The Score: WA Premier calls on AFL to revive state-of-origin football

With the NRL’s State of Origin series in full swing, it didn’t take long for someone to call on the AFL to reinstate the Australian rules version. Will it ever happen?

Brent Harvey in action during the AFL’s last State of Origin match in 1999.

There are three certainties in life.

Death, taxes and calls for the return of state-of-origin football in the AFL every June.

As soon as the NRL version kicks off, the annual conversation about the resurrection of the AFL's state v state competition gets a run and this year it’s been left to WA Premier Mark McGowan to bang the drum.

Naturally he’s thinking about his state's hip pocket given Game 2 of the NRL State of Origin is being held in Perth at Optus Stadium on Sunday.

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McGowan estimates around 13,000 tourists from Queensland and NSW are travelling to his state for the game so he wants something similar happening with the AFL.

“The State of Origin between NSW and Queensland is a massive event and gets huge attention,” McGowan said.

“It just reminds me that once upon a time Australian rules had a similar event and I think it should be reinstated.

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“Imagine if we had Buddy Franklin and Nic Naitanui and Nat Fyfe all in the same team playing the Vics or the South Australians.

“It would enhance state pride, it would be a huge blockbuster event, it would attract tourists and I think it is time it was reinstated.”

Good luck with that one Premier. For the record the last AFL State-of-Origin game was played between Victoria and South Australia at the MCG in 1999.

Brent Harvey in action during the AFL’s last State of Origin match in 1999.

WORLD CUP HITS TENNIS MATCH 

Football fever is obviously gripping France with the women's World Cup in full swing.

And two French tennis players have got caught up in the hype, breaking out into an impromptu foot tennis match during a tournament in Germany.

Benoit Paire and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had the crowd on their feet at the Halle Tournament after Paire's racquet slipped from his hand during a serve in the second set.

Not content to let Tsonga's return shot pass him unchallenged, world number 28 Paire volleyed the ball back over the net, sparking the football-inspired exchange.

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The pair exchanged volleys and even used their chests to control the ball before the brief foot game ended when Paire attempted an audacious scissor kick but slipped on the grass surface.

The tennis match mirrored the foot volley exchange with Tsonga, the world number 77, going on to beat his fellow countryman, 6-4, 7-5.

Literally no one:@benoitpaire & @tsonga7 playing football in the middle of a tennis match: #NoventiOpen19 😂 pic.twitter.com/OF9s18HnEj

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) June 18, 2019

VAFA TO HOLD SECOND EVER PRIDE GAME 

The VAFA will hold its second ever Pride Match this Saturday when Old Melburnians take on Old Carey.

Special socks to mark the occasion have been produced by the Old Melburnians with the senior and reserves teams for both clubs to wear the rainbow coloured ‘pride’ socks.

The first Pride Match in the amateur league was held by University Blacks in 2015.

Old Melburnians have been committed to acceptance and diversity for some time but the impetus for the game to become a reality came after Melbourne Grammar school’s vice-captain Rich Bartlett revealed to a packed school assembly that he was gay in 2017.

The video of the touching moment went viral around the world and while Bartlett won’t be at Elsternwick Park on Saturday because he's studying overseas, his family has been invited to the game.

THE WHISPER

Coincidental timing or not? We hear the friendly doorstops of Collingwood players walking into the Holden Centre have ceased in recent times for TV reporters with one Magpie official laying down the law loud and clear.