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Australian rules football matches between teams representing Australian colonies, states and territories have been held since 1879. For most of the 20th century, the absence of a national club competition and international matches meant that football games between state representative teams were regarded with great importance. Football historian John Devaney has argued that: "some of the state of origin contests which took place during the 1980s constituted arguably the finest expositions of the game ever seen".^[1]

Until 1976, interstate Australian rules football games were played by teams representing the major football leagues or organisations. From 1977 to 1999, players were generally selected under State of Origin selection rules and they were chosen mostly from the Australian Football League (AFL). Since 2000, all matches have been between teams representing the second-tier state or territorial leagues. Players from the AFL no longer take part in interstate matches.

The matches have mostly been held on a stand-alone basis. However, an Australian Football Carnival, a national championship series, held in either one or two cities, took place between 1908 and 1993, usually at three year intervals. Teams which have taken part have included Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory and an Australian Amateurs team. Between 1937 and 1988 the player judged the best at each of these carnivals was awarded the Tassie Medal.

Between 1953 and 1988, the selection of All Australian Teams was based on players performance during Australian Football Carnivals, and the team was named after each carnival concluded.

History

Intercolony / Interstate competition, 1879–1976

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.

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.

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.^[4] 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.^[5] Graham Cornes who was coached by Kerley for South Australia, has stated his hatred for Victoria came from Neil Kerley.^[6] Cornes would go on to coach South Australia, with great successes and was a promoter of the South Australian team.^[7] 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.^[8]

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".^[9] 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".^[10] 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".^[11] Kerley also injured another Victorian in the last quarter which saw him leave the field.^[12] It was a drought breaking win for South Australia in Victoria.^[13] 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.^[14]

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.^[15]

State of Origin competition, 1977–1999

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."^[16]

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

The State of Origin eligibility rules varied from game to game, and matches during the 1980s were sometimes played under partial, rather than full, State of Origin rules. This was in large part so that neutral leagues were not disrupted by a stand-alone game between two other states; e.g. VFL clubs would not lose access to interstate origin players on the weekend of a game between South Australia and Western Australia. For example, in the stand-alone 1982 match between South Australia and Victoria, a quota of up to six VFL players of South Australian origin, and no more than one from any VFL club, could play for South Australia; but otherwise, all SANFL and VFL players were eligible to play for South Australia and Victoria respectively – indeed Victoria fielded five VFL players of Western Australian origin in that match, including their captain, Mike Fitzpatrick.^[17][18]Jason Dunstall and Terry Daniher, who were born in and recruited from Queensland and New South Wales respectively, both played several partial-origin matches for Victoria; and in a partial-origin match against Victoria in 1990, New South Wales was allowed to be represented by players of New South Welsh origin and any player who had played for the Sydney Swans.^[19]

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.^[20]

However, during the 1990s, following the emergence of a national club competition, the Australian Football League, state of origin games declined in importance. Due from clubs putting pressure on players to withdraw from games due to risk of injury there were an increasing number of withdrawals by AFL players.

AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match, 2008

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 all other states, territories and countries. No state-based men's representative matches featuring AFL level players have been held since 2008.

Importance

At its peak, interstate matches were among the most important events on the annual football calendar in South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania. The crowds drawn to interstate matches in those states regularly dwarfed home-and-away crowds, and at times throughout history would match or exceed grand final attendances. In Perth, interstate matches at the 1921 carnival, during the 1929 season, and at the 1937 carnival successively set records as Western Australia's highest ever sports crowd; the crowd of 40,000 drawn to that 1937 match was more than 10,000 higher than any previous Western Australian crowd^[21] and almost double the record club grand final crowd at that time. Likewise in Tasmania, carnival fixtures in 1924,^[22]1947^[23] and 1966 each set new Tasmanian state football attendance records,^[24] and the 1966 carnival crowd of 23,764 remains the third-highest football attendance in Tasmania's history. State of Origin matches in the 1980s in South Australia and Western Australia regularly drew crowds between 30,000 and 50,000, on par with grand finals in those states during that era; and interstate matches in Tasmania consistently drew crowds which either exceeded or were second only to the Tasmanian league's grand final attendances.^[25]

