Schedule has Origin long odds to emerge

AFL supremo Gillon McLachlan would love to see a State of Origin comeback but concedes it’s unlikely to win the support of protective clubs.

Almost 20 years have passed since the last Origin clash, with Victoria’s nine- goal win over South Australia in 1999 attracting only 26,063 fans to the MCG.

But with rugby league’s flagship series drawing strong crowds and television ratings, many AFL fans remain hopeful of seeing a return to statebased footy.

A recent AFL website survey found 92 per cent support from 76,000 respondents for an Origin return, and a number of players, led by Essendon skipper Dyson Heppell, have said they would be eager to represent their state.

But the key question – how an Origin series would fit alongside a season which already spreads across 28 weeks, including the finals series – remains unresolved and McLachlan admits he can’t see a comeback happening.

“I would love to ( see it), as a guy who grew up in South Australia watching Tony Hall kick a checkside on the run from 50m,” McLachlan told 3AW radio yesterday.

“I know a lot of our supporters would. I get it – we’d love to do it, too. ( But) our clubs are so strong and so tribal and so powerful that they protect their players.

“And if you don’t have every player available for State of Origin, as soon as you have one or two of the best guys not playing ... I think it’s hard.”

An Origin return would be particularly tough to sell to West Australian clubs, who already have a travel burden.