The State of the Nation
With the AFL’s 150th anniversary looming, and everyone from Luke Darcy to Channel 10 calling for a return to State-of-Origin football, I find it absurd that no-one remembers that the reason the AFL put an end to State-of-Origin was because no-one wanted it. No-one.
The coaches and the clubs certainly didn’t want their most valuable assets risking injury mid-season. The players, either swayed by clubs or managers or because of a simple lack of interest, weren’t responding. And the most important ingredient, the fans, were staying away.
In 1989, at the height of State-of-Origin, the Victoria v South Australia match drew 91, 000 fans to the MCG. The last State game, only 10 years later, featuring the same teams at the same venue, drew only 26, 000 people. Even this years Demons-Dockers stink fest attracted more punters than that.
In 1989 the Victorian forward line featured Gary Ablett Snr, Dermott Brereton, Tony Lockett and Jason Dunstall. That last state game featured Ang Christou donning the Big V. Ang freakin’ Christou!?
In 1989 the West Coast Eagles were only 2 years old and Ice was something the players put on a corked thigh, not in a crack pipe. It was a different time.
In the 80’s the AFL was still the VFL so State-of-Origin was a novelty. By 1996, however, Victorian AFL fans were so used to loathing interstate sides all year round that no-one gave a shit about mid-season State-of-Origin; there were higher stakes at risk in the league.
So, what do we do? We lost interest in State-of-Origin so quickly and thoroughly last time that to bring it back in its old form will resign it to the same fate. So if want to bring it back, the AFL needs to go another way. Here are my suggestions for State-of-Origin.
An All-Star Exhibition feel
The AFL will never build the same level of passion for State games as the NRL; Rugby has only two competing states and a traditional, continuous history. So instead of billing it as ‘State-vs-State’, market it as more of a collection of the games best players matching up against each other and the State lines as just a way of dividing up the teams. Highlight the individuals, not the teams they will be representing. They could even produce commercials highlighting this aspect of it; spliced together footage so Scarlett charges out of defence, gives to a running a Judd, he hits Pavlich on the lead, Pav handpasses over the top and Jon Brown slams it into the upper tier. (I know, I’m a genius.)
They should play two games, back-to-back, at the same venue, for the same price, featuring Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and the Allies. And no final between the winners; just two exhibition matches.
Play the game after the season
Pausing the season halfway through a premiership campaign is what leads to player unavailability, as well excluding players who find form later in the season. The other suggestion, to have it in place of the pre-season competition, is just plain ridiculous.
Not to even mention the stupidity of picking an all-star team on the previous season’s form, the pre-season is where teams and players hone their skills, build their fitness, experiment with tactics, intergrate new players, trial positional changes and everything else. Not to mention the AFL itself working out new rules and innovations. To take this away from clubs would suicide for the league. And what about players who don’t get selected for their state? How do they warm up for the season proper?
And do you remember the quality of pre-season games? The skill errors, the ugly play, Byron Pickett the size of Kirsty Alley… Do we really want our showcase game, the best of the best, to be played when they’re just getting their touch back? Do we really want to assemble the leagues best players only to have them turn out a match that best resembles a Richmond training session? No, we don’t. That’s why we should play the game the week after the Grand Final.
Those few hours after the Grand Final are always so empty, it’s like Christmas night; this thing that has been built up and looked forward to has just come and gone and all you’ve got to show for it is a Steven Segal DVD and hardening arteries. It would be great to have another game to look forward to, a ‘warm down’ from the finals, if you will. The Irish thing has pretty much run its course, why not have the State series post-season instead?
Give the players some incentive to play
Didn’t the AFL just sign like a $900 million deal for TV rights? If you want a good State-of-Origin product, let’s sink some money into the bastard! Make the players want to be a part of it. So for starters, a good cash payment for representing your state and maybe even some sort of promotional/sponsorship tie-in; each player gets a set of Cobra Golf clubs, or a Cartier watch or a Toyota Kluger. And how about taking the players away to somewhere a bit exotic as a reward? A 4 day training camp in Fiji? A team bonding session in New Caledonia? At the very least a weekend on the Gold Coast. And take all the teams to the same place, Hell, they could even train together; there are no secrets with this sort of thing. Make it a social occasion for the players too, where they can mingle with the other elite players. Each year the NFL selects the best players to play in the Pro-Bowl, which is played the week after the Super-Bowl, in Hawaii every year. And every year, the best players go and play. It’s an honour, its fun for the players and it’s essentially the idea that I’m ripping off.
