Interstate matches in Australian rules football

Victoria the birthplace of Australian rules and, with contributing factors such as population and finances, dominated the first hundred years of intercolonial and interstate football. This was the case in the first-ever interstate game, held on Tuesday, 1 July 1879 (a public holiday), at East Melbourne Cricket Ground. The final score was Victoria (represented by the VFA) 7.14 to South Australia 0.3. The match was attended by more than 10,000 people.

The third and fourth teams to commence intercolonial competition were New South Wales and Queensland, playing each other in a two-game series in Brisbane in 1884; the result of the series was a one-all draw. Tasmania played its first game, against Victoria, in 1887. New Zealand entered the competition with a victory over NSW in Sydney, in 1889.

Victoria's long-term dominance briefly faltered in the 1890s, when other Colonies recorded their first-ever wins over the Victoria: South Australia in Adelaide in 1890 and 1891 and Tasmania in Hobart in 1893 (twice). In 1897, the VFL split from the VFA and the two selected separate representative teams, further weakening Victoria in intercolonial competition, which became interstate competition following Federation of the six British colonies in Australia, in 1901.

Western Australia played its first two interstate games in 1904, including a win over SA in Adelaide.

Queensland representative team of 1906–07

The VFL's dominance, at least within Victoria, was established by the time an interstate carnival was held for the first time – in Melbourne in 1908 – to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of "Australasian football" (as it was known at the time). The widening gap between the three major footballing States/leagues and the others was shown in the organisation of the competition: Victoria represented by the (VFL), SA and WA constituted "Section A", and Tasmania, NSW, Queensland and NZ were relegated to "Section B". The VFA did not take part and the carnival was New Zealand's last appearance in representative football. The Victorian team went through the competition undefeated.

This impression was reiterated by the 1911 Carnival, in Adelaide, which also set the pattern of a carnival every three years. South Australia went undefeated and Victoria won three of their four matches. At the Sydney carnival of 1914, Victoria was once again undefeated. Following the onset of World War I interstate matches went into a five-year hiatus.

During this period interstate matches were held every year, and interstate carnivals were held usually every 3 years, with a few exceptions. In most carnivals, the stronger states competed separately from the minor states; and on many occasions the stronger states and minor states carnivals were held in separate locations or years. At the peak of its popularity, the carnival was known symbolically as "the Ashes" of Australian rules football.[2][3] Victoria (VFL) continued its dominance in interstate football by winning 15 of the 17 carnivals held during this time, and usually winning the individual matches held every year.

Some notable moments during this period were, the 1923 Victorian loss to South Australia, which was described as the states worst ever defeat.[4] The 1923 South Australian upset loss to an undermanned Tasmania. The championship-deciding game of the 1924 carnival, between Victoria and Western Australia, was reported as being the roughest on record.[5] Also in 1924 South Australia recorded the concepts highest winning score, winning by 268 points to defeat Queensland in Hobart.[6][7] In the 1925 calendar year the Australian Capital Territory played its first match against New South Wales.[8] In 1923 & 1925 Victoria lost shock upsets to New South Wales.[9] In 1928 Victoria and South Australia participated in the first draw in the concept. The visiting Victorians led for most of the match, with South Australia kicking 3 late goals to give the state the victory. However, after the match it was discovered that Victoria wasn't awarded a behind, and the match was declared a draw.[10]

Interstate competition due world war two ceased in 1939 with Western Australia and Victoria and South Australia in 1941.[11] In the second game between South Australia and Victoria after war, the states participated in the second draw in the concept, in a high scoring affair with the side locked in at 123 to 123 at full time.[12] In 1948 Victoria played Western Australia in the first match since the cease of interstate competition because of the war, for the first time in the 10 years.[13] Feelings in Western Australia were not well toward the Victorians, as the Westerns were not happy that it had taken so long since the end of the war for the state to play Victoria.[13] It was reported in the media as being put down to arrogance.[13] Western Australia went on to win by 38 points, in what was described as a memorable victory.[13] The decade was largely dominated by Victoria.[14]

