Hawthorn football royalty and Victorian representative Gary Ayres says it was a unique experience teaming up with Essendon players in the State of Origin shortly after the bruising 1983 grand final.
The Hawks had just beaten the record for the biggest win in a decider, trouncing their arch-rivals by 83 points.
Essendon gun Roger Merrett was reported for two separate incidents, striking Leigh Matthews (in the face) and Terry Wallace (in the stomach). The Hawks had their fair share of indiscretions, with Ken Judge and Michael Byrne also catching the eyes of the umpire.
Ayres, in his debut Origin clash in 1984, shared a locker room with Merrett, as well as Bombers greats Simon Madden, Terry Daniher and Darren Williams.
"You played with guys you had a great rivalry with," Ayres told Zero Hanger.
"At the time, Hawthorn and Essendon started that rivalry in the early '80s, with the grand final the year before. I'm talking about '83. And you got to see how other guys from other clubs went about their business, and it hit home for me why these guys were so good.
"And the camaraderie later on, it was always nice to get out and have a few beers with the guys that you probably didn't see all that much, but back in our day, we did use to have the after matches then too, so you'd have a few beers with the opposition after a game, the umpires would come in, and have a good chat."
Ayres added another two stints for Victoria in Origin (1989 and 1990) and can still remember almost having his shoulder dislocated by Mr Football EJ Whitten's firm handshake in the lead-up to the marquee contest.
"What it meant to me was a guy like EJ Whitten, who was a powerhouse of a person. He was certainly the game, so to speak," Ayres added.
"Him coming up to you at training and giving you that handshake. It felt like he almost pulled your shoulder out of your socket because he had that really firm handshake.
"The handshake was a memory, but he made it very clear that you're in a pretty privileged position. He extended his virtues and philosophies and what it meant to the state of Victoria."
Despite the excitement building around the return of the much-beloved state-vs-state football, there's still apprehension surrounding the potential for injuries.
Ayres lived that firsthand in 1989.
A clash of Hawthorn teammates, Andy Collins tackled Tony Hall in the 1989 contest between Victoria and South Australia.
"You don't want to see anyone injured," Ayres said.
"That was the other issue. Two teammates of mine were involved in a pretty significant injury. Tony, unfortunately, did his ACL out of that subsequent tackle."
