We have Western Australia vs Victoria predictions for the AFL’s State of Origin showcase on Saturday, February 14, at 7:30pm AEDT at Optus Stadium.
We haven’t seen the Big V represented competitively since 2008 for the 150-year celebration game, and the team they’ve assembled is loaded with talent.
They head to Optus Stadium to face Western Australia, who appear to lack the same depth, but their top talent remains elite and will provide the Victorians with a mighty contest.
Victoria vs. Western Australia Predictions
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Best Bet
No historical data to fall back on here, but with this being played at Optus Stadium in front of a full house I can’t see the Victorians blowing Western Australia away.
Western Australia look dangerous up forward with the likes of Bolton, Pickett and Charlie Cameron, while they’re more than serviceable down back, led by Sam Taylor and Tom Barrass – two of the best key defenders in the game.
The difference is going to be in the middle, though – Victoria has 11 A-graders they can rotate through there at multiple intervals during the game, while Western Australia will have Cripps and Warner supported by the next tier of players that aren’t in their club teams starting midfield group.
Same Game Multi
The AFL are cracking down on the ‘stand’ rule this pre-season heading into season 2026 – which means we’ll see plenty of 50-metre penalties, but more importantly, we will see good ball users with leg-speed running off half-back more frequently.
This is where Jordan Clark fits in. The Fremantle speedster will be given the ball at every opportunity to run and carry from the defensive half, giving the likes of Pickett, Bolton and Cameron every opportunity up forward.
Although Shai Bolton will pinch-hit in the middle, he’s so dangerous inside-50, and you can just imagine the coaches will be keen to play all three small forwards up forward at once, putting the Victorians under pressure.
There were a few question marks surrounding the fitness of Nick Daicos heading into the State of Origin clash – we can almost guarantee we’ll see the Collingwood star on a minutes restriction, with the hint coming out of the Victorian camp that he’ll spend the majority of his time up forward.
Best Value Bet
This won’t be a low-scoring affair – expect plenty of goals from both teams, and looking at this Western Australian line-up, we could see a monster performance by Kozzy Pickett.
Three times last season, Kozzy had 20+ disposals and 5 goals for Melbourne, and the way this game lines up, this isn’t out of the question on Saturday.
There’s a clear midfield deficiency for the Sandgropers outside of Cripps and Warner, so I think we’ll see Kozzy playing a fair bit as that ‘striker’ midfielder who starts in the centre and pushes forward.
Currently paying $51 for 5 goals – but even 20+ and 3 goals should get him the medal for Western Australia’s best player.
