AFL CEO Andrew Dillon has led representative football dreamers to believe that a consistent fixture is bound for the competition's calendar.
Following a largely successful return of the Indigenous All Stars clash after a hiatus of 10 years, Dillon was buoyed by its positive impact on a raft of areas.
For starters, the Optus Stadium held slightly under 38,000 supporters whilst TV broadcasting showed strong numbers.
The hope is that the rejuvenated marquee clash can inspire youthful Indigenous people to enter the AFL talent pathways after a dip in total Indigenous players at the top flight in recent years.
The league's boss was also lifted by the "buy-in" from players and clubs, which historically has been difficult.
"The best thing for us is the way clubs and players embraced the concept," Dillon said. "The question for us now is, 'how often do we play it? Where does rep footy fit in?'
"I think the weekend (Indigenous All Stars clash) showed it can.
"And we'll be discussing with clubs and players in the next few weeks and months."
The significance of the contest for the AFL community was what made the return of the Indigenous All Stars clash a success, while the enjoyment was felt throughout the nation at the sight of seeing the most skilful players in the competition team up.
"We're absolutely committed to Indigenous All Stars," Dillon continued.
"But whether that's every year or every couple of years, that's what we got to work through.
"In the other years, I think that's where you can put other representative football like forms of State of Origin or All Stars.
"The player buy-in is what's really important."
Dillon left the door ajar for a return of the much-favoured State of Origin, with powerbrokers at AFL HQ expected to converse with the 18 clubs.
A decision on whether a representative game of football will feature in 2026 has yet to be confirmed.
