AFL State of Origin bushfire relief game: Victoria v All Stars – live!

3rd quarter, 7 remaining: One back for the Vics, within four. Gaff is the goalkicker, and he has to run around the mark just inside 50 and give it every bit of effort his body can produce towards the goal. He just makes it, sneaking over the defenders.

3rd quarter, 10 remaining: Immediately reply for the Stars. Isaac Smith in the centre square, runs off Dusty Martin, collects a possession, streams forward and launches a 60-metre goal!

3rd quarter, 10 remaining: One back for the Vics! Papley has been their best when they’ve been down tonight, and he attacks the ball fiercely at half-forward. Pumps it towards goal, and while there are three All Star defenders down there, Lycett clips Dangerfield high and concedes a free kick right in front. Danger runs around the mark and drills it.

3rd quarter, 11 remaining: The intensity has definitely dropped out of this game, in the chases and the tackles and the spoils. A few easier possessions for a minute on the forward flank, and eventually the kick inside comes to Cameron, who kicks his third. Back to the centre, forward they go again, and this time Riewoldt marks and goals! The All Stars are dominating now, out by five. What can the Big V do?

3rd quarter, 15 remaining: A scratchy start to the third, as the players try to reach game intensity again. Eventually there’s a chain of possession through Isaac Smith around half-forward, and a kick to Riewoldt on the behind line. He kicks back out, short, to Walters dead in front, who kicks the goal. They get another one a minute later, but the feed dropped out so I didn’t see who kicked it. The All Stars are well in front now!

Another goal for Kelly, picking up a loose possession after a big tackle on Laird saw the ball spill free. His flying snap is true. Down the other end, Lynch nearly gets one with a mark and snap, but loses it through a free kick to Jeremy Howe, who was flying for that mark when Lynch nudged him out. That’s the half!

2nd quarter, 3 remaining: The goals just keep coming here. Some brilliant run through the middle from Sonny Walters to Betts creates one for the All Stars, before Josh Kelly marks and kicks truly for the Vics.

2nd quarter, 5 remaining: Some fine work at ground level from two of the biggest men out there. Tom Lynch comes out on the lead, and collects the crumb near 50. Handballs back inside where the big ruckman Goldstein picks up very low. Dodges a tackle, handballs over the top towards goal, and Toby Greene is waiting to receive and cash the cheque. Vics still in it.

2nd quarter, 7 remaining: Bontompelli hasn’t been seen much tonight, but pops up with an answering goal for Victoria. Leading out towards 50 with the ball incoming, he loses his man with a bit of body contact, nets the ball, doubles back and thumps it through from near the 50.

2nd quarter, 9 remaining: The players are tiring out there, the standard of disposal is starting to slip. Trent Cotchin gives away a 50 for a late challenge on Luke Breust, who misses his first set shot at goal, but gets another chance a minute later and pops one through.

2nd quarter, 13 remaining: What a goal from Lachie Neale! That was Roberto Carlos bend! How on earth did that happen? Riewoldt keeps it in play in the forward pocket. Hands back to Neale just outside 50. Neale runs around a touch, then launches from 55. The ball curves from the left pocket with his right foot, towards the behinds on the left of goal. Then halfway through that bend, or even later, it suddenly bends the other way and goes through! What on earth. A half century up for the All Stars.

2nd quarter, 14 remaining: Riewoldt can’t get free for a shot at goal after Yeo’s long pass comes in, but the big forward does make sure there’s a ball-up in the All Stars forward line. Charlie Cameron makes best use of it, crumbing to snap a dribbler.

2nd quarter, 16 remaining: And the instant reply from the Vics will draw level. This time Jade Gresham lurking back behind play as the quick clearance gets the ball into the Vics forward line. A pass sneaks through to Gresham who runs into an open goal. Scores level.

2nd quarter, 17 remaining: And the instant reply from the All Stars. A bounce up forward, Brodie Grundy launches into the contest, taps back beautifully for Coniglio, and the midfielder only has to get boot to ball and tap it through.

2nd quarter, 17 remaining: Another one for Dusty. A bit of volleyball in the forward line, then he’s running through at just the right time with the whiff of goals in his nostrils, and pops the ball through. The goal. Not the nostril.

Scores level thanks to accuracy from one side and the opposite from the other.

Ok, that was fun. None of the silliness of the cricket fundraising game with the retired players running about. This was proper.

1st quarter, 3 min remaining: Jack Riewoldt has a set shot for the All Stars but hits the post. They’ve been stunned in the last few minutes. This game is being played at serious pace, with serious intent. But Jack gets his chance again a few moments later, as Yeo soccers into the pocket, Hawkins slaps the ball back across goal, and Riewoldt grabs the scraps right on the goal line.