With the decade once again decisively being controlled by Victoria, saw early rare back to back wins of South Australia over Victoria.[14] The Victoria Football Association, was readmitted back into interstate competition in 1949, with the side recording a shock 8-point win against South Australia, at the 1950 interstate carnival.[15] The league had mixed results while readmitted back, with some wins over some of the main states, and large losses.[15] The body also had a strong rivalry with Tasmania on re-admittance, with a number of close results on both sides.[15] In 1959 Victoria beat Western Australia by 178 points, with the loss in Western Australia being taken so bad, it had been reported as maybe being the end of interstate football in the state.[16] Tasmania finished of the decade strongly, with two surprise carnival upsets over South Australia in 1956 & 1958 and Western Australia in 1958.[17]

In the first half of the 1960s saw a brief changing of the guard, with South Australia and Western Australia recording several wins over Victoria.[14] But following the South Australia & Western Australian victories over Victoria in 1965, Victoria went on a twelve-year winning streak against Western Australia and an 18-year winning streak against South Australia.[14] Some notable upsets of the period were, the 1960 Tasmanian victory over Victoria. The game is considered as one of Tasmanian football's greatest moments.[18] Also the 1963 Tasmanian victory over reigning interstate carnival champions Western Australia.[17] In 1970 after a decade of surprise upsets, and large disappointing defeats, Tasmania recorded a memorable victory over Western Australia.[17] In the lead up to the match, an over confident Western Australian captain Polly Farmer, announced to the media that That his side simply could not countenance anything other than a convincing win, and "If we can't beat Tasmania, we ought to give the game away,.[17] The Tasmanians stormed home in the final moments to win the game by two points.[17] With the game notable, for thousands streaming onto the ground after the final siren.[17]

Neil Kerley and Graham Cornes are of significance in the rivalry between Victoria and South Australia, who played for and coached the South Australia team during this period.[19] Neil Kerley when coaching the South Australian team would inject a hatred for Victoria, telling his players all Victorian umpires cheated, all Victorians would cheat if they got the chance.[19] Graham Cornes who was coached by Kerley for South Australia, has stated his hatred for Victoria came from Neil Kerley.[19] Cornes would go on to coach South Australia, with great successes and was a promoter of the South Australian team.[19] Cornes has stated that the success that South Australia had against Victoria during his coaching reign was all to do with the culture in South Australia of wanting to prove they're better than Victoria.[19]

The 1963 game between Victoria and South Australia at the MCG was also of significance in the rivalry between the two states. Before the game Jack Dyer was asked what he would do if he was coaching Victoria, and said, "I'd give them a Pep Talk and go to the races".[20] Neil Kerley who was playing, was in an interview before the game when this was mentioned. After it was said the interviewer said to Kerley "what do you think of that young Kerley", in which he responded "everyone is entitled to their opinion".[21] Kerley angered by this, as a result told teammates before the game "something is going to happen at the first Bounce" and then put down a Victorian player with a "Hip and Shoulder".[22] Kerley also injured another Victorian in the last quarter which saw him leave the field.[23] It was a drought breaking win for South Australia in Victoria.[24] When the South Australians returned to Adelaide they were greeted with a heroic welcome, with nearly 8,000 people attending in poor weather, with the crowd hurling streamers and letting off fire crackers, with hundreds surging onto the Tarmac.[25]

A notable encounter in the rivalry between Victoria and South Australia was in a game in Adelaide in 1963, when South Australian Brian Sawley, slammed Victorian John Peck to the ground in a tackle and then kicked Peck while on the ground. Which led to Peck knocking out Sawley with a Punch and remaining unconscious for at least a minute.[26]

