State of Origin for Bushfire Relief Match
The State of Origin for Bushfire Relief Match was a one-off all-star game between two representative sides organised by the Australian Football League to raise funds for recovery efforts following the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season.
| 2020 AFL State of Origin for Bushfire Relief | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| Date | 28 February 2020 | |||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Marvel Stadium | |||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 51,052 | |||||||||||||||
| Umpires | Fisher, Stephens, Nicholls, Williamson | |||||||||||||||
| Broadcast in Australia | ||||||||||||||||
| Network | Seven Network, Fox Footy | |||||||||||||||
| Commentators | Eddie McGuire, Bruce McAvaney, Anthony Hudson and Brian Taylor | |||||||||||||||
The match was played on 28 February 2020 at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia, between Victoria (the "Big V") and the "All-Stars", with a crowd of 51,052 in attendance. Victoria won the match by 46 points.
History
On 9 January, the AFL announced a one-off benefit match would be played on 28 February 2020, as a fundraiser for the relief effort for the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season.[1] The league donated $2.5 million to disaster relief funds in association with the match.[2] Selection for the two teams was under state of origin rules, and it was the first interstate representative match featuring AFL-listed players since the AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match held in 2008.
Teams
On 18 February the AFL announced 27-player teams for each of the Victoria and All-Stars side. All AFL teams had at least one player selected in one of the sides. The match was played with an extended interchange bench of nine players instead of four.[3]
Three late changes were made to the side due to injuries between the initial team announcement and the game itself, with Eddie Betts replacing Dayne Zorko in the All-Stars side and Travis Boak and Andrew Gaff replacing Robbie Gray and Ben Cunnington for Victoria.[4]
Damien Hardwick and John Longmire were announced as coaches of Victoria and the All-Stars, respectively and were primarily responsible for selecting players for their sides.
Richmond captain Trent Cotchin and Fremantle captain Nat Fyfe were named to captain Victoria and the All-Stars, respectively.[4]
Victoria
_28.02.20.jpg.webp)
_28.02.20.jpg.webp)
All-Stars
| No. | Name | AFL club |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Walters | Fremantle |
| 2 | Zach Tuohy | Geelong |
| 3 | Stephen Coniglio | Greater Western Sydney |
| 4 | Brodie Grundy | Collingwood |
| 5 | Brad Sheppard | West Coast |
| 6 | Elliot Yeo | West Coast |
| 7 | Nat Fyfe (c) | Fremantle |
| 8 | Jack Riewoldt | Richmond |
| 9 | Patrick Cripps | Carlton |
| 10 | Shane Edwards | Richmond |
| 12 | Callum Mills | Sydney |
| 13 | Taylor Walker | Adelaide |
| 14 | Lachie Weller | Gold Coast |
| 16 | Isaac Smith | Hawthorn |
| 17 | Lachie Neale | Brisbane Lions |
| 18 | Scott Lycett | Port Adelaide |
| 19 | Eddie Betts | Carlton |
| 22 | Luke Breust | Hawthorn |
| 23 | Charlie Cameron | Brisbane Lions |
| 26 | Tom Hawkins | Geelong |
| 29 | Rory Laird | Adelaide |
| 31 | Harris Andrews | Brisbane Lions |
| 32 | Bradley Hill | St Kilda |
| 33 | Brodie Smith | Adelaide |
| 38 | Jeremy Howe | Collingwood |
| 39 | Neville Jetta | Melbourne |
| 40 | Jason Johannisen | Western Bulldogs |
| Source: Fox Sports | ||
Best on ground award
The best on ground medal was awarded to Dustin Martin, who kicked two goals and had 23 disposals for Victoria.[5]
Scorecard
| State of Origin for Bushfire Relief Match | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, 28 February 2020 7:50 pm | Victoria | def. | All-Stars | Marvel Stadium (crowd: 51,052) | Report |
| 4.1 (25) 10.2 (62) 15.7 (97) 24.10 (154) |
Q1 Q2 Q3 Final |
4.7 (31) 9.14 (68) 15.16 (106) 15.18 (108) |
Umpires: Fisher, Stephens, Nicholls, Williamson Best on Ground Medal: Dustin Martin (Victoria) | ||
| Papley 5 Kelly, Greene 4 Martin, Gaff, Bontempelli, Gresham 2 Dangerfield, J Cameron, Lynch 1 |
Goals | C Cameron 3 Coniglio, Breust, Riewoldt, Smith 2 Neale, Weller, Walters, Hill 1 | |||
| Kelly, Martin, Greene, Papley, Pendlebury, Haynes, Cotchin, Dangerfield | Best | Coniglio, C Cameron, Mills, Cripps, Neale, Johannisen | |||
See also
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to State of Origin for Bushfire Relief Match. |
References
- Waterworth, Ben. "It's officially back: AFL confirms details for historic one-off Victoria vs Allies clash". Fox Sports. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
- "AFL confirms Victoria vs Allies match, makes massive donation". Australian Football League. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
- Gaskin, Lee (18 February 2020). "State of Origin squads revealed: Who's in from your club?". AFL Media. Telstra Media. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- Cleary, Mitch (27 February 2020). "WATCH: Captains unveiled, teams train ahead of Bushfire Relief blockbuster". AFL Media. Telstra Media. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- "Victoria down AFL All Stars in State of Origin clash for bushfire relief". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. AAP. 28 February 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.