The AFL today announced the return of ‘State of Origin’ in order to raise funds towards bushfire victims.
A caveat that was likely added by the clubs to make sure certain teams aren’t risking more players than others was a cap of three players per side.
This means you won’t see the game dominated by GWS, West Coast, Richmond, Collingwood and Geelong players.
So who are the three players from all 18 clubs who could be selected? Here are our nominations.
Brad Crouch (Victoria)
Daniel Talia (Victoria)
Rory Laird (All Stars)
Daniel Talia makes the list, with the likelihood the Victorians will call on him to deal with the All Stars’ many key forward options. Rory Laird is one of the best rebounding defenders in the AFL and Brad Crouch is one of many quality midfielders the Victorians could turn to.
Lachie Neale (All Stars)
Dayne Zorko (All Stars)
Harris Andrews (All Stars)
The All Stars will likely claim all three of these Lions, with Lachie Neale and Dayne Zorko two of the best midfielders in the competition. Both are versatile enough to play other roles as well. Harris Andrews has quickly become one of the most reliable defenders in the AFL as well.
Patrick Cripps (All Stars)
Liam Jones (All Stars)
Sam Walsh (Victoria)
Patrick Cripps picks himself in the midfield for the All Stars and is a certainty to make the side. Charlie Curnow’s knee injury rules him out, while the Blues likely will not allow captain Sam Docherty to risk his own knee. This leaves youngster Sam Walsh as an interesting option among all the veteran stars of Victoria and Liam Jones as another key defensive option for the All Stars.
Brodie Grundy (All Stars)
Scott Pendlebury (Victoria)
Jordan De Goey (Victoria)
Brodie Grundy is the best ruckman in the competition, and will shoulder the number one ruck role for the All Stars. Pies captain Scott Pendlebury was one of the first players to voice his support for the concept, and played in the 2008 150th anniversary game. Jordan De Goey is one of the game’s most exciting players, and assuming he’s fit and ready to play, he’d get the third nod from Collingwood.
Zach Merrett (Victoria)
Dylan Shiel (Victoria)
Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti (All Stars)
Zach Merrett and Dylan Shiel will likely be among the squad of midfielders Victoria will be weighing up. Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti meanwhile is the kind of player who people would turn up to watch and will likely be right at home in the All Star format. Joe Daniher would seemingly be a strong option for Victoria, but remains injured.
Nathan Fyfe (All Stars)
Michael Walters (All Stars)
Joel Hamling (All Stars)
Nathan Fyfe and Michael Walters provide some serious star power for the All Stars and add some firepower through the midfield or inside 50. Joel Hamling had an excellent year as a key defender and could make the All Stars side as well. David Mundy’s fractured leg rules him out.
Patrick Dangerfield (Victoria)
Mark Blicavs (Victoria)
Mitch Duncan (All Stars)
Patrick Dangerfield is the president of the AFLPA and has been a key driver of this game so he is an absolute lock for the Victorian side. The Vics also need a key defender and will want Mark Blicavs, while Mitch Duncan will bolster the All Stars midfield unit. Tom Stewart, Gary Ablett and Joel Selwood can consider themselves unlucky.
Jarrod Witts (All Stars)
David Swallow (All Stars)
Brayden Fiorini (Victoria)
Jarrod Witts and David Swallow pick themselves as Gold Coast’s premier pair. Witts would no doubt be the number two ruckman for the All Stars behind Brodie Grundy. David Swallow is one of his club’s prime movers and must be nominated for the squad but whether he makes the final team is another question. The third pick wasn’t that clear cut so we opted for some youthful exuberance in the form of Victorian Brayden Fiorini over the likes of Touk Miller and veteran Jarrod Harbrow who qualifies for the All Stars.
