Bring back the BIG V? (Mal68au)

After seeing the recent game one of the State of Origin, or at least hearing of its success (yes my new digs still only gets channel 10) I am convinced it’s time for the AFL to bring it back full time. If our brethren to the north can make it work, and they do, then why can’t we??? We do have the better game and fans after all (yes I do expect a little backlash but just calling it as I see it).

So how has the NRL made it work whilst the once great VFL/AFL State of Origin games have disappeared? I think it has a lot to do with the passion and hatred shared between the two sets of fans. It means absolutely EVERYTHING to them and subsequently it means absolutely EVERYTHING to the players. I mean they have to play mid-week and the back-up for their club on the weekend and they just don’t care. It means that much. Whereas the AFL players pull out left right and centre so they are right to play in a club game the week after that means very little. There is just no passion for the players which I think can be traced back through the fans, right back to the AFL itself.

The heart of the problem, as often is the case, is damn political correctness. Whoever’s stupid idea it was to introduce the “All Stars” and the like, ruined State of Origin. How can fans get passionate about teams like that?
The only solution now is to borrow from the NRL template and have the same two teams play every year to build up a rivalry. Now I know that the State of Origin idea was effectively created by Western Australia, but I am sorry WA, we simply do not hate you enough. South Australia on the other hand, well…

So bring back the Big V vs the Croweaters and let everyone else please themselves, screw political correctness Mr Demetriou.

But what about the fixturing I here you say? When do we fit it in? Well because of the extra team this year we have had 24 rounds with every team having two byes. With GWS joining next year we can revert back to 22 rounds, have the State of Origin weekend off at about round 8 and then a split round at about round 18 in the lead up to the finals. It is perfect timing. But the most important part of this grand plan, would be to commit to this game for at least 10 years, that way the fans and then the players know it’s not mickey mouse stuff and could invest emotionally like their NRL counterparts.

With this formula the passion, hatred and just brilliant spectacles are bound to return. Hell if we want to fast track all of this why don’t we just get rid of political correctness altogether for that weekend and give the match review panel a spell #biffo

What are your thoughts?

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