Interstate football was less popular in Victoria than it was in the other states. A match in Victoria in 1989 against South Australia set the national interstate football record crowd of 91,960, with 10,000 people turned away at the gate.^[25] Other large crowds at interstate games in Victoria were between 60,000 and 70,000,^[26] on par with some large home-and-away games but lower than a typical finals attendance. At its lowest, interstate games in Victoria during the 1930s could sometimes fail to draw 10,000 spectators – less than the average home-and-away crowd – at a time when state record crowds were drawn to the matches elsewhere.^[27] Eventually, due to these lower levels of public interest, less interstate football came to be played in Victoria: and for the majority of the 1980s, when State of Origin football was at its peak, the Victorian team did not play a single match at home.^[25] The primary reason for the difference in popularity between Victoria and the other states was the Victorian team's historical dominance in interstate football. Particularly during the pre-State of Origin era, the Victorian team was always expected to win and regularly won easily; therefore, Victorian spectators were disinclined to attend matches because there was little pride on offer for victory and a high chance of a one-sided contest.^[28][29] The record crowd of 91,960 in Melbourne in 1989 came after South Australia had beaten Victoria three years in a row, demonstrating that Victorian fans were willing to embrace interstate football when the rivalry and contests were closely fought.^[25] Additionally, differences in supporter culture between the states meant that club football and club parochialism had much greater importance in Victoria than in the other states.^[30]

Amongst the competing states, the rivalry with Victoria was the strongest. Victoria's long-term dominance of interstate football created a culture of disdain towards it and, as a result, the most popular games always involved Victoria and beating Victoria was considered the pinnacle of interstate football in South Australia and Western Australia.^[31] South Australia's rivalry towards Victoria was characterised during the 1980s with the slogan "Kick a Vic".^[32]

Players from all states, including Victoria, viewed selection and participation in interstate football with great importance. Ted Whitten, who was widely noted for his involvement in and passion for the Victorian team described how "the players would walk on broken glass to wear the Victorian jumper".^[33]Graham Cornes, well known for his involvement in the South Australian team, always spoke equally proudly of the experience of representing his state.^[31]John Platten, a highly decorated player, described a drought breaking victory playing for South Australia, over Victoria, as one of his proudest football moments.^[34] Comments from other players included:

• 
  Matthew Lloyd (Victoria) – "immense pride – you feel like you walk a bit taller when you pull on the Big V".^[35]
  


• 
  Stephen O'Reilly (Western Australia) — "State of Origin football is the pinnacle for AFL players".^[36]
  


• 
  Andrew McKay (South Australia) — "I never dreamt of playing VFL/AFL as a child, but I always dreamt of playing for my state".^[37]
  


• 
  Graham Cornes (South Australia) — "pulling the South Australian jumper on is like a dream come true".^[38]
  


• 
  Tony Lockett (Victoria), who commented after he won the E. J. Whitten Medal — "this will probably go down as one of the happiest days of my life, and I'll treasure it forever".^[39]
  

State of Origin in popular media

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.

State/Territory & Representative Teams

State/Territory/Representative Team	Logo	Moniker/Nickname	Colour(s)	Location(s)	Debut Season	Awards	Titles
Australian Alliance		Allies	Light Sky Blue, Orange, Black, White	Australian Capital Territory & New South Wales & Northern Territory & Queensland & Tasmania	1995	Alex Jesaulenko Medal
Australian Amateurs		Amateurs	Dark Green, Canary Yellow	Australia	1988
Australian Capital Territory			Royal Blue, Canary Yellow	Australian Capital Territory
Australian Dream Team		Dream Team	Beige, White	Australia	2008
Indigenous All-Stars		All Stars	Canary Yellow, Red, Black	Northern Territory	1983
New South Wales		Blues	Light Sky Blue, Navy Blue	New South Wales	1884
New South Wales-Australian Capital Territory		Rams	Light Sky Blue, Navy Blue, Royal Blue, Canary Yellow	Australian Capital Territory & New South Wales	1993
New Zealand		Falcons	Grey, Black, White	New Zealand	1889
Northern Territory		Thunder	Ochre, Black, White	Northern Territory	1988
Queensland		Maroons	Dark Red, White	Queensland	1884
Queensland-Northern Territory		Scorpions	Dark Red, Ochre, White	Northern Territory & Queensland	1993
South Australia		Croweaters	Red, Royal Blue, Golden Yellow	South Australia	1879	Fos Williams Medal	5
Tasmania		Devils	Dark Green, Red, Canary Yellow, Black, White	Tasmania	1887	Lefroy Medal
Victoria		The Big V	Navy Blue, White	Victoria	1897	E. J. Whitten Medal	17
Victorian Football Association (VIC)		VFA	Navy Blue, Golden Yellow	Victoria	1879
Western Australia		Sandgropers	Golden Yellow, Black	Western Australia	1904	Simpson Medal (1948–1991) Graham Moss Medal (1995–1998)	6