Some protection for the clubs
There’s always going to be the risk of injury in any game, from a pulled hammy to a collapsed kidney. It can’t be removed completely. However, giving State teams expanded benches, say, 10 or 12 players, would minimize the time each player is on the field, not to mention mean more players could be involved in the State series. And perhaps the games could be shortened somewhat, no time-on for example.
Make it a TV Event
As I said earlier, play both games back-to-back with perhaps some light entertainment between games, similar to All-Star weekend in the NBA. You could invite players who didn’t make the state teams, as well as any players best suited who are in the squads. And again, cash prizes people, cash money!
So you’d have the longest kick comp, which is always a favourite, perhaps the 100m sprint event and a couple of new ideas. I propose some sort of goal-kicking game of H-O-R-S-E, where players have shots from selected areas of increasing difficulty. Then you could also have a skills comp, where the player starts at the kick-out and has to hit a target on the defensive 50m line. He then has to run to several spots through the mid-filed where he must pick up a ball and hit a handball target. Finally he runs, bounces and must goal from 40m out. Well, something like that anyway.
I think people want State-of-Origin, not because of state pride, but because of the potential assembly of talent. The AFL needs to keep this in mind, I mean, they don’t think we watch the International series because we like Gaelic football, do they?
With the AFL’s 150th anniversary looming, and everyone from Luke Darcy to Channel 10 calling for a return to State-of-Origin football, I find it absurd that no-one remembers that the reason the AFL put an end to State-of-Origin was because no-one wanted it. No-one.The coaches and the clubs certainly didn’t want their most valuable assets risking injury mid-season. The players, either swayed by clubs or managers or because of a simple lack of interest, weren’t responding. And the most important ingredient, the fans, were staying away.
In 1989, at the height of State-of-Origin, the Victoria v South Australia match drew 91, 000 fans to the MCG. The last State game, only 10 years later, featuring the same teams at the same venue, drew only 26, 000 people. Even this years Demons-Dockers stink fest attracted more punters than that.
In 1989 the Victorian forward line featured Gary Ablett Snr, Dermott Brereton, Tony Lockett and Jason Dunstall. That last state game featured Ang Christou donning the Big V. Ang freakin’ Christou!?
In 1989 the West Coast Eagles were only 2 years old and Ice was something the players put on a corked thigh, not in a crack pipe. It was a different time.
In the 80’s the AFL was still the VFL so State-of-Origin was a novelty. By 1996, however, Victorian AFL fans were so used to loathing interstate sides all year round that no-one gave a shit about mid-season State-of-Origin; there were higher stakes at risk in the league.
So, what do we do? We lost interest in State-of-Origin so quickly and thoroughly last time that to bring it back in its old form will resign it to the same fate. So if want to bring it back, the AFL needs to go another way. Here are my suggestions for State-of-Origin.
An All-Star Exhibition feel
The AFL will never build the same level of passion for State games as the NRL; Rugby has only two competing states and a traditional, continuous history. So instead of billing it as ‘State-vs-State’, market it as more of a collection of the games best players matching up against each other and the State lines as just a way of dividing up the teams. Highlight the individuals, not the teams they will be representing. They could even produce commercials highlighting this aspect of it; spliced together footage so Scarlett charges out of defence, gives to a running a Judd, he hits Pavlich on the lead, Pav handpasses over the top and Jon Brown slams it into the upper tier. (I know, I’m a genius.)
They should play two games, back-to-back, at the same venue, for the same price, featuring Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and the Allies. And no final between the winners; just two exhibition matches.
Play the game after the season
Pausing the season halfway through a premiership campaign is what leads to player unavailability, as well excluding players who find form later in the season. The other suggestion, to have it in place of the pre-season competition, is just plain ridiculous.
Not to even mention the stupidity of picking an all-star team on the previous season’s form, the pre-season is where teams and players hone their skills, build their fitness, experiment with tactics, intergrate new players, trial positional changes and everything else. Not to mention the AFL itself working out new rules and innovations. To take this away from clubs would suicide for the league. And what about players who don’t get selected for their state? How do they warm up for the season proper?
