Geelong and Big V coach Chris Scott says that Marcus Bontempelli, Nick Daicos and Charlie Curnow will be incredibly difficult to leave out of the side when they take on Western Australia in February's State of Origin clash.
Scott was announced as the coach of the Victorian side, opposing WA legend and Sydney mentor Dean Cox.
The return of the marquee clash follows a successful Fremantle versus Indigenous All Stars battle early in 2025, and it's the first since 1999, excluding the Hall of Fame match in 2008 and the Bushfire Appeal contest in 2020.
Curnow, along with St Kilda's Rowan Marshall, almost joined the Cats via the most recent trade period but were unable to head down the highway following failed attempts.
Curnow was sent to Sydney while Marshall remained in Moorabbin.
However, Scott still might have an opportunity to coach them.
"Maybe we'll get the opportunity mid-February for them to play in the big V jumper," Scott said.
"I've been thinking a bit about Charlie Curnow over the last couple of weeks. I'd be very surprised if he wasn't someone I'd like to see wearing the Big V.
"I think that's probably likely, shouldn't guarantee anyone at the moment. I had a bit of a cursory glance at the list of players that are available. There are 60 locks at the moment, in my mind. So that's going to be difficult to work through."
Scott continued to reveal his line of thinking, and the prospects of three more players suiting up for Victoria.
"It's a long list," Scott said. "I shouldn't individualise too much, but the ones that sort of sprung to mind for me were the players at either end of their careers, to an extent, I'm not retiring Marcus Bontempelli... the chance for him, at this stage of his career is probably the pre-emminent player in the competition, I hope that's exciting for him, and it's certainly exciting for me to get a bit of exposure to what he could do.
"I also think about some of the young players that could get picked. I mean, he's a lock, but he's still a young player like Nick Daicos coming into that team.
"And even, I'm not sure Tom Stewart has played for Victoria, and that seems crazy to me. In my mind, and I'm highly biased, I think he's the best defender of a generation, and for him to get a chance to play for Victoria is something that he will relish."
Scott will also have free reign over the selection of his assistant coaches, which, according to the AFL, there are three roles to fill, as well as a high-performance manager.
The two-time premiership coach has yet to determine who will suit up alongside him in the coach's box, but reflected on his experience during the 2008 clash as a first-year assistant.
At the time, Scott was at Fremantle learning under Mark Harvey, but was selected beside a coaching cohort dominated by Geelong for the Hall of Fame game, which included Mark Thompson, who he succeeded at Geelong ahead of 2011.
"There was a game in 2008 where Victoria played the Allies, as it was, the Victorian coaching staff and support staff, and basically everyone was from Geelong," Scott said.
"Mark Thompson kind of coached that team, but they did make an exception for one first-year assistant coach who was a Victorian coach now at Fremantle, and that was me, and it was an amazing experience, really helpful for me as a coach.
"I kind of think to myself, it would be a nice opportunity to think about how maybe some of the younger coaches could get some exposure to that environment. And I've already spoken to a couple of coaches who have said, 'You only get a few chances in your life to coach all the best players'.
"So that's my long-winded way of saying. I'm not exactly sure how we're going to go, but it is probably an insight into the way I'm thinking about it"
