Perth will host the first AFL Origin match in 27 years on Saturday, February 14, with Western Australia taking on Victoria at Optus Stadium. The game, sold out and broadcast live on Kayo Sports, Fox Footy, and Foxtel (504), is scheduled to begin at 7:40 PM AEDT (4:40 PM AWST).
The revival of the AFL Origin concept, confirmed by the league in September, follows calls from both fans and players for its return, according to AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon. The success of the 2025 Indigenous All-Stars clash at Optus Stadium, which drew 37,865 spectators, is believed to have influenced the decision to stage the Origin match in Perth.
Dean Cox, coach of the Sydney Swans, will lead Western Australia, while dual premiership-winning Geelong coach Chris Scott will mentor Victoria. Patrick Cripps of Carlton will captain the Western Australian side, and Marcus Bontempelli of the Western Bulldogs will lead Victoria.
Both squads feature a wealth of talent, with all 18 AFL clubs represented. The Western Bulldogs have the most players selected, with six, followed by Fremantle, Geelong, Gold Coast, and the GWS Giants, each with five representatives. Victoria’s lineup will be without Jeremy Cameron, the Coleman Medallist, due to a modified training program following a broken arm sustained in the Grand Final. He has been replaced by Gold Coast’s Ben King.
The Western Australian team includes Jaeger O’Meara, Luke Jackson, Stephen Coniglio, Callum Ah Chee, Chad Warner, Jordan Clark, Rory Lobb, Shai Bolton, and Kysaiah Pickett. Victoria’s squad boasts Toby Greene, Jack Sinclair, Caleb Serong, Hugh McCluggage, Zach Merrett, Nick Daicos, and Zak Butters.
The weather forecast for Perth on Saturday predicts sunny conditions with a high of 33 degrees Celsius, and a slight chance of showers in the afternoon and evening, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
The last ‘official’ AFL Origin match took place in May 1999, when Victoria defeated South Australia by 54 points at the MCG. Prior to that, Victoria last played Western Australia in 1992, winning by 67 points at the MCG. Western Australia’s last Origin game was in 1998.
Brad Johnson, a Western Bulldogs legend, has predicted a Victorian victory by 18 points, citing the Vics’ midfield depth. He has tipped Shai Bolton to win the Graham Moss Medal for Western Australia and Nick Daicos to claim the EJ Whitten Medal for Victoria.
The Graham Moss Medal will be presented to Western Australia’s best player by Graham Moss himself, a WA footy great and Brownlow Medallist. Ted Whitten Jnr, son of Bulldogs legend EJ Whitten, will present the EJ Whitten Medal to Victoria’s best player. The winning team will be awarded the Graham ‘Polly’ Farmer Cup, with the trophy presented by Kim Farmer, daughter of the late Polly Farmer.
Current betting odds, as of 10:00 AM Thursday, February 12, favor Victoria at $1.40, while Western Australia is at $2.90. Kysaiah Pickett and Chad Warner are joint favorites to win the Graham Moss Medal at $5, and Nick Daicos and Marcus Bontempelli are favored to win the EJ Whitten Medal at $7.50 and $8 respectively.