{"id":356797,"date":"2025-12-18T20:35:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T20:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/356797\/"},"modified":"2025-12-18T20:35:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T20:35:08","slug":"seven-more-victorians-added-to-big-v-squad-to-face-wa-in-aami-afl-origin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/356797\/","title":{"rendered":"Seven more Victorians added to Big V squad to face WA in AAMI AFL Origin"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>                                Patrick Dangerfield celebrates a goal during round four, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos<\/p>\n<p>Victoria&#8217;s squad continues to take shape ahead of the 2026 AAMI AFL Origin, with seven more players selected to represent the \u2018Big V\u2019 in Perth on February 14 at Optus Stadium.<\/p>\n<p>Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield headlines the latest inclusions with the eight-time All-Australian and 2016 Brownlow Medallist joining his Cats\u2019 teammates Tom Stewart, Max Holmes and Jeremy Cameron in the \u2018Big V\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>Hawthorn pair Josh Battle and Blake Hardwick have both been selected, uniting with Hawks coach Sam Mitchell, who is part of the Victorian coaching panel. They\u2019ll be joined down back by GWS defender Lachie Ash, who has earned selection in a defence that already features Jack Sinclair, Jacob Weitering and Tom Stewart.<\/p>\n<p>No stranger to the big stage at Optus Stadium, Fremantle three-time club best and fairest and three-time All-Australian Caleb Serong has been selected to represent Victoria and will be joined in the midfield by the Western Bulldogs\u2019 Ed Richards after his breakout 2025 campaign saw him named All Australian for the first time and win his first club best and fairest.<\/p>\n<p>Six-time Essendon club best and fairest, and three-time All Australian Zach Merrett rounds out the latest selections, joining Serong, Noah Anderson, Marcus Bontempelli, Zac Butters, Nick Daicos, Max Holmes and Hugh McCLuggage in Victoria\u2019s star-studded midfield.<\/p>\n<p>Patrick Dangerfield said: \u201cGrowing up I dreamt of playing footy, winning premierships and representing Victoria, so when Chris gave me a call to be a part of the return of Origin, I jumped at the opportunity to finally pull on the Big V.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGarry, Chris and the wider coaching team are pulling together a great squad that epitomises what Victorian football is all about, we have a great mix of experience and youth, and no doubt everyone involved is looking forward seeing the Big V and Black Swan return in Perth next year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As the playing squad continues to take shape, Victorian coach Chris Scott has bolstered his coaching group with the addition of Gold Coast SUNS assistant coach Shaun Grigg. Grigg spent four seasons at Geelong under Scott as both a Development and Assistant coach before joining Gold Coast as midfield coach ahead of the 2024 season.<\/p>\n<p>In 2026, AAMI AFL Origin will be delivered with the support of the Western Australian Government, through Tourism WA, and showcase the best of the state to fans all over the country.<\/p>\n<p>The 2026 AAMI AFL Origin match will be broadcast on Seven Network and Foxtel, as well as 7plus and Kayo streaming platforms, spotlighting Perth and its world-class sporting facilities to the rest of the nation.<\/p>\n<p>The match will begin at 4.40pm AWST \/ 7.40pm AEDT with tickets now on sale! For more information, head to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.afl.com.au\/origin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Origin.AFL<\/a><\/p>\n<p>VICTORIAN SQUAD<\/p>\n<p>Lachie Ash<br \/>AFL Club: GWS GIANTS<br \/>State League Club: Murray Bushrangers<br \/>Community Club: Shepparton Bears<\/p>\n<p>Noah Anderson<br \/>AFL Club: Gold Coast SUNS<br \/>State League Club: Oakleigh Chargers<br \/>Community Club: Hawthorn Citizens<\/p>\n<p>Josh Battle<br \/>AFL Club: Hawthorn<br \/>State League Club: Dandenong Stingrays<br \/>Community Club: Narre South Saints<\/p>\n<p>Marcus Bontempelli<br \/>AFL Club: Western Bulldogs<br \/>State League Club: Northern Knights<br \/>Community Club: Eltham<\/p>\n<p>Zak Butters<br \/>AFL Club: Port