The NSW State-of-Origin team for 2025 has been announced by the NSW Australian Football Heritage Association.
Gold Coast Suns ruckman Jarrad Witts has been named as the captain with Isaac Heeney (Sydney Swans) as vice-captain.
Isaac Heeney, who won this year’s Carey Bunton Medal for the best player from NSW in the AFL this season, was selected in the mid-field.
Adelaide Crows spearhead gun Taylor “Tex” Walker, who shared the Bill Mohr Medal with Isaac Heeney for leading NSW goal kicker this season was named full-forward. Bill Mohr from Wagga was the St Kilda leading in the VFL in 1936.
Patrick Voss was declared the winner of the Jimmy Stiff Medal for Emerging Talent following a break-out season with Fremantle. Jimmy Stiff was a South Sydney premiership star who won the best player award at the ANFC interstate carnival in 1933.
The coach of the team is Sydney Swans assistant coach Mark McVeigh, who was acting senior coach of the GWS GIANTS.
In announcing the NSW State-of-Origin team for 2025, NSW Australian Football Heritage Association patron Richard Colless, who leads the selection process said, “This year’s team was chosen from the fifty-five players from NSW on AFL senior lists”.
“It is worth noting that only nine players out of 23 came from the Sydney-Newcastle-Wollongong region. There is still much to do to fully develop the game in these areas”.
“I want to thank the selectors, Gerard Healy, Mike Sheahan, John Longmire, and Wayne Carey, and Rod Gillett for their efforts and commitment to selecting the team this year”.
“Also to Daniel Hoyne from Champion Data whose input provided the selectors with insight into the match statistics for each player from NSW in 2025”.
“We were very pleased to again have the support from the AFL Coaches Association’s for the voting system for the Carey-Bunton Medal. Thank you to Alistair Nicholson and his team at the AFLCA”.
“And finally, thanks to the media including the AFL Record and all the regional newspapers as well as the AFL clubs for their interest and support for our awards”, added Colless.
