I have just found this report dogged about the tribute match, and like i have been saying all along, melbourne supporters would turn up for a game of tiddly winks if they were told to support it, the game was a joke and soft, you cant expect to better your game, it is at the end of its tether now, there is no future devolopment coming and the origin concept wont work in rules. Read on for the report about the game----
The future of representative football remains a great unknown for the AFL after Saturday night's one-off Hall of Fame tribute match.
While Victoria's 17-point win over a composite Dream Team attracted nearly 70,000 fans to the MCG and strong support from the players, the contest lacked real passion and was basically an exhibition fixture.
With the game still in the balance during the final term, fans resorted to a Mexican Wave to generate some added excitement.
The fixture would clearly fizzle as an annual event and AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou later said the re-introduction of State of Origin was "not on our radar".
The league is also very sensitive that Saturday night could never have happened without the goodwill of players and their clubs.
"There was great support for the Victorian team, you heard that when players came out," said Demetriou.
"The fact of the matter is that we're in a national competition, to be able to get the players and clubs to commit to something like this was a feat in itself.
"To be able to get a team put together called the Dream Team with the cross-representation from all the states was terrific, we're not complaining.
"People enjoyed the night, it was a great entertainment experience, we saw some wonderful football and skills."
The inherent risks involved in a game featuring most of the league's best players were borne out when West Coast midfielder Daniel Kerr (Dream Team) and Collingwood ruckman Josh Fraser (Victoria) left the field with injuries.
Kerr went to hospital for tests, but his lower-leg injury was not as bad as first feared.
Fraser also is keen to play against St Kilda on Friday night, after initial fears that he might be out for around two months with posterior cruciate ligament damage in his right knee.
Collingwood president Eddie McGuire was in the Victorian rooms after the game and admitted he watched the game "nervously", given Fraser was among four Magpies taking part.
McGuire was also unsure what to do next, but added the league must be prepared to promote the sport with something other than club matches.
"We always have to mindful of showcasing the game - and (we had) 70,000 people on Mothers Day weekend instead of the headlines being tomorrow that no-one comes on Mothers Day," he said.
"It's great, it's something a bit different ... you become a president of a club and obviously your job is to look after your football club, first and foremost, and you sit nervously watching the game ... hoping that nothing happens.
"At the end of it all, you have to be conscious that this game has given us all something that none of us could believe, we've all got great jobs and stadiums and everything that is great about the game.
"You have to put a little bit back sometimes ... we have to look at it and see how we go."