AFL would love a night of brutal Origin biffo
OH, we hope this is right. A little bit of biffo expected tomorrow night in the first State of Origin. Talk, too, of NSW having the necessary "mongrel" to defeat cocky Queensland. A night of passion and smashin'.
We recall observations from commentators on past interstate biffo. "Nothing wrong with that, two big men having a go at it." Priceless. "We've seen plenty of this in Origin. This is one of the best." Oh, thank you, thank you.
Revenge, too, for the actions of Brett White, the Blues prop who sank Queensland's Steve Price motionless to the ground in the third game last year. And then Justin Poore pulling up his ga-ga opponent Price.
"A dog act," said Greg Inglis.
If it gets really bad then that's very good for the AFL, the sport that is determined to become a significant player in the Queensland and NSW winter markets.
Just as the community no longer tolerates the whipping of horses; just as it no longer stomachs risking horses over jumps for our entertainment, football thuggery is becoming increasingly less acceptable.
The AFL is wondering what to do about Barry Hall, the Western Bulldogs player who reacted to constant harassment from his North Melbourne opponent Scott Thompson on the weekend. Hall's response was explosive. He swung Thompson to the ground and placed him in a headlock that lasted at least 10 seconds and had the force to rip off the top half of a bull.
Now while we accept in the State of Origin environment such a thing is considered a good-to-see-you handshake, it is viewed less favourably by the AFL. And Hall is in trouble. The league fines players who wrestle, the NRL fines those who don't. Hall was lucky to escape with just a fine.
The AFL would like nothing more than a night of biffo in the State of Origin match. It is trying to position itself as a serious alternative sport to northerners where gratuitous violence will not be tolerated. Where kids will be safe to play knowing that punch-ups are outlawed and not lauded. It has as much as $400 million to spend on the Gold Coast and Sydney markets where it is introducing the 17th and 18th teams. Any bit of help the incumbent codes league and union are happy to biff in will be graciously accepted.
Just how serious this fight over market share has become was evident in the papers yesterday. The coach of the Gold Coast franchise, Guy McKenna, was reported as planning to step out rugby league star Karmichael Hunt in the secondary VFL competition. It might happen within three weeks.
The risk here to the AFL is extreme. Hunt has returned from a stint at rugby union in France. Whatever the AFL says, it remains a certainty that the league has invested heavily in this experiment. If he can master a third game within 12 months then it is a coup for the AFL. If he is a dud and leaves the AFL a failure, the loss of face is grand though the AFL might argue that the indigenous game is so skilful not even the best league or union players have the natural excellence to master it.
The AFL has made a play for Israel Folau, the young man who is wooed by all three codes. Folau was said to have approached the west Sydney franchise and he has been embraced by the AFL with enthusiasm and loads of money. The AFL said at the time that Folau's presence would help the game appeal to the Polynesian community.
That is the very reason, The Australian said yesterday, that had sparked a fresh NRL initiative to keep Folau a league player. NRL chief executive David Gallop has encouraged the Broncos to work hard to retain Folau. The NRL was prepared to help with third-party deals and has approached the federal government to consider Folau as a likely ambassador within the islander community.
The NRL must not just beat off the AFL, but rookie Melbourne rugby union club, the Rebels. The franchise has put together a large offer that - like the AFL's - makes no sense in pure football terms. But image and promotion have become as important as speed and skill in recruiting in the modern football marketplace.
And that's the very reason the AFL will watch the State of Origin tomorrow night and hope some brutal biffo is on from the start. That is rugby league bashing to the converted. The AFL's best hope of making inroads in Queensland and NSW is to present as a viable alternative. The AFL wants to show that courage is intrinsic to its game that requires superior ball-handling skills and imagination.
In rugby league, State of Origin courage is contrived and puffed up in the fancy dress of biffo
