussie Rules) game.

I've deliberately said "have the Vics play away", as I think there's a greater chance of pulling a bigger crowd in WA/SA, as the novelty impact is higher, as they typically have less chance of holding these marquee games.

 

[GC2015]

I'd like to see State of Origin return in the AFLW but as actual states instead of the Allies concept they ran with last time. Coming from Queensland, I know the state pride here is strong and the Maroons are very popular so I'd like to see them tap into that. Especially considering a Queensland team would be very competitive IMO:

2023 Queensland AFLW State Team
B: Lauren Ahrens (GC), Shannon Campbell (Bri)
HB: Breanna Koenen (Bri), Nat Grider (Bri), Daisy D'Arcy (GC)
C: Tarni White (Col), Lucy Single (GC), Jade Ellenger (Bri)
HF: Sophie Conway (Bri), Katie Brennan (Ric), Jamie Stanton (GC)
F: Tahlia Randall (NM), Dakota Davidson (Bri)
Fol: Lauren Bella (GC), Emily Bates (Haw), Ally Anderson (Bri)
IC: Tayla Harris (Mel), Belle Dawes (Bri), Ellie Hampson (Bri), Greta Bodey (Haw), Jesse Wardlaw (StK)

Something like that but you can see it's a pretty strong team that would give most states a run for their money or beat them.

 

[Teen Wolf]

How well is Tarni White going, can't even get in ahead of sisters from NSW!

 

[GC2015]

How well is Tarni White going, can't even get in ahead of sisters from NSW!

Fixed.

 

[Teen Wolf]

‘It’s something we should look at’: Dillon puts State of Origin back on the AFL’s agenda

The AFL seemed to have given up hope of a State of Origin of its own, but new CEO Andrew Dillon has different ideas. He wants to see the best face off against the best in the AFL and AFLW.

www.theage.com.au

“I’d love to see the best of the best playing in the men’s and women’s competition. How that plays itself out is a conversation [worth having],” Dillon told this masthead. “I’d love to get the feedback from our players and from our clubs. It is something that I would really like to investigate.”

For at least a year now, the clubs have been saying "do women's SoO". And yet the AFL is still at the "maybe we'll think about possibly looking into it at some point" stage.

The CEO wants to avoid looking like the bad guy, but at the same time doesn't want to actually commit to bringing back State of Origin. So, sorry to unsurprisingly say, this is not going to really go anywhere...

At best, they'll eventually do something half-arsed again (which, as I've already said, would be worse than putting all available resources toward the AFLW season proper).