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Thread: State of Origin Bushfire Relief match

  1. #1

    State of Origin Bushfire Relief match

    So, Friday week the bushfire relief match is coming up, Victoria v Allies. Part of the AFL's creditable efforts (more than tokenistic in my view) to respond to the crisis that hit Australia this summer. I didn't follow football so closely last time there was a State of Origin and I don't think I have ever seen one. Can anyone tell me what to expect? And will this be a 'real' state of origin given that 'Allies' is not a state? Who's excited, who doesn't care?

    The match will start at 7.50 pm Friday 28 February at Marvel Stadium. There will be an AFLW match Collingwood v Melbourne played as a curtain raiser from 5.40 pm beforehand.

    Each club will have 1-5 players involved in the match. Originally the rule was that there was a limit to three players per club but the rule got tweaked at the last minute at the coaches' request so that more of the best players could be involved: WATCH: Early Horse catches Dimma out: Why the SOO rules changed. It's interesting to speculate which clubs will be most heavily represented: Richmond? Eagles? Giants? Brisbane? Geelong?? Presumably at least one club will have five players selected. Given that Isaac Heeney and Luke Parker recently featured talking about their own recent experience with the bushfires at Manyana in a video that doubled as a bit of promotion for the match, I am tipping both of them to be selected (for the Allies and Victoria respectively). Hopefully Dane Rampe will get a run for the Allies too.

    John Longmire will coach the 'Allies'. Dean Cox will be one of his assistants. Stuart Dew is another. I was impressed to see that Clarko will be assisting Dimma coach the Vics. There's a handy assistant. The squads will be announced at noon today: WATCH: State of Origin squads reveal from 12pm AEDT.

    What are your thoughts? Not much time to get any forecasts re selection in before the announcement in a bit over an hour's time!

  2. #2
    Especially given the recent debate in these forums, is there any chance Mills will be selected for the Allies? I don't know the origins of all the players so it's hard to know how much competition there will be from within the Allies pool. I tend to think Mills won't be selected but I don't completely discount the possibility because Horse will have a fair say in selection and he clearly rates Mills.

    Incidentally, on selection, when they first started talking about it and Horse was announced as the coach of the Allies I seem to remember him saying he wouldn't be picking the squad, just coaching it. But then, in the article and video linked to above, they talk about the coaches coming in with the names they want on the board. And there hasn't been any talk of selection committees. So maybe in the end they just let the coaches pick the teams (presumably in consultation with their assistants)?

  3. #3
    Veterans List
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    Heeney won't be available for selection due to his broken thumb......

    Being a Victorian, I'm not even sure who I will barrack for......most likely the Allies, I assume more Swans will suit up for the Allies than for the Vics, plus Horse is coaching them. Big call from me not supporting the Big V but times have changed......

  4. #4
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    Rampe and Heeney aren't training at the moment, so I doubt either will be available to take part.

    Parker's a chance, though there are lots of similar players in the competition (maybe few of his type that are as dangerous in the forward line).

    Papley maybe - he was arguably the second best small forward last year, behind Cameron, who is a non-Vic.

    Aliir could be a shout. He's less accomplished than some other defenders but his athleticism and versatility make him stand out. He won a spot in last year's silly stuff, indicating he does stand out as an exciting player to watch.

  5. #5
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    Papley and Lloyd in the V, Mills for the Allies.

  6. #6
    Mills might have to take on Paps. Hope they don't rough each other up too much.........

  7. #7
    Well, I could scarcely have been more wrong in my hasty predictions! And on that note I boldly predict that Trump will trounce Sanders in the US presidential election later this year.

    Overall I have to say the Victorian line up looks stronger on paper: State of Origin squads revealed: Who's in from your club?. Which makes me wonder, are a majority of AFL players from Victoria? I realise Victoria has many more players than any other state but I didn't realise it was more than all the rest of Australia put together. WA seems to be the state supplying the next best players (i.e. most of the best ones for the Allies). At least we'll have an advantage in the ruck (provided Grundy can play a lot of game time). I'm not sure who's missing injury-wise for the Vics but, given our seeming lesser depth, the absence of stars like Buddy and Tim Kelly and Ben Brown and Jeremy McGovern and Rampe and Aaron Naughton hurts us a lot. Surprised Dom Sheed wasn't selected - maybe he is another one who is unavailable. I'm not sure who else is unavailable (whether due to injury or not making themselves available).

    I think Jake Lloyd is rated more highly externally than RWO seems to rate him. Opposition coaches often seem to talk about him and now he's been selected to play for the Allies. Given he won the 2018 B&F he's obviously rated pretty highly by the Swans too.

    Finally, forgive me for digressing slightly, but Mark Blicavs has a shocker of a photo! He looks like, and there's no nice way to say this, an orc. Couldn't he have asked for a different angle??

  8. #8
    Incidentally, it will be a great experience for Mills (and Papley and Lloyd) to be involved in the game and hopefully will benefit him (and them) developmentally.

  9. #9
    Veterans List dejavoodoo44's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ralph Dawg View Post
    Mills might have to take on Paps. Hope they don't rough each other up too much.........
    Since Longmire is the coach of the Allies, maybe he could play Mills in the midfield? Might as well do the experiment in a game that doesn't really matter.

  10. #10
    Senior Player Bloody Hell's Avatar
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    Vics are much stronger on paper. What a difference it would make if Franklin, Heeney and Rampe were available.
    The eternal connundrum "what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object" was finally solved when David Hasselhoff punched himself in the face.

  11. #11
    pr. dim-melb; m not f
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    Quote Originally Posted by dejavoodoo44 View Post
    Since Longmire is the coach of the Allies, maybe he could play Mills in the midfield? Might as well do the experiment in a game that doesn't really matter.
    Good thinking No. 44!
    He reminds him of the guys, close-set, slow, and never rattled, who were play-makers on the team. (John Updike, seeing Josh Kennedy in a crystal ball)

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Bloody Hell View Post
    Vics are much stronger on paper.
    I wouldnt say that. Good comparison here:
    AFL State of Origin teams 2020: Best match ups, Tom Hawkins v Mark Blicavs, Victoria v All Stars | Fox Sports


    THE TANTALISING MIDFIELD BATTLE: Patrick Dangerfield, Dustin Martin, Josh Kelly and Marcus Bontempelli (VIC) v Nat Fyfe, Patrick Cripps, Stephen Coniglio and Lachie Neale (AS)

    Pretty even I'd say, and Dusty will spend time forward. Coniglio is probably the weak link because hasnt played for so long.

    THE GIANT CONTEST: Brodie Grundy (AS) v Todd Goldstein (VIC)

    Grundy is going to dominate so much, he's any extra midfielder.


    Vic forward line looks a bit stronger... T.Lynch, T.Greene, J. Cameron, M.Bontempelli vs T.Hawkins, C.Cameron, J.Reiwordt... Tex Walker.



    Will be a good game.

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