Players want ‘real’ Origin footy in pre-season, says outgoing AFL chair Richard Goyder

Outgoing AFL chair Richard Goyder believes there is a hunger from players and fans to turn Saturday’s Origin blockbuster at Optus Stadium into an annual event. Goyder says AFL players have told him they want “real” games in the pre-season not practice matches. Fans have already lodged an informal ‘Yes’ vote, with tickets sold-out in late January for the first true West Australia-Victoria interstate clash since 1992. And Goyder has even backed deputy premier Rita Saffioti’s call for WA to play South Australia next February. “There’ll be an assessment afterwards but frankly, I love the deputy premier Rita Saffioti’s idea that next year it’s WA versus South Australia because most people think it’s Victoria versus someone,” he told The West Australian. “WA-South Australia had some cracking games of footy against each other. This won’t be for me, but the AFL will have a good, close look at it. It’s a sellout, West Australians have really embraced it and hopefully it’s a good game.” Goyder, who assumed the role of chair in 2017 and steps aside next month for his successor former Geelong president Craig Drummond, said the fact players were “all in” was “really promising”. “I remember talking to (Hawthorn coach) Sam Mitchell and others this time last year, when we had the All-Stars game. They were saying, players are now sick of playing intraclub games,” he said. “So there will be the appetite for it, it needs to be this time of year. People are hungry for footy and it’s Valentine’s Day. That’s perfect. “Stuff will happen on Saturday and people will go, ‘Oh yeah, footy’s back’ and ‘Gee this player looks good’. The thing about Origin is I think it’s great for the players. I think they will have an incredible time. “Talking to (Hawthorn forward) Jack Gunston last week, who last year had an incredible season, an All-Australian season, and he is so excited about playing for Victoria because he’s never been able to represent Victoria. “Players are all in. I reckon they’ll have a red hot go, and it’s great for them to come together. “Coaches will learn some stuff, but for the fans, people will see some of the 50 of the best football players in Australia do extraordinary stuff. “We want the tribalism of people going to watch their team, but we also want people going and saying, ‘I’m going to go and watch Kossie Pickett because he does unbelievable stuff on a footy field, or the Daicos boys because they are just incredible to watch. “We have got those sort of players in footy and we need to highlight them.” Ms Saffioti told The Sunday Times the WA Government would hold talks with the AFL to get a SA versus WA Origin game in Perth next year. WA football great Graham Moss said on Monday the “passage of time” and hunger for the game at this time of year can help AFL Origin to become an annual sellout event in Perth. Moss, who will present a medal named in his honour to the best WA player in Saturday’s clash with Victoria at Optus Stadium, also backed the State Government’s push to include South Australia in on Origin rotation next year. “If we get a great game, you’ll fill the stadium again. People are now getting hungry for football and the opportunity to see the best players in Australia compete are what they are looking for,” Moss said. “We’ve got to consider South Australia, because Western Australian and South Australia have a long-standing rivalry. “They’ve got some great players playing in the AFL. ‘’I would think South Australia would be key to get involved in the action. So it could be a rotation thing every year where you play a team on one particular year, the next team at the following year.”