And do you remember the quality of pre-season games? The skill errors, the ugly play, Byron Pickett the size of Kirsty Alley… Do we really want our showcase game, the best of the best, to be played when they’re just getting their touch back? Do we really want to assemble the leagues best players only to have them turn out a match that best resembles a Richmond training session? No, we don’t. That’s why we should play the game the week after the Grand Final.
Those few hours after the Grand Final are always so empty, it’s like Christmas night; this thing that has been built up and looked forward to has just come and gone and all you’ve got to show for it is a Steven Segal DVD and hardening arteries. It would be great to have another game to look forward to, a ‘warm down’ from the finals, if you will. The Irish thing has pretty much run its course, why not have the State series post-season instead?
Give the players some incentive to play
Didn’t the AFL just sign like a $900 million deal for TV rights? If you want a good State-of-Origin product, let’s sink some money into the bastard! Make the players want to be a part of it. So for starters, a good cash payment for representing your state and maybe even some sort of promotional/sponsorship tie-in; each player gets a set of Cobra Golf clubs, or a Cartier watch or a Toyota Kluger. And how about taking the players away to somewhere a bit exotic as a reward? A 4 day training camp in Fiji? A team bonding session in New Caledonia? At the very least a weekend on the Gold Coast. And take all the teams to the same place, Hell, they could even train together; there are no secrets with this sort of thing. Make it a social occasion for the players too, where they can mingle with the other elite players. Each year the NFL selects the best players to play in the Pro-Bowl, which is played the week after the Super-Bowl, in Hawaii every year. And every year, the best players go and play. It’s an honour, its fun for the players and it’s essentially the idea that I’m ripping off.
Some protection for the clubs
There’s always going to be the risk of injury in any game, from a pulled hammy to a collapsed kidney. It can’t be removed completely. However, giving State teams expanded benches, say, 10 or 12 players, would minimize the time each player is on the field, not to mention mean more players could be involved in the State series. And perhaps the games could be shortened somewhat, no time-on for example.
Make it a TV Event
As I said earlier, play both games back-to-back with perhaps some light entertainment between games, similar to All-Star weekend in the NBA. You could invite players who didn’t make the state teams, as well as any players best suited who are in the squads. And again, cash prizes people, cash money!
So you’d have the longest kick comp, which is always a favourite, perhaps the 100m sprint event and a couple of new ideas. I propose some sort of goal-kicking game of H-O-R-S-E, where players have shots from selected areas of increasing difficulty. Then you could also have a skills comp, where the player starts at the kick-out and has to hit a target on the defensive 50m line. He then has to run to several spots through the mid-filed where he must pick up a ball and hit a handball target. Finally he runs, bounces and must goal from 40m out. Well, something like that anyway.
I think people want State-of-Origin, not because of state pride, but because of the potential assembly of talent. The AFL needs to keep this in mind, I mean, they don’t think we watch the International series because we like Gaelic football, do they?
Labels: State of Origin
posted by the captain at 1:13 pm
5 Comments:
A single match post grand final.State of origin in a sense.Victoria vs the rest of Australia.Alternatively,an indigeneous side against the losing grand final team.Thoughts?
Tee (still haven't signed up to google)
I'm glad someone in Victoria finally said it - the reason the AFL put an end to State-of-Origin was because no-one wanted it.
It seems its mainly people piping up in Victoria. No one in WA seems to care, especially since they pretty much have their WA side (its easy to forget about the Dockers).
Theres all this argument about who Victoria should play - SA or WA. Morons - you can have them, WA isn't interested - count us out.
I like the idea of some sort of game after the grand final. It gives everyone a chance to wind down and enjoy a game for what it is.
I must admit though, I used to love watching Vic vs SA back in the day.
It's definitely a tough one in terms of when to play it but the idea is sound.
It would be great to have a competition that showcased the elite of the comp and to achieve that we need to reward both the players individually and the clubs to release them.
The rewards for both needs to be significant enough to guarantee inclusions, otherwise it will be a load of crap like the international rules series.
It's all gobshite, the game would be boring if not for guns like Tadgh Kennelly and concepts like the International Rules series, the only real problem with that is the fact that your mob keeps trying to box instead of playing football.
I think we should do some kind of fight up front and then play football, winner takes bragging rights.
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