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

The AFL is looking for a way to revive State of Origin, with league CEO Andrew Dillon declaring he wants to see the “best of the best” in both the men’s and women’s competitions play against each other.

The preferred format for representative football is yet to be determined, but the league is keen to have a serious discussion with clubs and players about how the concept could work to ignite the passion of players and fans alike.

Finding a way to revive representative football at the elite level is on AFL CEO Andrew Dillon’s agenda.

The enthusiasm comes after 90,084 spectators packed into the MCG on Wednesday night to watch NSW defeat Queensland in game two of the NRL’s annual State of Origin series in front of a huge television audience.

With AFL talent coming from all around Australia, it has proved difficult to create a match-up that arouses fans beyond it being an exhibition match, although players have often expressed a keenness to be involved.

Among the options being raised at executive level in the AFL would be for a representative match featuring male players every three or four years to reduce club fears about injuries suffered outside regular competition, creating anticipation for the match and adding prestige to selection.

AFLW players could represent Australia in a match against Irish-born AFLW players, with 35 Irish players already on club lists, or play their own State of Origin match, particularly with a national draft to be introduced next year. Given the amount of Irish players in the AFLW, they could play a test match under AFL rules rather than the hybrid rules that have been written for international rules matches between the two countries.

Many of the Irish players are considered among the AFLW competition’s brightest talents.

“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.”

Many previous attempts to revive the concept have failed as the national competition has grown and clubs have resisted the idea of having their best and most valuable players participate.

“That [detail] is the bit that would need to play out, drawing on that tradition of state v state. There is something in that but, again, how it plays out and when you play it – that is all the detail. It is something we should look at,” Dillon said.

Dustin Martin (left) and Jeremy Cameron celebrate a goal for Victoria in the 2020 State of Origin clash that raised money for bushfire relief.

The AFL held a State of Origin bushfire relief match at Marvel Stadium in February 2020 and a hall of fame tribute match in 2008. Both matches pitted a Victorian team against All-Stars. The most recent International Rules match between Australia and Ireland was played between men’s teams in 2017.

The most recent, genuine, mid-season AFL State of Origin match was played at the MCG in 1999, when Victoria defeated South Australia and Brent Harvey won the EJ Whitten Medal.

Earlier, Dillon confirmed that the scheduled entry of the Tasmania Devils in 2028 remained on course with the new stadium at Macquarie Point to be completed in 2029, while he expressed faith in the surface at Optus Stadium after Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir and Eagles defender Tom Barrass both raised concerns.

Dillon met with Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff in Hobart on Wednesday with plans for the proposed stadium to be released next month. The project still has to be assessed by the parliament as a project of state significance before being given the go-ahead.

He welcomed this week’s SIA report into the AFL’s illicit drugs policy, which found it did not contravene any of the sport’s requirements with WADA, which tests for performance-enhancing drugs. Dillon indicated the AFL was unlikely to be willing to reveal the number of players who test positive to using illicit drugs via hair testing conducted under the IDP, despite SIA recommending that such transparency could help people understand the policy better.

He said the league would put more resources into education and was keen for a national framework on the issue to be established among all professional and Olympic sports.

He said the AFL expected some further regulation on gambling advertising as a result of the Federal Inquiry into online gambling but the league did not support a full prohibition. This masthead revealed last week the AFL had extended its agreement with majoring wagering partner Sportsbet until 2028.

“With any form of regulation you need to have balance,” Dillon said.

Dillon was at Marvel Stadium to launch the 2024 AFL Open, to be held in Brisbane from 21-26 November. The tournament will feature both the inclusion championships, for players with an intellectual disability, and wheelchair championships run concurrently over five days. He said the tournament would showcase the pure joy football provides.

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