Stephen Coniglio (All Stars)
Lachie Whitfield (Victoria)
Jeremy Cameron (Victoria)
West Aussie Stephen Coniglio is GWS’ best player and is a must for the All Star line-up. He missed the last part of the 2019 season with a knee injury but was a huge chance of returning in the Grand Final so we’ve decided to pick him. Another classy Giant is Lachie Whitfield who could operate off the half-back flank, on a wing or through the midfield for the Vics. Coleman Medal winner Jeremy Cameron is a no-brainer as a key forward in the Victorian side.
James Sicily (Victoria)
Shaun Burgoyne (All Stars)
Jaeger O’Meara (All Stars)
James Sicily must take his place in defence for the Vics with his slicing delivery out of the back line. He's also never too far away from the excitement. The romance of seeing the evergreen Shaun Burgoyne again play for the All Stars (he played for the Dream Team in 2008) was too much to pass up while Jaeger O’Meara’s quality got him over the line ahead of Tom Mitchell (still returning from injury), James Worpel (likely strong Vic midfield), Jack Gunston and Luke Breust (star-studded forward lines respectively).
Max Gawn (Victoria)
Clayton Oliver (Victoria)
Jack Viney (Victoria)
With very few Demons candidates for the All Stars, we had to settle for a trio of Victorians. Max Gawn is a certainty while Clayton Oliver could be included to add depth for the Vics and Jack Viney may be a chance to make the squad as one of the Demons' three possible nominations.
Ben Brown (All Stars)
Ben Cunnington (Victoria)
Shaun Higgins (Victoria)
Tasmanian Ben Brown is basically a walk-up start for the All Stars forward line while the Kangaroos’ best two midfielders - Ben Cunnington and Shaun Higgins - are definites for the Vics. Todd Goldstein narrowly missed the cut due to limited ruck spots while Jack Ziebell has a bit of quality in front of him.
Travis Boak (Victoria)
Robbie Gray (Victoria)
Connor Rozee (All Stars)
Travis Boak and Robbie Gray pick themselves as Port Adelaide’s two best players, with Boak a reliable, talented and experienced mid and Gray one of the most exciting players in the league when on song. Connor Rozee would be a fun drawcard, a livewire that gave Power fans something to be hyped about in 2019.
Dustin Martin (Victoria)
Tom Lynch (Victoria)
Jack Riewoldt (All Stars)
Dustin Martin an absolute lock for Victoria's midfield and as a resting forward. Tom Lynch would most likely start at full-forward for the Big V. Dylan Grimes narrowly missed out with Jack Riewoldt’s excitement factor necessary inside forward 50 for the All Stars.
Rowan Marshall (Victoria)
Jack Billings (Victoria)
Brad Hill (All Stars)
Rowan Marshall could line up as the second ruck for the Vics following his breakout 2019 season. Brad Hill is a no-brainer, stepping into the Saints and immediately becoming their best player. Jack Billings is probably the next best for the Saints, a dynamic and versatile player coming off a career-best season.
Dane Rampe (All Stars)
Isaac Heeney (All Stars)
Luke Parker (Victoria)
Dane Rampe could slide into the All Stars backline, taking either a key post or lining up in the back pocket. Isaac Heeney can play anywhere, taking speccies in the forward and back 50. Luke Parker is platinum quality and would look right at home in the centre for Victoria.
Elliot Yeo (All Stars)
Luke Shuey (Victoria)
Jeremy McGovern (All Stars)
Elliot Yeo and Luke Shuey are the Eagles’ two best mids - assuming Tim Kelly has to pay his dues at his new club before getting the nod. Jeremy McGovern is one of the game’s best attacking key defenders, providing flair and rebounding qualities along with the best intercepting play around.
Jackson Macrae (Victoria)
Marcus Bontempelli (Victoria)
Jason Johannisen (All Stars)
The Dogs have a glut of talented midfielders in their prime, and the two that get the nod are newly-appointed captain Marcus Bontempelli and the prolific Jackson Macrae. As both of the aforementioned are Victorians, the Dogs may throw up dashing defender Jason Johannisen for the All Stars.