The 1979 Perth State of Origin Carnival was the 20th Australian National Football Carnival, an

Australian football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

competition. It was the first carnival to take place under the State of Origin format. All of the Section One finals were played on

Subiaco Oval Subiaco Oval (; nicknamed Subi) was a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia, located in the suburb of Subiaco, Western Australia, Subiaco. It was opened in 1908 and closed in 2017 after the completion of the new Perth Stadium in Burswood, ...

, in October. Western Australia won the final, defeating Victoria. WA's captain,

Brian Peake Brian Francis Peake OAM (born 5 December 1953) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for and in the West Australian Football League (WAFL), and in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He also played State of Origin football fo ...

won the

Tassie Medal The Tassie Medal was awarded to the outstanding player at each Australian rules football Interstate Carnival or Australian interstate championship series held between 1937 and 1988 with the exception of the 1975 knock-out series. The medal is n ...

as the tournament's best player.

Results

Section One

Section Two

The ACT, coached by

Kevin Delmenico Kevin Delmenico (born 18 May 1945) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Footscray in the Victorian Football League (VFL) from 1966 to 1970. Football career Delmenico played his early football with Castlemaine in the Bendigo ...

, had only two players with VFL experience in their team - captain

Kevin Neale Kevin Neale (18 July 1945 – 16 September 2023) was an Australian rules footballer who played for St Kilda Football Club, St Kilda in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Later in his career, he was a player-coach or captain-coach for a numbe ...

and Fitzroy's Michael Conlan. Their only match was against Warren Roper's Queensland, who had failed to qualify for Section One. The Australian Capital Territorians themselves had qualified for the Section Two Final by winning a play-off against the Australian Amateurs, New South Wales and Northern Territory earlier in the year.

Section Two Qualifying

Squads

Section One

Section Two

Honours

All-Australians

At the conclusion of the tournament, the best players were selected in the

All-Australian team The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-perfo ...

. It was the first All-Australian team named since 1972. Victoria had the most representatives chosen, with seven, with Western Australia and South Australia each having five players selected.

Leading goal-kickers

* Michael Roach (TAS) - 9 goals * Richard Rushbrook (QLD) - 8 goals *

Tony Buhagiar Anthony Francis "Tony" Buhagiar (born 3 October 1955) is a retired Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football League (VFL). A pint-sized rover, he made his senior debut for West Australian National Football League club ...

(WA) - 7 goals * Barry Clarke (QLD) - 7 goals *

Peter Hudson Peter John Hudson Order of Australia, AM (born 19 February 1946) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League (1897–1989), Victorian Football League (VFL) and for the New ...

(TAS) - 7 goals *

Peter Spencer Peter or Pete Spencer may refer to: *Peter Spencer (religious leader) Peter Spencer (1782–1843) was an American freedman who in 1813 founded the Union Church of Africans in Wilmington, Delaware. The denomination is now known as the African Un ...

(WA) - 7 goals *

Garry Wilson Garry J. "Flea" Wilson (born 17 July 1953) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Fitzroy in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Background Wilson, during his playing days, was described by ''The Encyclopedia of AFL Footb ...

(VIC) - 7 goals

Tassie Medalist

(WA) - 11 votes #

Bruce Monteath Bruce Monteath (born 20 September 1955) is a former Australian rules football player who played in the VFL between 1975 and 1980 for the Richmond Football Club. He also played in the WAFL for the South Fremantle Football Club between 1972 an ...

(WA) - 7 votes #

Robert Flower Robert Alan Flower (5 August 1955 – 2 October 2014) was an Australian rules footballer with Melbourne Football Club. His first game was against Geelong in 1973 and he captained the team from 1981 until his final game in 1987. He held the rec ...

(Vic) - 6 votes #

Kym Hodgeman Kym Hodgeman (born 30 July 1956) is a former Australian rules footballer best known for his playing career with Glenelg in the SANFL from 1974 - 1980 & secondly for a 5 year stint with in the Australian Football League (VFL) from 1981 - 1985, ...

(SA) - 5 votes # Ken Hunter (WA) - 4 votes # Bruce Lindsay (SA) - 3 votes #

David Cloke David Cloke (born 28 January 1955) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Richmond Football Club and the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A tough and skilled footballer with an imposing phy ...

(Vic) - 2 votes #

Geoff Raines Geoff Raines (born 10 August 1956) is a former Australian rules football player who played in the VFL between 1976 and 1982 for the Richmond Football Club, between 1983 and 1985 for the Collingwood Football Club, in 1986 for the Essendon Footb ...

(Vic) - 2 votes # Kevin Bartlett (Vic) - 2 votes # Michael Roach (Tas) - 2 votes # Peter Jonas (SA) - 1 vote #

Graham Cornes Graham Studley Cornes OAM (born 31 March 1948 in Melbourne, Victoria) is a former Australian rules footballer and coach, as well as a media personality. From 1995 until early 2013, Cornes co-hosted a weekday drivetime sports program that he ho ...

(SA) - 1 vote #

Darryl Sutton Darryl Lewis Sutton (27 July 1952 – 28 January 2017) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the North Melbourne Football Club, Richmond Football Club and the Sydney Swans in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He also played f ...

(Vic) - 1 vote # Robert Shaw (Tas) - 1 vote

References

{{1979 Victoria State of Origin players Australian rules football State of Origin Perth State Of Origin Carnival, 1979 October 1979 sports events in Australia 1970s in Perth, Western Australia Sports competitions in Perth, Western Australia Australian rules football competitions in Western Australia