Rivalries

Victoria vs South Australia

The rivalry between Victoria and South Australia was considered the strongest in interstate football.^[40] Although there is a bitter rivalry on both sides, the make up of the rivalry is slightly different:^[41] for Victoria, being the most successful state in interstate football, it meant that protecting that reputation was of prominent importance;^[42] for South Australia, the rivalry stemmed from dislike, and the feeling that Victorians did not give the state the respect it deserved.^[42]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.^[43]

Many footballers described beating Victoria as one of the top achievements in South Australian football. Neil Kerley ranked beating Victoria above his club premierships.^[44] 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".^[45]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."^[46]

Victoria vs Western Australia

There is an intense rivalry between Victoria and Western Australia.^[47] 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.^[48] 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.^[49]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".^[50]

Western Australia vs South Australia

There was also an intense rivalry between Western Australia and South Australia,^[51] with fans at games between the states always vociferous and parochial.^[52]

Results

Australian National Football Carnival (1908–1988)

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.

Year	Name	Location	Section A Winner	Section B Winner	Tassie Medallist
1908	Jubilee Australasian Football Carnival	Melbourne	Victoria	-	-
1911	Australasian Football Carnival	Adelaide	South Australia	-	-
1914	Australian National Football Carnival	Sydney	Victoria	-	-
1921	Australian National Football Carnival	Perth	Western Australia	-	-
1924	Australian National Football Carnival	Hobart	Victoria	-	-
1927	Australian National Football Carnival	Melbourne	Victoria	-	-
1930	Australian National Football Carnival	Adelaide	Victoria	-	-
1933	Australian National Football Carnival	Sydney	Victoria	-	-
1937	Australian National Football Carnival	Perth	Victoria	-	Mick Cronin (WA)
1947	Australian National Football Carnival	Hobart	Victoria	Tasmania	Les McClements (WA) & Bob Furler (Canberra)
1950	Australian National Football Carnival	Brisbane	Victoria (VFL)	Australian Amateurs	Terry Cashion (Tas)
1953	Australian National Football Carnival	Adelaide	Victoria (VFL)	-	Merv McIntosh (WA)
1956	Australian National Football Carnival	Perth	Victoria (VFL)	-	Graham Farmer (WA)
1958	Centenary Carnival	Melbourne	Victoria (VFL)	Australian Amateurs	Allen Aylett (Vic) & Ted Whitten (Vic)
1960	Minor States Carnival	Sydney/Canberra	-	Victoria (VFA)	-
1961	Australian National Football Carnival	Brisbane	Western Australia	-	Brian Dixon (VFL)
1966	Australian National Football Carnival	Hobart	Victoria (VFL)	-	Barry Cable (WA)
1968	Minor States Carnival	Canberra	-	Australian Amateurs	-
1969	Australian National Football Carnival	Adelaide	Victoria (VFL)	-	Peter Eakins (WA) & Graham Molloy (SA)
1972	Australian National Football Carnival	Perth	Victoria (VFL)	-	Ken McAullay (WA)
1974	ANFC Division 2 Championship	Sydney	-	Queensland	-
1975	Australian National Football Carnival	Melbourne/Adelaide	Victoria (VFL)	-	-
1979	State of Origin Carnival	Perth	Western Australia	Queensland	Brian Peake (WA)
1980	State of Origin Carnival	Adelaide	Victoria	-	Graham Cornes (SA)
1988	Bicentennial Carnival	Adelaide	South Australia	Northern Territory	Paul Salmon (VIC)

VFL/AFL State of Origin (1977–1999)

Non-State of Origin games are marked with a *

1999

Round	Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Ground	City/Town	Crowd	Date	Time	Broadcast Network
Section 0 - Only Match	Victoria	17.19 (121)	S. Australia	10.7 (67)	MCG	Melbourne	26,063	29 May 1999	2:00 PM	7 Network

1998

Round	Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Ground	City/Town	Crowd	Date	Time	Broadcast Network
Section 0 - Only Match	A. Alliance	14.11 (95)	Victoria	22.16 (148)	BCG	Brisbane	13,977	10 July 1998	7:00 PM	7 Network
Section 0 - Only Match	S. Australia	22.11 (143)	W. Australia	16.11 (107)	Football Park	Adelaide	18,204	11 July 1998	4:00 PM	7 Network

1997

Round	Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Ground	City/Town	Crowd	Date	Time	Broadcast Network
Section 0 - Only Match	S. Australia	12.13 (85)	Victoria	13.15 (93)	Football Park	Adelaide	40,595	21 June 1997	8:00 PM	7 Network
Section 0 - Only Match	W. Australia	16.12 (108)	A. Alliance	18.8 (116)	Subiaco Oval	Perth	16,795	20 June 1997	6:00 PM	7 Network

