After an absence of 27 years, albeit with a sprinkling of charity-related exhibition contests inbetween, competitive State of Origin makes its long-awaited return when Western Australia hosts Victoria at Perth's Optus Stadium on Saturday 14 February, in the midst of the 2026 pre-season.
Bontempelli has captained the Western Bulldogs since 2020 and Cripps since 2019 at Carlton, making them very suitable picks for state honours.
“Pulling on the Big V has always been a huge honour, and to be given the opportunity to captain Victoria is something I’ll cherish,” Bontempelli said in a statement.
“There’s a deep history and pride that comes with representing your state, and I’m looking forward to leading some of Victoria's best footballers on February 14.”
Perth-born Cripps described his personal honour as "incredibly special".
“Representing the state means a lot to me, and I can’t wait to lead the team out at Optus Stadium in front of our home crowd and hopefully make them proud," he added.
Western Australia Origin squad:
Callum Ah Chee (Adelaide), Liam Baker (West Coast), Tom Barrass (Hawthorn), Shai Bolton (Fremantle), Charlie Cameron (Brisbane), Darcy Cameron (Collingwood), Jordan Clark (Fremantle), Patrick Cripps (Carlton), Mitch Georgiades (Port Adelaide), Bradley Hill (St Kilda), Jesse Hogan (GWS), Lawson Humphries (Geelong), Luke Jackson (Fremantle), Rory Lobb (Western Bulldogs), Aaron Naughton (Western Bulldogs), Kysaiah Pickett (Melbourne), Wil Powell (Gold Coast), Trent Rivers (Melbourne), Brandon Starcevich (West Coast), Sam Taylor (GWS), Chad Warner (Sydney)
Victoria Origin squad:
Noah Anderson (Gold Coast), Lachie Ash (GWS), Josh Battle (Hawthorn), Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs), Zak Butters (Port Adelaide), Jeremy Cameron (Geelong), Nick Daicos (Collingwood), Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong), Sam Darcy (Western Bulldogs), Max Gawn (Melbourne), Toby Greene (GWS), Blake Hardwick (Hawthorn), Zach Merrett (Essendon), Hugh McCluggage (Brisbane), Max Holmes (Geelong), Ed Richards (Western Bulldogs), Matt Rowell (Gold Coast), Caleb Serong (Fremantle), Jack Sinclair (St Kilda), Tom Stewart (Geelong), Jacob Weitering (Carlton)
