Murray MiddletonThe Future of State of Origin
May 8th 2008 08:54
Although Saturday's match between Victoria and the All Stars has been billed as a once off, it will provide an insight into the future, if any, of state of origin football. The most important figure as far as Andrew Demetriou is concerned, is the attendence. If any less than seventy thousand people attend the match, it will be considered a failure. As for the future of state of origin, the nature of the match itself will be the true marker.
The game should be a spectacle of the best footballers in the country. Injuries to the likes of Hodge, Abblett, Reiwoldt and Black have hurt the game. In recent years the most common issue with regard to reviving state of origin football has been: injuries. What if a star player is injured during the match? Are players who claim to be unavailable really injured? in the modern era - one supposedly defined by professionalism - a coach simply cannot afford to lose one of their players to an injury suffered in a match which is not played for four points.
Even one serious injury on Saturday night will be considered detrimental to the experiment. A serious injury will be heavily scrutinised. For this reason alone it is surprising that Brisbane have allowed Jonathan Brown to play. Brown should be applauded for his enthusiasm to play. If all players were as keen to represent their state as Brown, state of origin football would still be a regular fixture on the AFL's calender. There is no doubt that a fierce state of origin contest would be good for the game.
Another problem with the match is the fact that many players on the All Star team are not, technically, representing their state. They are supposed to be united in their desire to beat VIctoria. This is not enough. They have to be hungry. The game would hold much more importance if it was Victoria versus South Australia. However then only two states would be represented. The West Australian teams, for instance, would gain an unfair advantage over their rinterstate rivals. The majority of htier players would have a bye and they would not be at risk of suffering injuries.
There are many questions for the l eague to consider if they want to revive the concept. Who should play who? When should it be played? How often should it be played? There appear to be no simple solutions for the league. Saturday's contest is likely to be the last interstate match for sveral seasons - perhaps ever.
There is little doubt that if Ted Whitten were still alive, state of origin would be an annual event. No one would have had the courage to take the game away from Ted. Once he passed away, state of origin lost its meaning. The subsequent matches seemed to lack substance. Players began to feign injury to avoid playing. The same players would have been loathed to look Ted Whitten in the eye and lie about an injury.
At the risk of sounding a little cynical, what Saturday night's game needs is an early hit - such as Yeates on Brereton, or Long on Simmonds, or Burns on Brown. Such an incident would fire both the crowd and the players up. Without any malice, the match threatens to resemble an exhibition match. If it is to succeed, it must represent more than simply a showcase of the game's talent. It is worth remembering that the Collingwood and Essendon ANZAC rivalry owes its existence to the hardly-fought draw in the inaugural match. It remains unlikely that any player will be prepared to risk suspension in the name of the cause on Saturday night.
The match should be high scoring. Neither Mark Thompson nor Mark Williams will want to place too many tags. In the very least it will be a rare pleasure for the public to see a forward line of Franklin, Richardson and Pavlich (all three, incidentally, could have been Richmond players). The game needs Jonathan Brown to play. Six months ago he was chosen alongside Andrew McLeod to be the face of the game. Considering that both sides will have seven players on the bench, he will only be asked to play two quarters of football. Brown wants state of origin to stay. On Saturday night the public will find out how far the Lions champ is willing to go to ensure that state of origin football remains.
The game should be a spectacle of the best footballers in the country. Injuries to the likes of Hodge, Abblett, Reiwoldt and Black have hurt the game. In recent years the most common issue with regard to reviving state of origin football has been: injuries. What if a star player is injured during the match? Are players who claim to be unavailable really injured? in the modern era - one supposedly defined by professionalism - a coach simply cannot afford to lose one of their players to an injury suffered in a match which is not played for four points.
Even one serious injury on Saturday night will be considered detrimental to the experiment. A serious injury will be heavily scrutinised. For this reason alone it is surprising that Brisbane have allowed Jonathan Brown to play. Brown should be applauded for his enthusiasm to play. If all players were as keen to represent their state as Brown, state of origin football would still be a regular fixture on the AFL's calender. There is no doubt that a fierce state of origin contest would be good for the game.
Another problem with the match is the fact that many players on the All Star team are not, technically, representing their state. They are supposed to be united in their desire to beat VIctoria. This is not enough. They have to be hungry. The game would hold much more importance if it was Victoria versus South Australia. However then only two states would be represented. The West Australian teams, for instance, would gain an unfair advantage over their rinterstate rivals. The majority of htier players would have a bye and they would not be at risk of suffering injuries.
There are many questions for the l eague to consider if they want to revive the concept. Who should play who? When should it be played? How often should it be played? There appear to be no simple solutions for the league. Saturday's contest is likely to be the last interstate match for sveral seasons - perhaps ever.
There is little doubt that if Ted Whitten were still alive, state of origin would be an annual event. No one would have had the courage to take the game away from Ted. Once he passed away, state of origin lost its meaning. The subsequent matches seemed to lack substance. Players began to feign injury to avoid playing. The same players would have been loathed to look Ted Whitten in the eye and lie about an injury.
At the risk of sounding a little cynical, what Saturday night's game needs is an early hit - such as Yeates on Brereton, or Long on Simmonds, or Burns on Brown. Such an incident would fire both the crowd and the players up. Without any malice, the match threatens to resemble an exhibition match. If it is to succeed, it must represent more than simply a showcase of the game's talent. It is worth remembering that the Collingwood and Essendon ANZAC rivalry owes its existence to the hardly-fought draw in the inaugural match. It remains unlikely that any player will be prepared to risk suspension in the name of the cause on Saturday night.
The match should be high scoring. Neither Mark Thompson nor Mark Williams will want to place too many tags. In the very least it will be a rare pleasure for the public to see a forward line of Franklin, Richardson and Pavlich (all three, incidentally, could have been Richmond players). The game needs Jonathan Brown to play. Six months ago he was chosen alongside Andrew McLeod to be the face of the game. Considering that both sides will have seven players on the bench, he will only be asked to play two quarters of football. Brown wants state of origin to stay. On Saturday night the public will find out how far the Lions champ is willing to go to ensure that state of origin football remains.
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Comment by J Gastev