Victorian stars shine in 'spiteful' Origin revival but injury toll mounts
The AFL has found a winner in its revival of State of Origin. The crowd delivered, the players delivered and a brilliant new slot in the February calendar was born.
A red-hot 58,000 strong West Australian crowd did their best to fire up the Sandgropers, but Victoria's star-studded depth was too much to overcome in the 125-101 shootout.
The only sour point on the evening was Carlton defender Jacob Weitering, who was taken to hospital after being crushed in a marking contest in the first term.
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Jacob Weitering of Victoria is seen injured AFL Photos via Getty Images
The word out of the Vic camp is that he was being taken for precautionary reasons and being assessed for shoulder and rib injuries.
Sam Taylor and Mitch Georgiades sat out much of the second half with 'hamstring awareness' as well on the West Australian side, while Callum Ah Chee finished the game with ice on his hamstring.
Matt Rowell sat out the fourth quarter for Victoria with a finger injury as well.
A significant injury to a star player was the great fear for Origin - and the great test to see if it could survive such a blow.
But injuries happen in pre-season footy, regardless of the stage. Tom Green tore his ACL in a Giants intra-club on Friday. Marcus Bontempelli and Errol Gulden missed chunks of the 2025 season after AAMI Community Series injuries.
"I think there's going to be a story around the injury toll. We need to wait and see who's done what and how much footy they'll miss, but there's a blueprint here for something that can catch fire again," Jason Dunstall told Fox Footy.
The hope is Weitering is alright and able to line-up on ex-teammate Charlie Curnow come Opening Round.
Stephen Coniglio, Charlie Cameron and Kysaiah Pickett of Western Australia celebrate. AFL Photos via Getty Images
Western Australia hit the ground running, kicking the first two goals, grabbing the first 15 disposals and the first six clearances. It was an early blitz no one saw coming.
But from that moment on, Victoria was the frontrunner. They led by 20 at quarter time, and effectively held that gap for much of the game as both sides traded momentum.
WA made a charge in the fourth term and got the margin back to just six points after Jesse Hogan brought up his fifth goal. The crowd was alight and State of Origin was in full flight.
But the Vics once again had the answers, pushing back out to a four goal lead, as they did all night.
Nick Daicos led the way for Victoria with 38 disposals, nine marks and a goal, while Marcus Bontempelli had 30 and a goal himself.
Zak Butters of Victoria. AFL Photos via Getty Images
The medal for best on ground for Victoria however went to GWS defender Lachie Ash for his 25 disposals and defensive efforts.
Ben King kicked four goals for the Vics, while Charlie Cameron added three alongside Hogan's five for WA.
The GWS forward was rewarded with the Glenn Moss Medal for best on ground for WA in the loss.
What's most important is that the players cared. They were all-in. This was most evident in the spot-fires that broke out across the game.
Toby Greene and Zak Butters, to the surprise of no one, were the main instigators for Victoria, with multiple scuffles breaking out.
Zak Butters scraps with WA players. Getty
Hawthorn legend Jason Dunstall loved that aspect of the game.
"I've really enjoyed the (match). I thought it would be willing, but it has actually been a bit spiteful at times," Dunstall said.
Jonathan Brown added: "There's genuine feeling out there. This isn't just a scratch match."
The intensity was up, even if the skills and the running capacity felt a bit 'February' at times. It's worth remembering some of these players haven't played a full blown game since mid August.
But Victoria's class by foot and ability to win the ball post stoppage was far too good. Which is what you'd expect given the team boasted a dozen of the competition's best midfielders.
The biggest question for the AFL now is where they advance things from here. They need to get South Australia involved, but it will be hard to move away from these two teams next year.
As Patrick Cripps said in his speech after the match, "Origin is here to stay".
