In the wake of the AFL announcing the upcoming Western Australia versus South Australia State of Origin game set for next year, I decided to take a look at what the SA team could look like when it graces the field for the first time since 1999.
SA will travel to Optus Stadium to take on WA in 2027, before hosting Victoria in 2028. The third year (2029) will cycle back to the start of the new series, with WA hosting Victoria in Perth.
Players are assigned their state of eligibility based on the location of the junior club from which a given player was drafted.
This side was selected not just on skill, but on fit, role and team balance.
Midfielders
C: Beau McCreery, Jordan Dawson, Connor Rozee
Foll: Brodie Grundy, Jason Horne-Francis, Lachie Neale
A star-studded lineup of some of the competition's best headlines this midfield. Two-time Brownlow winner Lachie Neale, Adelaide captain Jordan Dawson and two-time All-Australian Brodie Grundy, who has been playing some of his best footy in years headline the engine room.
Port Adelaide stars Jason Horne-Francis and Connor Rozee will bring a mixture of powerful contested play and staggering kicking ability that will complement well the fast-moving play of Beau McCreery out on the wing.
Rozee should find his footing comfortably through playing as more of a set-up kick in tandem with McCreery's speed, who can help transition the contested ground work that Horne-Francis, Dawson and Neale will be providing around the tap work of Grundy.
