Representative matches in Australian rules football are matches between representative teams played under the Australian rules, most notably of the colonies and later Australian states and territories that have been held since 1879. For most of the 20th century, the absence of a national club competition in Australia and international matches meant that intercolonial and later interstate matches were regarded with great importance.
Interstate matches were, in most cases, sanctioned and coordinated by the Australian National Football Council (ANFC), which organised every national championship series from the first-ever national carnival, the Jubilee Australasian Football Carnival in 1908 with the exception of the last-ever series: the 1993 State of Origin Championships, which was run by the AFL Commission. The series took place on approximately three-yearly intervals between 1908 and 1993; these were usually a fortnight-long tournament staged in a single host city, although some – particularly those played in the 1980s – were based on the results of matches played in different cities throughout the year. Between 1937 and 1988, the player judged the best at each of these carnivals was awarded the Tassie Medal; and between 1953 and 1988, the selection of All-Australian Teams was based on the player's performance during Australian Football Carnivals, and the team was named after each carnival concluded.
Until June, 1977, interstate Australian rules football games were played by teams representing the major football leagues or organisations, with players representing the State or Territory they were playing in at the time. From October, 1977 until May, 1999, players were selected for their states under partial or full State of Origin selection rules. Football historian John Devaney has argued that: "some of the state of origin contests which took place during the 1980s constituted arguably the finest expositions of the game ever seen".
There have been no regular representative Australian rules football matches featuring players from the fully professional Australian Football League since 1999. Representatives matches continue to be played annually between teams representing the state or territorial leagues at the second tier or below. One senior women's State of Origin match was played in 2017. Representative matches are played at underage level as part of the men's and women's Underage National Championships, notably the AFL Under-19 Championships and AFL Women's Under-18 Championships.
Throughout its pre–State of Origin history, Victoria, as represented by the Victorian Football League, was the dominant state in representative football, winning 16 of the 19 carnivals up until 1975. Competition was more even during the nine competitions held in the State of Origin selection era, with championships shared among Western Australia (4), South Australia (3) and Victoria (2).
History
Intercolony / Interstate competition, 1879–1939
Victoria the birthplace of Australian rules and, with contributing factors such as population and finances, dominated the first hundred years of intercolonial and interstate football. This was the case in the first-ever intercolonial representative match, held on Tuesday, 1 July 1879 (a public holiday), at East Melbourne Cricket Ground. The final score was Victoria (represented by the Victorian Football Association) 7.14 to South Australia 0.3. The match was attended by more than 10,000 people.
The third and fourth teams to commence intercolonial competition were New South Wales and Queensland, playing each other in a two-game series in Brisbane in 1884; the result of the series was a one-all draw. Tasmania played its first game, against Victoria, in 1887. New Zealand (Maori) entered the competition with a draw against New South Wales in Sydney, on 29 June 1889.
Victoria's long-term dominance briefly faltered in the 1890s, when other Colonies recorded their first-ever wins over the Victoria: South Australia in Adelaide in 1890 and 1891 and Tasmania in Hobart in 1893 (twice). In 1897, the new Victorian Football League split from the VFA, and the two selected separate representative teams, further weakening Victoria in intercolonial competition, which became interstate competition following Federation of the six British colonies in Australia, in 1901.
Western Australia played its first two interstate games in 1904, including a win over South Australia in Adelaide. The Australasian Football Council was established 1906, and it assumed administration for interstate football.
