2026 Proposed Fixture Changes

[CrowinNT]

Week one showdown is awful imo

Agree the match needs a few games prior to build up the clash

 

[fortunatecrow]

Maybe start earlier than round zero and introduce round negative one?

 

[Cromulant]

Maybe start earlier than round zero and itroduce round negative one?

Would that be where West Coast, Richmond, North Melbourne and Melbourne play each other ??

 

[DJ75]

And... what the **** happens to AFLW? Geez they shit me.

Like they normally do, it will be completely ignored.

 

[DJ75]

Maybe start earlier than round zero and introduce round negative one?

Why stop there. Let's start even earlier and begin with round negative 3!

Geniuses we are. Will probably get called in to AFL house and offered a directors role

 

[screech]

And if they hold it during the season, clubs will make up injuries so their players cant play in it.

Its a dead concept.

Easy, if a player is unavailable for the state game, then they obviously need a rest week from their club fixture the following week. One game mandatory rest if deemed unfit for the state game.

 

[Cromulant]

Easy, if a player is unavailable for the state game, then they obviously need a rest week from their club fixture the following week. One game mandatory rest if deemed unfit for the state game.

You wont get that past the AFLPA

 

[Scorpus]

State of Origin would need time and investment to be a success.

All it would take is SA or WA putting together a full strength side and beating the Vics in an upset for people on both sides to get around the concept.

It won't work as a glorified training drill in the pre-season.

Playing it during the byes would make a lot of sense

 

[WeeBlake]

And if they hold it during the season, clubs will make up injuries so their players cant play in it.

Its a dead concept.

Im leaning towards it being dead, too, sadly.

It worked when there were viable state leagues in WA and SA the 80s. It kept working in the early years of the Crows, because the VIC / SA rivalry was still strong, and crucially strongly felt by the players and fans. Fans still hated the Vics for stealing the best players.

Most of that is gone.

Adelaide supporters mostly hate Port as much or more than ‘the Vics’. They can get their anti-vic fix every other week following their own team.

Nowadays, we don’t hate ‘the Vics’ for stealing our best players, we hate the AFL for prioritising Victorian and Northern clubs.

If you had SA vs a team branded ‘AFL’ I’d feel some passion about it, because I hate the AFL. ‘The Vics’ just doesn’t have same ring to it anymore.

And I couldn’t care less about SA vs anyone else (WA, TAS, or (LOL) Allies).

 

[Slippery Pete]

You wont get that past the AFLPA

Yeah, they’re really scary

 

[Slippery Pete]

Here’s the AFLPA taking on its latest issue

 

[MrBarry]

Find some of these schemes Eddie comes up with absolutely nauseating.

 

[SugarShane]

Ditch opening round but keep the concept by making round 1 so every Vic team travels in some way.
Bris v Coll (Gabba)
GC v Ess (Carrara)
Freo v Carl (OS)
WCE v Geel (OS)
Syd v NM (SCG)
GWS v Melb (Whatever their stadium is)
Adel v St K (AO)
Port v WB (AO)
Haw v Rich (Tas)

One of the AO games on Thurs night, other on Sat night to allow for recovery. Optus to be Fri night and Sun arvo.

 

[rocket18]

Easy, if a player is unavailable for the state game, then they obviously need a rest week from their club fixture the following week. One game mandatory rest if deemed unfit for the state game.

So if a player has a one week injury they end up missing two weeks - do you work for the AFL??

But seriously this is why state of origin doesn't work, the players don't want it, the clubs don't want it and the fans don't want any half arsed attempt.

As others have said, hold it preseason and its treated like an internal scratch match, during the season the best players will be unavailable.

 

[SugarShane]

State of Origin before the season will be treated like a low effort, low intensity pre-season match. Pointless

I miss it, but at the same time agree that it's done.

Even if it's brought back (it won't be), and on the off chance that anyone takes it seriously (they won't), all it will take will be for someone to sustain a mid-long term injury and derail their team's season before everyone refuses to play any more.

 

[Cromulant]

Yeah, they’re really scary

They aren't but if the players really wanted to play SoO we'd be playing it.

They dont, in fact they want fewer games and shorter games.

 

[Straight Outta Crompton]

They aren't but if the players really wanted to play SoO we'd be playing it.

They dont, in fact they want fewer games and shorter games.

Agree entirely, but also, what employee's union advocates for working more, or working harder

 

[Cromulant]

Agree entirely, but also, what employee's union advocates for working more, or working harder

Agreed.

And granted its a small portion of the lists that would be playing in these games, but they are the ones who are campaigning harder for a shorter season.

 

[Slippery Pete]

They aren't but if the players really wanted to play SoO we'd be playing it.

They dont, in fact they want fewer games and shorter games.

No doubt the players don’t want it, I’m just saying the deciding factor will be how bad the AFL wants it.

 

[Cromulant]

No doubt the players don’t want it, I’m just saying the deciding factor will be how bad the AFL wants it.

Quite possibly for a year or 2, until the buy-in drops again.

The drop off in care factor from the early 90s to the late 90s was stark.

 

[Coopers]

I'm really disspointed you didn't run with the "news.com.au" headline for this discussion: ‘Lose their minds’: AFL plans radical change.

Missed a real opportunity for clickbait there.

 

[Coopers]

Im leaning towards it being dead, too, sadly.

It worked when there were viable state leagues in WA and SA the 80s. It kept working in the early years of the Crows, because the VIC / SA rivalry was still strong, and crucially strongly felt by the players and fans. Fans still hated the Vics for stealing the best players.

Most of that is gone.

Adelaide supporters mostly hate Port as much or more than ‘the Vics’. They can get their anti-vic fix every other week following their own team.

Nowadays, we don’t hate ‘the Vics’ for stealing our best players, we hate the AFL for prioritising Victorian and Northern clubs.

If you had SA vs a team branded ‘AFL’ I’d feel some passion about it, because I hate the AFL. ‘The Vics’ just doesn’t have same ring to it anymore.

And I couldn’t care less about SA vs anyone else (WA, TAS, or (LOL) Allies).

I really like the concept, but I have no idea when you do it.

Post season, they are all banged up and wanting to go on holiday.

Mid season clubs won't wan't their best players potentially getting injured, so they won't play. Similar story for pre-season.

We're not going to bother with a 3x game series so hyping it up as this whole thing won't ring true, so it won't be considered a pinnacle event in the sport. Dunno.

 

[Cromulant]

I really like the concept, but I have no idea when you do it.

Post season, they are all banged up and wanting to go on holiday.

Mid season clubs won't wan't their best players potentially getting injured, so they won't play. Similar story for pre-season.

We're not going to bother with a 3x game series so hyping it up as this whole thing won't ring true, so it won't be considered a pinnacle event in the sport. Dunno.

It died pretty soon after both WA and SA got their 2nd sides.

The state pride thing can for the most part be lived out on a weekly basis.

 

[GROTTO]

State of Origin before the season will be treated like a low effort, low intensity pre-season match. Pointless

Bruise free footy.

Media will act like its the State of Origin from yesteryear but it will be just a glorified training session.

 

[GROTTO]

I want the return of SoO simply to regain the ability to buy state guernseys again, after ~30 years. Insanity that you can't get them for love nor money - on par with the SACA having minimum merch options available on the back of a record setting year. Some organisations just don't know how to be successful

We tried to put one out in the 2010s, but the neighbours got jealous.

The smug look of Smart, probably didnt help.