![\"WA](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/89e5802ad0be3b3367b734295d70704481d3ebf8.jpg\")
Camera IconWA and Victoria will resume their long-running rivalry next year. Credit: Rod Taylor\/The West Australian<\/p>\nTom Barrass has declared the players who represent WA in next year\u2019s State of Origin clash with Victoria will treat the privilege of pulling on the black and gold jumper with the utmost degree of seriousness.<\/p>\n
The AFL in September announced interstate football would return for the first time since 1999, with the Sandgropers and Victoria to resume their long-running rivalry in front of what is expected to be a sellout crowd at Optus Stadium on February 14.<\/p>\n
West Coast-turned-Hawthorn key defender Barrass is among a group of WA superstars to have already been unveiled for the clash, alongside Carlton\u2019s Patrick Cripps, Fremantle\u2019s Shai Bolton, Sydney\u2019s Chad Warner and Western Bulldogs\u2019 Aaron Naughton.<\/p>\n
The game\u2019s placement in the pre-season has led to some concerns being expressed over how seriously it will be taken by players, but Barrass said the chance to represent their State was \u201can honour and a privilege\u201d he and his teammates would not take lightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that if we can get our best team together and we can really leverage that spirit of being a West Australian . . . I think we can win,\u201d Barrass said on his podcast Pass The Aux.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be very shocked if the Victorians don\u2019t feel the same way, because it\u2019s bragging rights, it\u2019s a matter of pride.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a really cool thing. I\u2019m a very proud West Australian, very patriotic, I think it\u2019s the most amazing place.<\/p>\n
Camera IconWA and Victoria will resume their long-running rivalry next year. Credit: Rod Taylor\/The West Australian<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel really proud to represent Western Australia and I\u2019m totally stoked about it and I\u2019m hoping we can get a W.\u201d<\/p>\n
State of Origin\u2019s return has come about through a collaboration between the AFL, WA State Government and Tourism WA, with Barrass saying he was delighted long-running calls for the return of the concept had heard and acted upon.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe people have been calling out for it for a decade and I\u2019m so stoked to see it back,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully the West Australian Government and the tourism department and the AFL can sign a multi-year deal and continue to play this game for a number of years after we get that W and shine a light on what WA has to offer.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the spectacle is great and Optus is heaving, I think it can be turned into something really, really cool and exists for a long time.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou play a number of games before the season anyway, so why not utilise those games for the benefit of everyone to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n
When pressed on what potential teammate he would be most excited to line up alongside, Barrass struggled to name only one, but said he was hoping to share the experience with close friend Darcy Cameron, who he came through Claremont\u2019s junior system with.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat would just be so special for me,\u201d he said of the potential to play with the Collingwood best and fairest winner.<\/p>\n
![\"Tom](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/da94417b32cc4996ea2f3ac2ab99ac73e0321538.jpg\")
Camera IconTom Barrass is hopeful he will play with Darcy Cameron for WA. Credit: Quinn Rooney\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cMe and Patty Cripps had played together in State 18\u2019s.<\/p>\n
\u201cI see Shai Bolton out there, he\u2019s just dangerous. There\u2019s going to be so many great players \u2014 Liam Baker \u2014 players that I\u2019ve admired for a long time and watched for a long time play for other teams that are West Australians.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tom Barrass has declared the players who represent WA in next year\u2019s State of Origin clash with Victoria…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":309281,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,49082,64,63,55,639,588,85],"class_list":["post-309280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-afl-state-of-origin","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sport","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=309280"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309280\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/309281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=309280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=309280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=309280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}