AFL CEO Andrew Dillon on State of Origin qualification ahead of impending 2026 return
A revamped State of Origin game is all but certain to take place next February following the successful pre-season match between Fremantle and the Indigenous All Stars.
It's likely to be played in Perth, with Western Australia taking on Victoria.
On Tuesday, Dillon confirmed the criteria for players to qualify for respective states would follow a historic trend.
'I think it will be about where you spent the most substantial part of your teenage years, which is what it has been historically,' he said.
It could mean players who have grown up boarding at some of Victoria's football-heavy schools or moved during their adolescence would be eligible to represent the Big V.
Under Dillon's clarification, the Queensland-born Ashcroft brothers – Will and Levi – would be eligible for Victoria having grown up in Melbourne's southeast.
Brisbane Lion Zac Bailey – born in Northern Territory but educated in South Australia – would also represent SA.
Dillon said there would be an announcement confirming the matches and all the details surrounding them in the not-too-distant future.
'It's a conversation in progress with state governments and also our players and our clubs,' he said.
'I am really keen to see our best players on the ground at the same time. I think the All Stars game at the start of this year showed there's a real appetite for seeing that.
'Hopefully, there will be an announcement soon.'
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