Former Victoria coach Robert Walls recalls the day he knew State-of-Origin was dead

Robert Walls, the last coach of Victoria in an official State-of-Origin match, recounts the ultimatum he gave his squad and discusses the option of reviving the competition.

Robert Walls, the man who witnessed first-hand the death of State-of-Origin football 20 years ago, doubts it can ever return as a meaningful part of the AFL landscape.

Walls was Victoria’s coach in the last official state clash in 1999, against South Australia.

He brought the participation of the stars to a head leading into that game by saying he only wanted players totally committed to the game.

But when almost a third of his squad put their hands up to withdraw from the MCG game, he knew the concept was doomed.

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Current WA premier Mark McGowan has launched a recent bid to revive the longstanding State-of-Origin tradition, but Walls says clubs will never allow that to happen.

“It would be hard, I can’t see it happening,” Walls told the Sacked podcast.

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“I know it is huge in rugby (league), but that’s been a tradition that’s gone on for years, just those two states, whereas we have Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, New South Wales, etc.

“I think our product is that good anyway (that we don’t need it). I can watch any game and enjoy it, and we know who our best players are, anyway.”

Robert Walls gives instructions to Matthew Allan and Peter Everitt before the 1999 State-of-Origin clash.

Walls recounted the ultimatum he and his Victorian selectors gave the squad of players chosen to wear the Big V at the time. He wanted to make sure that only those keen to play for their state got the chance.

“We picked the squad and it might have been 30 players and they all came on to the MCG on the Monday night,” Walls said.

“You just heard that many stories about blokes not wanting to play, or being half hearted about it.

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“Gerard Healy was one of the selectors, Dipper was involved too, I was the coach. We just said from the word go — ‘If you are not fair dinkum, if you don’t want to play, just walk out’.

“Well we did that, and about a dozen walked out. That was good. The ones who stayed were good.”

He revealed the players who committed to the Big V cause gave everything, including a young Brent Harvey, whom Robert DiPierdomenico had recommended, and who would go on to win the last EJ Whitten Medal.

Walls with South Australian coach Graham Cornes ahead of the 1999 Origin contest.

“Dipper said ‘There is this kid from North Melbourne, I have seen him play and he is jockey-size, but he can play’,” Walls said.

“We got Boomer and he ended up winning the Whitten Medal.”

The Vics defeated South Australia in that game by 64 points, but only 26,063 fans bothered to turn up, which convinced the AFL there was no longer the appetite for what had been such a longstanding football tradition.

The AFL did stage a one-off Hall of Fame Tribute match for the game’s 150th birthday in 2008, between Victoria and a best of the rest Dream Team, but it always billed as a one-off exhibition match.