1996

Round	Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Ground	City/Town	Crowd	Date	Time	Broadcast Network
Section 0 - Only Match	S. Australia	20.6 (126)	W. Australia	13.13 (91)	Football Park	Adelaide	16,722	2 June 1996	2:30 PM	7 Network
Section 0 - Only Match	Victoria	20.17 (137)	A. Alliance	11.18 (84)	MCG	Melbourne	35,612	1 June 1996	2:10 PM	7 Network

1995

Round	Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Ground	City/Town	Crowd	Date	Time	Broadcast Network
Section 0 - Only Match	Victoria	18.12 (120)	S. Australia	8.9 (57)	MCG	Melbourne	64,186	17 June 1995	2:00 PM	7 Network
Section 0 - Only Match	W. Australia	8.13 (61)	A. Alliance	13.14 (92)	Subiaco Oval	Perth	15,722	18 June 1995	12:00 PM	7 Network

1994

Round	Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Ground	City/Town	Crowd	Date	Time	Broadcast Network
Section 0 - Only Match	S. Australia	11.9 (75)	Victoria	10.13 (73)	Football Park	Adelaide	44,598	3 May 1994	8:00 PM	7 Network

1993

Round	Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Ground	City/Town	Crowd	Date	Time	Broadcast Network
Section 1 - Semi Final	Victoria	19.16 (130)	N.S.W./A.C.T.	8.17 (65)	MCG	Melbourne	22,409	1 June 1993	7:00 PM	7 Network
Section 1 - Semi Final	S. Australia	19.13 (127)	W. Australia	14.7 (91)	Football Park	Adelaide	21,487	2 June 1993	8:00 PM	7 Network
Section 1 - Final	Victoria	14.13 (97)	S. Australia	16.13 (109)	MCG	Melbourne	31,792	5 June 1993	4:40 PM	7 Network
Section 2 - Final	Tasmania	10.13 (73)	Queensland/N.T.	16.14 (110)	Bellerive Oval	Hobart	9,660	6 June 1993	12:00 PM	7 Network

1992

Round	Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Ground	City/Town	Crowd	Date	Time	Broadcast Network
Section 0 - Only Match	N.S.W.	22.9 (141)	Queensland	6.12 (48)	SCG	Sydney	7,223	12 May 1992	7:00 PM	7 Network
Section 0 - Only Match	Victoria	23.19 (157)	W. Australia	13.12 (90)	MCG	Melbourne	32,152	26 May 1992	7:00 PM	7 Network
Section 0 - Only Match	S. Australia	19.19 (133)	Victoria	18.12 (120)	Football Park	Adelaide	33,984	7 July 1992	12:00 PM	7 Network

1991

Round	Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Ground	City/Town	Crowd	Date	Time	Broadcast Network
Section 0 - Only Match	Tasmania	14.20 (104)	Victoria A	17.14 (116)	North Hobart Oval	North Hobart	16,000	28 May 1991	12:00 PM	7 Network
Section 0 - Only Match	S. Australia	11.4 (70)	Victoria	12.14 (86)	Football Park	Adelaide	37,277	28 May 1991	8:00 PM	7 Network
Section 0 - Only Match	Queensland	23.14 (152)	Victoria A	15.8 (108)	BCG	Brisbane	8,519	16 July 1991	12:00 PM	7 Network
Section 0 - Only Match	W. Australia	19.13 (127)	Victoria	7.9 (51)	WACA Ground	Perth	24,397	16 July 1991	12:00 PM	7 Network
Section 0 - Only Match	W. Australia	17.20 (122)	S. Australia	11.12 (78)	Subiaco Oval	Perth				7 Network

1990

Round	Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Ground	City/Town	Crowd	Date	Time	Broadcast Network
Section 0 - Only Match	N.S.W.	13.8 (86)	Victoria	10.16 (76)	SCG	Sydney	13,482	22 May 1990	8:30 PM	7 Network
Section 0 - Only Match	Tasmania	20.14 (134)	Victoria	14.17 (101)	North Hobart Oval	North Hobart	18,649	24 June 1990	12:00 PM	7 Network
Section 0 - Only Match	W. Australia	8.12 (60)	Victoria	14.13 (97)	WACA Ground	Perth	21,897	26 June 1990	6:30 PM	7 Network
Section 0 - Only Match	S. Australia	17.19 (122)	W. Australia	14.16 (100)	Football Park	Adelaide				7 Network

