ESSENDON captain Dyson Heppell has weighed into the State of Origin debate, declaring it would be "unreal" to represent Victoria with some of the game's biggest stars.

Hailing from Leongatha, Heppell told SEN he would jump at the opportunity to be part of a team that could feature the likes of Joel Selwood, Marcus Bontempelli, Dustin Martin and Rory Sloane.

Not since Victoria took on South Australia at the MCG in 1999 has interstate football rivalry been inflamed by a representative clash.

"It would be unreal, it would be enormous," Heppell said.

"It's a tough one trying to fit (a game) in, but I think that it would be something that players really get around.

"I guess clubs may differ, and it may not be seen in the future."

The fans share Heppell's enthusiasm for representative footy, with 92 per cent of the 76,000 votes in an AFL.com.au poll endorsing the revival of the format.

North Melbourne coach Brad Scott can appreciate the groundswell of support for the return of state footy, but says self-interest of clubs and logistical problems with the fixture are unlikely to see its resurrection.

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"I think it's a real challenge to fit it into the current fixture, and the players will tell you that the demands of the game are higher than ever. And I know the players would really like two evenly-spaced byes throughout the year," Scott said on Thursday.

"State of Origin is always going to be driven, or mostly, by what the players want to do, and while they're pushing for an extra break it's hard to schedule in another game.

"And also as a coach, my role is to coach North, so I want our players available for us. But if I was a fan, I would love to see State of Origin footy, because why wouldn't you want to see the best running around against each other?"