Kevin Sheedy calls for State of Origin to open Perth Stadium

Football great Kevin Sheedy has called on the AFL to open the new Burswood Stadium next year with a one-off State of Origin fixture between WA and Victoria.

Sheedy, who celebrated 50 years in football with a dinner in Melbourne on Thursday night honouring his contribution as a player, coach and promoter of the game, urged administrators to have the “courage” to stage a game that he said fans would pay anything to be a part of.

Sheedy’s call came as the State Government, AFL, West Coast, Fremantle and the WA Football Commission hovered on the brink of an historic deal that would clinch the sport’s shift to the new stadium.

The West Australian understands the Eagles and Fremantle have an in-principle agreement with stadium operator Venues Live to play at the ground which needs to be ratified by government solicitors.

The WAFC and AFL are this weekend considering what is likely to be the State Government’s final offer on the financial package, which would support the move to the ground.

The package would see the WAFC get a $10.3 million per annum guaranteed cut of football’s earnings at the stadium for 10 years, with football’s financial performance to determine the cut of the stadium economy after that.

Sheedy was confident that a one-off State of Origin game for an historic occasion like the stadium opening would spark player interest.

“I would like to see WA v Victoria, State of Origin a week or two weeks before the season,” he told the Spirit Radio Network’s Weekend Warm-up.

“It would be enormous because it is a game that is not on the table at the moment. Nobody says they want to play but I reckon if you put the hands up the players would love to play State of Origin to open the new stadium over there.”

He said WA footy fans who had been shut out of games because of the limited 42,000 capacity of Domain Stadium would “buy a ticket at any price” for the clash.

“I don’t know whether they would have the courage to do it. A lot of administrators don’t show lots of courage but I reckon it would be a great opportunity.”

A recent Champion Data computer simulation of a State of Origin clash in The Sunday Times predicted that a WA team featuring superstars like Alex Rance and Lance Franklin would beat the Big V.

Sheedy, the brains behind the AFL’s Anzac Day and Dreamtime at the G blockbusters, said:

“Some time you have to do things in the end that the fans want. The bloody clubs and players should suck it up and get on with it.”