1989

Round	Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Ground	City/Town	Crowd	Date	Time	Broadcast Network
Section 0 - Only Match	W. Australia	10.12 (72)	Victoria	19.12 (126)	WACA Ground	Perth	20,993	16 May 1989	12:00 PM	7 Network
Section 0 - Only Match	Victoria	22.17 (149)	S. Australia	9.9 (63)	MCG	Melbourne	91,960	1 July 1989	2:10 PM	7 Network
Section 0 - Only Match	Tasmania	15.7 (107)	Victoria A	25.13 (163)	North Hobart Oval	North Hobart	12,342	2 July 1989	12:00 PM	7 Network

1988 Adelaide Bicentennial State of Origin Carnival

Round	Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Ground	City/Town	Crowd	Date	Time	Broadcast Network
Section 2 – Prelim. Stage	Northern Territory	19.20 (134)	Tasmania	10.8 (68)	Football Park	Adelaide	–	2 March 1988		9 Network
Section 2 – Prelim. Stage	A. Amateurs	14.12 (96)	A.C.T.	12.11 (83)	Football Park	Adelaide	–	2 March 1988		9 Network
Section 1 – S. Final	Victoria	20.13 (133)	W. Australia	10.13 (73)	Football Park	Adelaide	5,195	2 March 1988		9 Network
Section 2 – Prelim. Stage	VFA	17.10 (112)	Queensland	4.11 (35)	Football Park	Adelaide	–	3 March 1988		9 Network
Section 2 – Prelim. Stage	Northern Territory	11.19 (85)	A. Amateurs	8.9 (57)	Football Park	Adelaide	–	3 March 1988		9 Network
Section 1 – S. Final	S. Australia	12.8 (80)	N.S.W.	8.11 (59)	Football Park	Adelaide	5,755	3 March 1988		9 Network
Section 2 – Semi Final	VFA	18.20 (128)	A.C.T.	9.16 (70)	Norwood Oval	Adelaide	–	4 March 1988		9 Network
Section 2 – Wooden Spoon Play Off	Tasmania	11.16 (82)	Queensland	10.10 (70)	Norwood Oval	Adelaide	–	4 March 1988		9 Network
Section 2 – Final	Northern Territory	17.10 (112)	VFL	9.13 (63)	Football Park	Adelaide	–	5 March 1988		9 Network
Section 1 – 3rd Place Play Off	N.S.W.	10.8 (68)	W. Australia	9.12 (66)	Football Park	Adelaide	-	5 March 1988		9 Network
Section 1 – Final	S. Australia	15.12 (102)	Victoria	6.6 (42)	Football Park	Adelaide	19,387	5 March 1988		9 Network

1988

Round	Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Ground	City/Town	Crowd	Date	Time	Broadcast Network
Section 0 - Only Match	*S. Australia	17.17 (119)	W. Australia	11.13 (79)	Football Park	Adelaide	18,339	24 May 1988[53]
Section 0 - Only Match	W. Australia	15.9 (99)	Victoria	21.23 (149)	Subiaco Oval	Perth	23,006	5 July 1988[54]
Section 0 - Only Match	W. Australia	18.14 (122)	S. Australia	17.13 (115)	BC Place	Vancouver				9 Network

1987

Round	Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Ground	City/Town	Crowd	Date	Time	Broadcast Network
Section 0 - Only Match	S. Australia	12.13 (85)	Victoria	11.15 (81)	Football Park	Adelaide	41,605	27 May 1987		ABC
Section 0 - Only Match	W. Australia	13.14 (92)	Victoria	16.20 (116)	Subiaco Oval	Perth	22,000	22 July 1987		ABC
Section 0 - Only Match	*W. Australia	9.9 (63)	S. Australia	18.16 (124)	WACA Ground	Perth				ABC

1986

Round	Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Ground	City/Town	Crowd	Date	Time	Broadcast Network
Section 0 - Only Match	S. Australia	18.17 (125)	Victoria	17.13 (115)	Football Park	Adelaide	43,143	13 May 1986
Section 0 - Only Match	W. Australia	21.11 (137)	Victoria	20.14 (134)	Subiaco Oval	Perth	39,863	8 July 1986
Section 0 - Only Match	*W. Australia	18.19 (127)	S. Australia	12.16. (88)	Football Park	Adelaide

1985

Round	Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Ground	City/Town	Crowd	Date	Time	Broadcast Network
Section 0 - Only Match	S. Australia	11.10 (76)*	Victoria	20.13 (133)	Football Park	Adelaide	44,287	14 May 1985
Section 0 - Only Match	*W. Australia	16.15 (111)	S. Australia	30.18 (198)	Subiaco Oval	Perth		15 June 1985
Section 0 - Only Match	W. Australia	9.11 (65)	Victoria	19.16 (130)	Subiaco Oval	Perth	38,000	16 July 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.^[55]

