Chad Warner in tandem with Patrick Cripps? Bont kicking to Jez? Collaborations formerly possible only in fantasy football are set to materialise next season.
Channel Seven's chief football reporter Mitch Cleary has reported that State of Origin football is set for its long-awaited return in February next year.
The beloved concept of yesteryear has enjoyed vocal support of late, with the success of the Indigenous All Stars match this pre-season accelerating discussions.
"We're in conversations [to bring back State of Origin] and have been for a while," said AFL CEO Andrew Dillon on Triple M's Mick in the Morning.
"I'd love to see representative footy back, and we had a great game with the Indigenous All Stars at the start of the year."
Keep Saturday February 14 free.
It’s the date the WA govt and AFL are working towards for the return of State of Origin.
Talks ramped up last week.
Now final negotiations are underway to determine the split on cost / gate takings @7NewsMelbourne @7AFL https://t.co/qMxNvWZfJ4— Mitch Cleary (@cleary_mitch) August 11, 2025
Cleary reports that discussions between the West Australian government and the AFL regarding a fixture between the Sandgropers and the Big V ramped up last week, with the purse split in the process of being finalised.
Hesitancy regarding the risk of losing players to injury had dogged the previous efforts to reignite the concept, but the success of this year's pre-season slot looms as a salve.
Dillon confirmed that a player's teenage years will determine their state eligibility, in keeping with traditional norms.
Andrew Dillon on eligibility rules for February's State of Origin match between Victoria and WA.
"It'll be about where you spent the most substantial part of your teenage years, which is what it's been historically."#AFL @3AWisfootball
— Eddie Summerfield (@eddiesummers) August 12, 2025
By the time the scheduled February 14th fixture rolls around, more than 26 long years will have passed since a game of Australian Rules football was contested between rival states, featuring players at the highest level.
Exhibition matches, such as the memorable Bushfire Relief match between Victoria and the All-Stars in 2020, represent the only occasions the Big V has been worn by AFL players since May of 1999, when a young Brent Harvey claimed best-on-ground honours with his five goals.
A match between Victoria and Western Australia has not been played since 1992, when Victoria made light work of Western Australia by 67 points at the MCG.
