Victoria Australian rules football team

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Victoria
Badge of Victoria team
Nicknames The Big V
The Vics
Governing body Australian Football League
Victorian Football League
First game
Victoria (Australia) Victoria 7–0 South Australia South Australia
1879

The Victorian Australian rules football team, also known as the Big V, is the state representative side of Victoria, Australia, in the sport of Australian rules football.

The Big V has a proud history, dominating the first 100 years of intercolonial-interstate football, and being the most successful state in State of Origin.[1] After the change to State of Origin rules the results with the other main Australian football states became more even.

Victoria has a long and intense rivalry with South Australia and Western Australia.[2] The Victorian and South Australian rivalry was so intense there was a catchcry in South Australia called "Kick a Vic", and fans would bring signs of the cry to the games.[3] Some of the games between Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia in the 1980s and 1990s have been regarded as some of the greatest games in the history of Australian football.[4] State of Origin games in the 1980s have been described as "the finest expositions of the game ever seen".[5]

After State of Origin ended in 1999, Victoria last played in 2008 in the AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match to celebrate 150 years of the sport.[6][7] Despite lobbying for an Interstate Carnival, a one off game was played. The game was a high scoring game with 39 goals scored, Victoria winning 21.11 (137) to the Dream Team 18.12 (120). The game has been described as one of the greatest State of Origin games of all time.[8]

History

Victorian representative teams have participated in games against other Australian states since the 1870s. Originally these games were played between teams representing the major leagues of each state. For Victoria this meant the Victorian Football Association and the Victorian Football League. Between 1976 and 1999 senior state football was played under State of Origin rules.

The first intercolonial representative game of football was played between Victoria and South Australia in 1879 [9] with teams made up of Victorian Football Association and South Australia Football Association players.

Interstate matches came to be viewed as the highest tier of Australian football, with each state's ultimate goal being that of beating Victoria. The most important of these games were the Australian National Football Carnival games which were played intermittently between 1908 and 1993. Victoria has a dominate record in the carnivals, winning 17 and coming runner-up in another 6.[10] Between 1950 and 1966, these carnivals were contested by separate teams representing the Victorian Football League (VFL) and the Victorian Football Association (VFA); the VFL team was the stronger of the two.

The final senior level State of Origin game, participated in by AFL, players was played in 1999 with Victoria beating South Australia by 54 points.[11] Since this game, all Victorian representative teams, except the team that participated in the 2008 AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match, have consisted of a VFL Victorian team and other amateur state teams competing against other state league teams and amateur state teams.

Honour of playing for Victoria

There is great pride in wearing the Victorian Jumper. Ted Whitten, a former Victorian selector and coach, said that "the players would walk on broken glass to wear the Victorian jumper".[12]

Many players have spoken about the honour of playing for Victoria. Gary Ablett Sr has said "I've always found it a tremendous honour to represent your state, in a State of Origin game."[13] Garry Lyon has said about playing for Victoria that he "loved it",[14] and has been quoted about captaining Victoria saying "it was a great honour".[15] Tony Lockett is known as a big supporter of Victoria,[16] and said after he won the E. J. Whitten Medal that "this will probably go down as one of the happiest day's of my life, and I'll treasure it forever".[17] Brent Harvey, Paul Roos, Gerald Healy, Greg Williams and Simon Madden are also big supporters of Victoria.[18]

The Victorian State jumper design is navy blue with a large White "V" on the chest.[19]

Notable State of Origin games

Victoria has been involved in some of the most notable games in the history of Australian football.[20] These include:

1984: Victoria 16.12.(108) d South Australia 16.8.(104). A packed house at Football Park set the stage for a thriller. Steven Kernhan kicked 10 goals, Paul Salmon 5 and Peter Daicos 3.

1993: South Australia 16.13.(109) d Victoria 14.13.(97). A close game at the MCG saw South Australia just get home. Darren Jarman kicked six goals and Gary Ablett kicked five.