1984

Round	Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Ground	City/Town	Crowd	Date	Time	Broadcast Network
Section 0 - Only Match	S. Australia	16.8 (104)	Victoria	16.12 (108)	Football Park	Adelaide	52,719	15 May 1984
Section 0 - Only Match	W. Australia	21.16 (142)	Victoria	21.12 (138)	Subiaco Oval	Perth	42,500	17 July 1984
Section 0 - Only Match	*S. Australia	14.13 (97)	W. Australia	14.14 (98)	Football Park	Adelaide	26,649

1983

Round	Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Ground	City/Town	Crowd	Date	Time	Broadcast Network
Section 0 - Only Match	S. Australia	26.16 (172)	Victoria	17.14 (116)	Football Park	Adelaide	42,521	16 May 1983
Section 0 - Only Match	W. Australia	16.22 (118)	Victoria	16.19 (115)	Subiaco Oval	Perth	44,213	12 July 1983
Section 0 - Only Match	*W. Australia	24.14 (134)	S. Australia	16.14 (110)	Subiaco Oval	Perth		June 4, 1983

1982

Round	Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Ground	City/Town	Crowd	Date	Time	Broadcast Network
Section 0 - Only Match	S. Australia	18.19 (127)	Victoria	21.13 (139)	Football Park	Adelaide	40,399	17 May 1982
Section 0 - Only Match	W. Australia	15.11 (101)	Victoria	19.10 (124)	Subiaco Oval	Perth	29,182	13 July 1982
Section 0 - Only Match	S. Australia	29.23 (197)	W. Australia	12.9 (81)	Football Park	Adelaide	27,283
Section 0 - Only Match	W. Australia	21.18 (144)	S. Australia	8.5 (53)	Subiaco Oval	Perth

1981

Round	Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Ground	City/Town	Crowd	Date	Time	Broadcast Network
Section 0 - Only Match	W. Australia	16.23 (119)	Victoria	13.12 (90)	Subiaco Oval	Perth	26,000	27 May 1981
Section 0 - Only Match	Tasmania	16.12 (108)	Victoria	31.20 (206)	North Hobart Oval	North Hobart	6,349	4 July 1981
Section 0 - Only Match	Queensland	12.18 (90)	Victoria	32.29 (221)	BCG	Brisbane	9,000	12 July 1981

1980

Round	Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Ground	City/Town	Crowd	Date	Time	Broadcast Network
Section 0 - Only Match	Victoria	18.15 (123)	W. Australia	15.12 (102)	VFL Park	Melbourne	31,467	5 July 1980
Section 0 - Only Match	Queensland	16.10 (106)	Victoria A	28.18 (186)	BCG	Brisbane	16,000	6 July 1980
Section 0 - Only Match	A.C.T.	13.17 (95)	Victoria C	11.16 (82)	Manuka Oval	Canberra	10,600	6 July 1980
Section 0 - Only Match	W. Australia	21.30 (156)	S. Australia	10.9 (69)	Subiaco Oval	Perth

1980 Adelaide State of Origin Carnival

Round	Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Ground	City/Town	Crowd	Date	Time	Broadcast Network
Semi Final 1	S. Australia	22.18 (150)	Tasmania	8.13 (61)	Football Park	Adelaide	10,666	11 October 1980
Semi Final 2	Victoria	14.20 (104)	W. Australia	9.15 (69)	Football Park	Adelaide	10,666 (double-header)	11 October 1980
3rd Place Final	W. Australia	17.23 (125)	Tasmania	12.18 (90)	Football Park	Adelaide	17,579	13 October 1980
Grand Final	Victoria	15.12 (102)	S. Australia	12.13 (85)	Football Park	Adelaide	17,579 (double-header)	13 October 1980

1979

Round	Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Ground	City/Town	Crowd	Date	Time	Broadcast Network
Section 0 - Only Match	S. Australia	6.13 (49)	Victoria	15.20 (110)	Football Park	Adelaide	32,054	21 May 1979
Section 0 - Only Match	Tasmania	8.14 (62)	Victoria	26.21 (177)	North Hobart Oval	North Hobart	12,197	18 June 1979