In the first half of the 1970s there was some important games played in the history of the concept. In 1970 Western Australia played Victorian in Melbourne, with the home side winning by 6 points.[27] The match was notable because of a native born Western Australian player, playing for Victoria, being involved in the winning play.[28] After the match with the result not taken well in the west, because of the observation that this had been a regular occurrence, it was first started being mentioned that games should be played on State of Origin criteria.[28] Likewise in the 1974 game between the states, with the same result occurring, it was reported in the west as being The last straw.[29] After the game Western Australia began to negotiate for games to played under State of Origin criteria.[28]

In 1974 the Northern Territory first participated in the concept, with a win over Queensland.[27]

In 1977 South Australia played Western Australia in Adelaide, with the Southerns celebrating their centenary of football in that year.[30][31] The South Australians had especially chosen Western Australia for the match, with the state holding a function after the game, to celebrate their centenary hoping they would defeat the westerns, because of their strong record at home against them.[30][31] The match ended with Western Australia upsetting the Southerns, which is said to have ruined celebrations.[30][31] Likewise in the 1985 game between the states, the tables were turned, with Western Australia choosing to hold a function after the Western Australia versus South Australia game, because of their equally good record at home against them, who were also celebrating their centenary, with this time South Australia being victorious.[30][31]

Map of Australia with each state shaded in that state's main jumper colour

Western Australia Australian rules football team ("Sandgropers") 1995 State of Origin guernsey.

By the 1970s, VFL clubs were signing up an increasing number of the best players from other states and Victoria dominated state games. West Australians, led by the marketing manager of the Subiaco Football Club, Leon Larkin, began to campaign for players to be selected according to state-of-origin rules. The West Australian Football League (WAFL) negotiated with the VFL for two years before agreement was reached on the format.

In the first such game, at Subiaco Oval in Perth, on 8 October 1977, Western Australia defeated Victoria, 23.13 (151) to 8.9 (57), a huge reversal of the results in most previous games. In the words of football historian John Devaney:

"A Western Australian team composed entirely of home-based players had, on 25 June, taken on a Victorian team containing many of the same players who would return to Perth three and a half months later for the state of origin clash. The respective scores of the two matches offered a persuasive argument, if such were needed, of the extent to which the VFL had denuded the WAFL of its elite talent:

• On 25 June 1977 Victoria 23.16 (154) defeated Western Australia 13.13 (91) – a margin of 63 points
• On 8 October 1977 Western Australia 23.13 (151) defeated Victoria 8.9 (57) – a margin of 94 points, representing an overall turn around of 157 points

Western Australia's previous biggest winning margin against a Victorian state team had been a mere 38 points in 1948. Almost overnight, an inferiority complex was dismantled: Victoria, it seemed, was not intrinsically superior, only wealthier."[32]

Games involving each of the other states soon followed. Western Australia and South Australia began to win more games against Victoria.

A full interstate carnival under state-of-origin selection was held with success in October 1979 in Perth. A second carnival was held the following October in Adelaide, but were a financial disaster for the organisers, with only 28,245 people attending the four games. Following this series, the VFL decided to not participate in any future carnivals which put the future of the carnival concept in doubt.[33]

During the first half of the 1980s, the concept was reported as being popular.[34] However post 1986 with the entrance of the West Coast Eagles into the expanded Victorian Football League, the concept largely died out in Western Australia.[28] Following the failed 1988 Adelaide Bicentennial Carnival the concept was considered near finished.[35] However, in 1989, with a record crowd of 91,960 in Melbourne, the concept made a strong turn around and regained some of the footing it had lost the previous year.[36]

During the 1990s, following the further expansion of the Australian Football League, including the introduction of two teams based in Adelaide and a second Western Australian team, state of origin games declined in importance with many players withdrawing from games due to risk of injury or prioritising club games.

No official State of Origin matches were held between 1999 and 2008. In 2008, the concept made a return to celebrate 150 years of Australian football. In spite of lobbying for three or more games, involving at least six different teams or even an interstate carnival, one all-star game was played in 2008. The sides competing were Victoria and a "Dream Team", a composite team representing the rest of Australia and various other countries.

