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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Sport
Brendan Foster

Victoria and WA shook the foundations as Origin hit a peak that it will never reach again

Origin AFL Kevin Sheedy Western Australia Football WAFL
A screenshot from an AFL highlights video as Western Australia beat Victoria in the 1986 State of Origin
A screenshot from an AFL highlights video as Western Australia beat Victoria in the 1986 State of Origin, before the teams meet again in Perth on 14 February. Photograph: AFL

When a late snap from Gary Buckenara put Western Australia ahead of Victoria in the 1986 State of Origin game, I feared the stands at Subiaco Oval were about to collapse under the weight of the thunderous thumping of rapturous fans.

Almost 40,000 supporters squeezed into the ageing Soviet-style concrete stadium on a Tuesday afternoon in July to watch the Sandgropers take on the Big V in what is widely regarded as one of the greatest interstate football matches.

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