1979 Perth State of Origin Carnival

Round	Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Ground	City/Town	Crowd	Date	Time	Broadcast Network
Section 1 Qualification Play Off	Tasmania	17.20 (122)	Queensland	13.12 (90)	Perth Oval	Perth	–	4 October 1979
Section 1 Semi Final 1	W. Australia	23.33 (171)	Tasmania	9.10 (64)	Subiaco Oval	Perth	–	6 October 1979
Section 1 Semi Final 2	Victoria	25.30 (180)	S. Australia	20.15 (135)	Subiaco Oval	Perth	15,186	6 October 1979
Section 2 Final	Queensland	23.13 (151)	A.C.T.	18.12 (120)	Leederville Oval	Perth	–	7 October 1979
Section 1 3rd Place Playoff	S. Australia	22.20 (152)	Tasmania	17.11 (113)	Subiaco Oval	Perth	–	8 October 1979
Section 1 Final	W. Australia	17.21 (123)	Victoria	16.12 (108)	Subiaco Oval	Perth	30,876	8 October 1979

1978

Round	Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Ground	City/Town	Crowd	Date	Time	Broadcast Network
Section 0 - Match 1	Tasmania	18.6 (114)	Victoria A	25.11 (161)	North Hobart Oval	North Hobart	16,776	10 June 1978[56]
Section 0 - Match 2	Victoria	25.13 (163)	W. Australia	8.15 (63)	VFL Park	Melbourne	45,192	10 June 1978[57]
Section 0 - Match 3	A.C.T.	12.11 (83)	Victoria 3rd XVIII	21.21 (147)	Manuka Oval	Canberra	10,300	11 June 1978
Section 0 - Match 4	W. Australia	14.17 (101)	Victoria	17.13 (115)	Subiaco Oval	Perth	30,195	7 October 1978

1977

Round	Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Ground	City/Town	Crowd	Date	Time	Broadcast Network
Section 0 - Only Match	* W. Australia	13.12 (90)	Victoria	23.16 (154)	Subiaco Oval	Perth	44,891	25 June 1977
Section 0 - Only Match	W. Australia	23.13 (151)	Victoria	8.9 (57)	Subiaco Oval	Perth	25,467	8 October 1977

AFL Women's State of Origin (2017–present)

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.^[58] 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.^[59]

2017

	AFLW State of Origin
Saturday, 2 September (7:40 pm)	Victoria	def.	Australian Alliance	Etihad Stadium (crowd: 9,400[60])	Report
	0.2.2 (14) 0.8.5 (53) 0.11.7 (73)  0.17.11 (113)	Q1 Q2 Q3  Final	0.1.1 (7) 0.2.2 (14) 0.2.2 (14)  0.2.4 (16)	Umpires: Bryce, Cheever, Rodger Best on ground: Daisy Pearce Television broadcast: Network Seven, Fox Footy
Super goals: Nil Garner 5, Blackburn 3, Ashmore 2, Eva, Lambert, Paxman, Kearney, Pearce, D'Arcy, Hope		Goals	Super goals: Nil Harris, Wuetschner
Pearce, Paxman, Donnellan, Garner, Eva, Kearney, Blackburn		Best	King, Bates, Antonio, Brennan, Marinoff
Lambert (hip)		Injuries	Harris (knee), Zielke (ribs), Randall (thigh), Bentley (knee)
Nil		Reports	Nil

AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match (2008)

Round	Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Ground	City/Town	Crowd	Date	Time	Broadcast Network
	Victoria	21.11 (137)	Aust. Dream Team	18.12 (120)	MCG	Melbourne	69,294	2008; May 10	7:40 PM	10 Network

Other interstate matches

State league representative matches (1990–present)

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
  

Results

	1991 Football Season
11 June 1991	WA: WAFL 17.20. (122)	def.	SA: SANFL 11.12 (78)	Subiaco Oval (crowd: 20,011)	[61]
	Bye: VIC: VFA, NT: NTFL, QLD: QAFL, NSW: SAFL, TAS: TFL, ACT: AFLC.

Bold text indicates the home team.