In light of the devastating 2019–20 Australian bushfire season, the AFL announced a benefit match between Victoria and the "All-Stars", a composite team of footballers from the remainder of Australia and several other countries, to raise funds for bushfire relief, along with a $2.5 million donation from the AFL, clubs and players. The match took place on 28 February 2020 at Marvel Stadium, with Victoria winning by 46 points.[37]

Greg Champion wrote a song, "Don't Let The Big V Down", about the traditional navy blue jumper with a large white "V" used to represent Victoria in state games. The song is about a young man who is about to play his first state game and is approached by another man who tells him to not let the Big V down.

Champion also wrote another song, "Came From Adelaide", about two people watching a game between South Australia and Victoria. One of them turns to the other and says that the Croweaters cannot play. The other replies that this is not true and that the South Australians are great.

The rivalry between Victoria and South Australia was considered the strongest in interstate football.[61] Although there is a bitter rivalry on both sides, the make up of the rivalry is slightly different:[62] for Victoria, being the most successful state in interstate football, it meant that protecting that reputation was of prominent importance;[63] for South Australia, the rivalry stemmed from dislike, and the feeling that Victorians did not give the state the respect it deserved.[63] Graham Cornes, who was heavily involved in South Australian state football, described the football culture in Victoria as insular having a lack of regard for football outside their state, which drove that feeling.[64]

Many footballers described beating Victoria as one of the top achievements in South Australian football. Neil Kerley ranked beating Victoria above his club premierships.[65] Victorian footballers have commented on the passion and hatred directed towards them in interstate games played in Adelaide. Garry Lyon described the fans as "hostile and maniacal", and "by the time the games came around they were whipped into a frenzy".[66] Paul Roos commented about the first state game he played in South Australia that "when walking up the entrance and onto Football Park was an experience in itself. I quickly realised how much hatred existed towards Victorians and their football."[67]

There is also a rivalry between Victoria and Western Australia.[68] Western Australia's rivalry likewise stemmed from the feeling in Western Australia that Victoria never gave their state the credit it deserved, despite some of the best players of all time coming from the state.[69] Some games widely regarded as some of the best in the history of Australian football were played between Victoria and Western Australia in the 1980s.[70] Shane Parker a former Western Australia player, said of the rivalry "When I was a kid, the State of Origin games were the greatest ever. It was a really big thing to see the WA side play, particularly against Victoria".[71]

There was also an intense rivalry between Western Australia and South Australia,[72] with fans at games between the states always vociferous and parochial.[73]

For most of the 20th century there was a national football carnival usually held every three to five years. Some of the carnivals the format consisted of qualification matches at the start of the tournament, with the winners playing off in a final. In some other carnivals the format was a round-robin format, with a points system in which the team with most points at the end of the tournament was declared the winner.

Non-State of Origin games are marked with a *
The team/'s name/s in bold indicates the winning team/s

1999

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1990

1989

1988 Adelaide Bicentennial State of Origin Carnival

1988

1987

1986

1985

The match between South Australia and Victoria was awarded to South Australia on protest, as a result of Victoria playing with four interchange players instead of the permitted three.[76]

1984

1983

1982

1981

1980

1980 Adelaide State of Origin Carnival

Double-headers on the 11th of October and on the 13 of October respectively

1979

1979 Perth State of Origin Carnival

1978

1977

After the success of the inaugural AFL Women's season the AFL announced in mid-July that a State of Origin representative match would be held for AFL Women's players during the AFL season pre-finals bye.[79] A team of players born in Victoria played a single exhibition match against Australian Alliance (a team of players from the rest of Australia) at Etihad Stadium on the evening of Saturday 2 September.[80]