Adelaide<br \/>State League Club: Western Jets<br \/>Community Club: Darley<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy Cameron<br \/>AFL Club: Geelong Cats<br \/>State League Club: GWV Rebels (formerly North Ballarat)<br \/>Community Club: Dartmoor<\/p>\n<p>Nick Daicos<br \/>AFL Club: Collingwood<br \/>State League Club: Oakleigh Chargers<br \/>Community Club: Kew Rovers<\/p>\n<p>Patrick Dangerfield<br \/>AFL Club: Geelong Cats<br \/>State League Club: Geelong Falcons<br \/>Community Club: Anglesea<\/p>\n<p>Sam Darcy<br \/>AFL Club: Western Bulldogs<br \/>State League Club: Oakleigh Chargers<br \/>Community Club: Glen Iris<\/p>\n<p>Max Gawn<br \/>AFL Club: Melbourne<br \/>State League Club: Sandringham Dragons<br \/>Community Club: Ormond<\/p>\n<p>Toby Greene<br \/>AFL Club: GWS GIANTS<br \/>State League Club: Oakleigh Chargers<br \/>Community Club: Ashburton<\/p>\n<p>Blake Hardwick<br \/>AFL Club: Hawthorn<br \/>State League Club: Eastern Ranges<br \/>Community Club: Beverley Hills<\/p>\n<p>Max Holmes<br \/>AFL Club: Geelong Cats<br \/>State League Club: Sandringham Dragons<br \/>Community Club: Prahran<\/p>\n<p>Hugh McCluggage<br \/>AFL Club: Brisbane Lions<br \/>State League Club: GWV Rebels (formerly North Ballarat)<br \/>Community Club: South Warrnambool<\/p>\n<p>Zach Merrett<br \/>AFL Club: Essendon<br \/>State League Club: Sandringham Dragons<br \/>Community Club: Cobden<\/p>\n<p>Ed Richards<br \/>AFL Club: Western Bulldogs<br \/>State League Club: Oakleigh Chargers<br \/>Community Club: Hawthorn Citizens<\/p>\n<p>Matt Rowell<br \/>AFL Club: Gold Coast SUNS<br \/>State League Club: Oakleigh Chargers<br \/>Community Club: Canterbury<\/p>\n<p>Caleb Serong<br \/>AFL Club: Fremantle Dockers<br \/>State League Club: Gippsland Power<br \/>Community Club: Warragul<\/p>\n<p>Jack Sinclair<br \/>AFL Club: St Kilda<br \/>State League Club: Oakleigh Chargers<br \/>Community Club: Kew Comets<\/p>\n<p>Tom Stewart<br \/>AFL Club: Geelong Cats<br \/>State League Club: Geelong VFL<br \/>Community Club: South Barwon<\/p>\n<p>Jacob Weitering<br \/>AFL Club: Carlton<br \/>State League Club: Dandenong Stingrays<br \/>Community Club: Mount Martha<\/p>\n<p>Official Accommodation Partner ALL Accor offers fans access to a variety of options to suit all tastes and budgets with 12 hotels and apartments across Perth. Travelling fans can choose from brands like Art Series, The Sebel, Mantra, Handwritten Collection, Novotel, TRIBE, Mercure, and ibis. Visit ALL.com to book, plus unlock a special member rate by joining Accor\u2019s loyalty program, ALL Accor, for free.<\/p>\n<p>As the Official Airline Partner of the AFL, Virgin Australia is focused on offering value and choice for footy fans travelling to the event. To book your flight to 2026 AAMI AFL Origin, visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.virginaustralia.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">www.virginaustralia.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>AFL Travel makes it easy to be there in Perth to experience the passionate state rivalry for the first time in 25 years! From premium accommodation, flights and epic game-day experiences, it\u2019s all wrapped into one easy package. Book now: <a href=\"https:\/\/afltravel.com.au\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">https:\/\/afltravel.com.au\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Patrick Dangerfield celebrates a goal during round four, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos Victoria&#8217;s squad continues to take shape&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":356798,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85,83],"class_list":{"0":"post-356797","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-afl","8":"tag-afl","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-australian-football-league","12":"tag-australianfootballleague","13":"tag-sports","14":"tag-text"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356797","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=356797"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356797\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/356798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=356797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=356797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=356797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}