Year	Result	Venue
1992	SANFL 9.18 (72) def. WAFL 9.12 (66)	Football Park
1993	WAFL 15.20 (110) def. SANFL 13.8 (86)	WACA Ground
	TFL 11.8 (74) def. QLD 9.10 (64)	Bellerive Oval
1994	AFL-NT 15.13(103) def. VFA 12.8 (80)	Melbourne
	WAFL 10.14 (74) def. SANFL 7.18 (60)	Football Park
	QLD 18.18 (126) def. TFL 10.10 (70)	Brisbane
1995	AFL-NT 11.11 (77) def. ACT 9.16 (70)	Canberra
	TFL 14.15 (99) def. SANFL 12.12 (84)	North Hobart Oval
	WAFL 14.14 (98) def. QLD 8.17 (65)	Brisbane
	VFA 16.15 (111) def. NSW 2.7 (19)	Melbourne
1996	VFL 15.18 (108) def. TFL 13.8 (86)	Melbourne
	SANFL 15.20 (110) def. WAFL 6.9 (45)	Subiaco Oval
1997	SANFL 13.17 (95) def. ACT 8.5 (53)	Canberra
	VFL 11.25 (91) def. ACT 10.6 (66)	Canberra
	TFL 19.6 (120) def. WAFL 10.13 (73)	North Hobart Oval
1998	SANFL 17.13 (115) def. WAFL 10.10 (70)	Football Park
	TFL 13.10 (88) def. VFL 6.17 (53)	North Hobart Oval
1999	SANFL 12.11 (83) def. VFL 8.11 (59)	MCG
	ACT 9.11 (65) def. NSW 9.6 (60)	Sydney
	WAFL 20.12 (132) def. TSFL 10.14 (74)	Kalgoorlie
2000	SANFL 15.17 (107) def. WAFL 8.17 (65)	Adelaide Oval
2001	SANFL 20.14 (134) def. VFL 14.12 (96)	Adelaide Oval
2002	VFL 18.17 (125) def. SANFL 10.9 (69)	Adelaide Oval
	WAFL 24.15 (159) def. QLD 6.12 (48)	Fremantle Oval
2003	SANFL 17.16 (118) def. WAFL 8.10 (58)	Fremantle Oval
	QLD 10.9 (69) def. ACT 5.13 (43)	Brisbane Cricket Ground
2004	VFL 10.9 (69) def. WAFL 8.10 (58)	Leederville Oval
	QLD 10.11 (71) def. ACT 8.9 (57)	Manuka Oval
2005	SANFL 20.8 (128) def. VFL 18.16 (124)	TEAC Oval
	WAFL 18.21 (129) def. QLD 11.5 (71)	Carrara Oval
	QLD 18.14 (122) def. ACT 12.12 (84)	Brisbane Cricket Ground
2006	SANFL 14.14 (98) def. WAFL 12.9 (81)	Adelaide Oval
2007	VFL 25.11 (161) def. WAFL 5.12 (42)	TEAC Oval
	ACT 16.11 (107) def. NSW 14.9 (93)	Manuka Oval
	QLD 13.7 (85) def. TAS 10.14 (74)	York Park
2008	SANFL 25.11 (161) def. VFL 14.12 (96)	Adelaide Oval
	WAFL 24.20 (164) def. QLD 14.7 (91)	Tony Ireland Stadium
2009	WAFL 12.10 (82) def. SANFL 12.9 (81)	Leederville Oval
	TSL 20.9 (129) def. QLD 11.14 (80)	Bellerive Oval
2010	VFL 20.11 (131) def. WAFL 11.11 (77)	Leederville Oval
	QLD 23.26 (164) def. TSL 13.7 (85)	Fankhauser Reserve
2011	WAFL 16.17 (113) def. QLD/NT (NEAFL North) 16.11 (107)	Rushton Park
2012	SANFL 15.11 (101) def. WAFL 13.9 (87)	Glenelg Oval
	VFL 20.17 (137) def. TSL 3.11 (29)	Bellerive Oval
	QLD/NT (NEAFL North) 31.15 (201) def. NSW/ACT (NEAFL East) 8.8 (56)	Fankhauser Reserve
2013	SANFL 21.14 (140) def. QLD/NT (NEAFL North) 9.4 (58)	Richmond Oval
	WAFL 17.16 (118) def. VFL 15.11 (101)	Jubilee Oval
	TSL 15.11 (101) def. NSW/ACT (NEAFL East) 8.13 (61)	Skoda Stadium
2014	WAFL 19.18 (132) def. NEAFL 6.11 (47)	Blacktown ISP Oval
	SANFL 18.10 (118) def. VFL 14.12 (96)	North Port Oval
	TSL 18.12 (120) def. NEAFL 11.13 (79)	Bellerive Oval
2015	WAFL 18.13 (121) def. SANFL 11.10 (76)	Lathlain Park
	NEAFL 11.11 (77) def. TSL 8.9 (57)	Moreton Bay Central Sports Complex
2016	SANFL 16.10 (106) def. VFL 13.9 (87)[62]	Adelaide Oval
	WAFL 25.14 (164) def. TSL 4.6 (30)[63]	Bassendean Oval
2017	WAFL 20.14 (134) def. VFL 10.11 (71)[64]	North Port Oval
	NEAFL 8.7 (55) def. TSL 5.8 (38)	Blundstone Arena
2018	WAFL 15.12 (102) def. SANFL 11.10 (76)[65]	Adelaide Oval

E. J. Whitten Legends Game (1996–present)

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.

References

External links

• AustralianFootball.com, "Interstate Football"


• Convict Creations State of Origin


• AFL Statistics