2017

With the advent of interstate teams into the expanding VFL and its eventual re-badging and change to a national league in 1990, the state leagues would undertake steps to ensure that representative football would not be reserved solely for those players in the Australian Football League. State League Representative matches would allow those players participating in competitions that would be, in later years, categorised as second-tier leagues, to be selected for interstate duties. While State of Origin would continue for several more years with pre-dominantly AFL-listed players, this format would for many players, become the pinnacle of their football careers outside of playing in a premiership. For the most part during the ensuing years between the inception of State League and the end of Origin, it was the South Australian and Western Australian leagues championing the concept with the two leagues facing off many times. The other state leagues did take part in the concept, but on a far more limited basis. The Queensland, ACT and Tasmanian competitions featured on several occasions, the New South Wales league made scattered appearances while the Northern Territory was far less featured on the interstate stage mainly due to their domestic league being played in a different part of the year. Meetings between those competitions and the SANFL or WAFL were a rare occurrence.

The Victorian Football Association eventually made some appearances of their own at state league level from 1994, but also did not have games against South Australia or Western Australia for a few years. Eventually, after a restructure of that competition in 1996 which saw them adopt the name of the VFL, they faced the SANFL on the MCG in the curtain raiser to what would be the swansong of State of Origin football in 1999. From this day onwards, interstate football would become the domain of the leagues that underpin the AFL. In the years following, the participation of the "non-traditional" football states was not as high as that of South Australia, Western Australia and Victoria. Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory continued to play a part, while Tasmania's football system was split in half between north and south, as well as the state team being replaced by a club—Tasmanian Devils—which entered the VFL in 2001. The "Big 3" in the SANFL, WAFL and VFL entered into an agreement in 2003 to adopt a program where they would play each other in a rotational system over three years, which saw one state either sit out interstate football for one season or require that league to find alternative opposition.

Towards the end of the 2000s, the AFL by this time had control of the football administrations across the eastern states and the Northern Territory. Tasmania withdrew from the VFL and relaunched the statewide Tasmanian State League competition in 2009, then in 2011 the AFL created the North East Australian Football League out of established state league teams from New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland and the Northern Territory as well as reserves sides from the four AFL clubs in those regions. With this, the representative football calendar would virtually encompass all of Australia. At first the NEAFL's conference system would allow two representative sides with Queensland and the Northern Territory making up the Northern conference team and the New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory combination forming the Eastern conference side. A couple of years later, the NEAFL would be represented by a single team. How this arrangement fits into the individual state league schedules is still being worked on, but it has largely not disrupted the existing arrangements undertaken by the traditional football states. In fact, what would normally have been a "bye" year for the SANFL, WAFL or VFL allows them to instead play the NEAFL or the TSL.

Under this arrangement, the leagues of New South Wales (AFL Sydney), the Australian Capitol Territory (AFL Canberra) and Queensland (QAFL) were practically relegated to third-tier status behind the NEAFL and, as a result, any representative matches involving opposition outside of these territories have involved amateur-level leagues.

The state league representative matches, like State of Origin matches, also have individual best on ground medals:

• Queensland and Northern Territory (NEAFL North): Zane Taylor Medal
• South Australia (SANFL): Fos Williams Medal
• Victoria (VFA/VFL): Frank Johnson Medal
• Western Australia (WAFL): Simpson Medal
• Tasmania (TSL): Lefroy Medal

Bold text indicates the home team.

Following the death of Ted Whitten – who is regarded as one of the finest ever players of Australian rules – from prostate cancer in 1995, his son Ted Whitten Jr organised an interstate charity match between teams of retired players, to raise money for research into the disease. The only two teams which have taken part in these games are Victoria and the All Stars (similar to the AFL's "Allies"), who represent the rest of Australia. The first E. J. Whitten Legends Game was played at Whitten Oval in 1996, and it has become an annual event. The games have often attracted crowds of over 10,000, and this has resulted in it being moved from the Whitten Oval to Optus Oval, to Adelaide Oval (South Australia) and finally to Etihad Stadium.