1st quarter, 5 mins remaining: And another one seconds later! Out of the centre square, a kick into the pocket. Dusty Martin tracks it back into the pocket, gathers off the turf, turns on a dime, shakes his man and goals from a snap across the body. Left forward pocket, left them for dead.

1st quarter, 5 min remaining: Three in a row for the Vics, as a long ball forward after a coast-to-coast run somehow sneaks through the pack, and into the arms of Gaff. One of the shorter players out there, but takes the goalsquare mark. He goes back and dobs it.

1st quarter, 7 min remaining: Patrick Dangerfield has his first appearance of the night, with a run-down tackle in the centre square, a candy-sell, then a step-around and a driving kick forward. But the kick is cut off inside 50 by the All Stars, who go coast to coast on the rebound until Cripps marks inside 50. His set shot also misses. They have a goal in behinds, the Stars. Victoria surge back the other way, almost coast to coast, but Papley is given too much to do near the boundary line. All Stars clear, Blicavs cuts it off on the wing, dances through about six players, kicks forward, Dangerfield feeds it to Whitfield, and this time the kick lets Papley mark in the opposite pocket. Mirror image, aside from the kicking foot. How does he go? Laces it again!

1st quarter, 10 min remaining: Pendlebury gets a flying shot at goal from a pack 40 out, but it’s marked on the line. Papley cuts it off for the Vics as the All Stars try to clear. Papley’s set shot from just inside 50 on the left is… good! Fantastic set shot on that angle. Laced it.

1st quarter, 11 min remaining: Johannisen again through the middle, combining with Hill, and getting a good lead from Tex Walker who marks 40 out. But his set shot misses, after Cameron missed another as well. All Stars by 23.

1st quarter, 13 min remaining: The All Stars keep dominating. Eddie Betts in the pocket gets a kick forward, Hawkins with a long handball across goal, and Isaac Smith is there for a poacher’s goal. Victoria stunned!

1st quarter, 15 min remaining: It’s all All Stars early! Jason Johannisen has a paddock through the middle. Kicks a long half-volley near the toes of Hawkins, who can’t pick up but does fight enough to hold the ball up, and it’s Charlie Cameron passing by who snaps a goal.

1st quarter, 17 min remaining: Another Star behind from a long Isaac Smith kick in, but as the ball is cleared there’s a free kick for Stephen Coniglio. He goes back and kicks the first goal of the night from 15 out, with a bright orange football to represent the emergency services.

1st quarter, 19 min remaining: Nearly an early goal for Charlie Cameron, roving the pack forward and shooting on the spin, but his kick fades left from 35. All Stars up 1-0.

Teammate match-ups? Mark Blicavs at full-back against Tom Hawkins is one, as we await the bounce.

Down now for the anthems, with a lot of firefighters and CFA staff out at the centre square on the MCG. Lots in the audience as well, in their high-vis outfits. A lovely extended Welcome to Country by Uncle Colin Hunter.

The festivities are beginining, with Eddie McGuire and Bruce McAvaney doing a bit of a network one-two of their own. They’re saying that 50,000 people are expected at this stage. Cam Mooney and Cameron Ling are doing crosses from the Mallacoota Hotel, a town where the fires were terrible over the New Year period. Jonathan Brown is previewing the teams with Gilbert McAdam, who somehow played for four different teams across State of Origin back when it was a more regular but ever-changing concept.

Whatever you think of the Origin-ness of this contest, it’s hard to deny that it’s exciting seeing this many of the best players lining up alongside one another. Riewoldt and Hawkins in the forward line together, Danger and Dusty in the midfield. Every AFL club is represented, 27 players per squad. It’s going to be quite a night.

VICTORIA
James Sicily
Mark Blicavs
Adam Saad
Bachar Houli
Darcy Moore
Nick Haynes
Josh Kelly
Dustin Martin
Lachie Whitfield
Shaun Higgins
Jeremy Cameron
Travis Boak
Patrick Dangerfield
Tom Lynch
Toby Greene
Todd Goldstein
Marcus Bontempelli
Trent Cotchin
Rory Sloane
Jackson Macrae
Jake Lloyd
Tom Papley
Jade Gresham
Scott Pendlebury
Steele Sidebottom
Andrew Gaff
Stefan Martin

ALL STARS
Brad Sheppard
Harris Andrews
Rory Laird
Jason Johannisen
Jeremy Howe
Brodie Smith
Isaac Smith
Nat Fyfe
Bradley Hill
Shane Edwards
Jack Riewoldt
Luke Breust
Charlie Cameron
Tom Hawkins
Michael Walters
Brodie Grundy
Elliot Yeo
Eddie Betts
Patrick Cripps
Neville Jetta
Callum Mills
Stephen Coniglio
Zach Tuohy
Lachie Weller
Lachie Neale
Taylor Walker
Scott Lycett