1992: South Australia 19.19.(133) d Victoria 18.12.(120). Wayne Carey described this game as the reason he believed he could succeed in the AFL.[21] In a high scoring game, Steven Kernhan kicked six goals, Paul Salmon kicked five and Paul Roos kicked three. Wayne Carey dominated at centre half forward and kicked two goals.[22] South Australia won the game in the final moments.

1986: Western Australia 21.11.(137) d Victoria 20.14.(134). This game has been described as "the greatest State of Origin game of all time".[23] A high scoring and close game which saw Western Australia win in the dying stages. Gary Buckenara kicked five goals, Brian Peak seven, Dale Weightman five and Brian Taylor four. The game featured Greg Willams, Paul Salmon and Marice Rioli.

1994: South Australia 11.9.(75) d Victoria 10.13.(73). Another game regarded as one of the greatest games in the history of Australian football.[24] In a close game Darren Jarman kicked six goals and Gary Ablett four.

1986: South Australia 18.17.125 d Victoria 17.13.(115). A high scoring game in which Steven Kernhan, Dermott Brereton and Paul Salmon all kicked four goals each. The game also featured Greg Williams, John Platten, Robert Harvey and Craig Bradley.

Big V in popular culture

There was a song created about Victoria by Greg Champion, called "Don't Let The Big V Down", which describes a young man about to play his first state game. While he is sitting in the change rooms a man approaches him and tells him not to let the Big V down.

The Victorian side was the first to use the "Big V" motif, which was later used by other codes, for example the shirt of the Melbourne Victory soccer team and the Big V basketball league.

Carnival record

The Big V running out for the AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match in 2008. (From left to right – Luke Power, Adam Goodes, Robert Murphy, Darren Milburn, Scott Pendlebury, Heath Shaw, Troy Simmonds, Trent Croad, Paul Chapman, Josh Fraser, Jimmy Bartel, Brent Harvey, Ryan O'Keefe, Sam Mitchell, James Kelly, Jarrad Waite, Chris Judd, Jonathan Brown, Daniel Bradshaw.)

Victorian State Team

Victorian Football Association

National Under 18 Championships

  • Victoria (1976-1988) 9: 1976, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988
  • Vic Country (1989-) 6: 1989, 1992 (Div 2), 1994 (Div 2), 2000, 2003, 2010
  • Vic Metro (1989-) 14: 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011

Ted Whitten

Ted Whitten, nicknamed "Mr Football", was one of the most famous Victorian players of all time. He represented the state 29 times and was the most influential figure for the Big V. He was known for his passionate support for interstate football and is honoured with the E. J. Whitten Medal and the E. J. Whitten Legends Game. Many other notable players represented Victoria on numerous occasions, including Gary Ablett, Sr. Dale Weightman, Paul Roos and Robert Harvey.

E. J. Whitten Medal

The E. J. Whitten Medal is awarded to the best player in a Victorian team. The medal was first awarded in 1985.

Other state teams

The Victorian Football League has a representative state team that plays annually against the other state league teams. The Victorian Amateur Football Association also has a representative team that plays annually against the other state amateur leagues and local Victorian leagues. There is also a women's Victorian representative team that plays annually in the AFL Women's National Championships and which is the most successful team. All teams wear the Big V jumper.

A Victorian team also competes in an annual veterans game, called the E. J. Whitten Legends Game. Many past AFL greats participate in the game.

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Big V out of mothballs
  7. ↑ Origin timing crucial
  8. ↑ http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/glenns-10-glenn-mcfarlane-names-the-top-10-moments-in-stateoforigin-footy/story-fni5f067-1226935963256
  9. ↑ http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/is_1.htm
  10. ↑ http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/carnival_results.htm
  11. ↑ http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/interstate_match_results_1993_to_2004.htm
  12. ↑ https://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/afl/fanforce/index.php/heraldsun/comments/top_ten_greatest_state_of_origin_moments
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ http://www.bomberblitz.com/~rmered/images/Vic-1989.gif
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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