AFL CEO Andrew Dillon has kept the door ajar for a variant on State of Origin as soon as next February, on the back of the success of the Indigenous All Stars' clash with Fremantle.

Dillon said the AFL was firmly committed to future Indigenous All Stars games, but the frequency remains up for discussion, with the possibility of other forms of representative footy filling the gaps.

"I can't rule [State of Origin] in, and I can't rule it out, but it'll certainly be a conversation I'd like to have with the players and the clubs," Dillon told reporters on Wednesday.

"There seems to be a bit of a groundswell for it, finding the right time for it is important, but maybe that weekend we had last week is sort of sitting there, people are keen for footy – I wouldn't rule it in, but I wouldn't rule it out.

"The question we're now getting asked is how often do you play [Indigenous All Stars], where does the rest of rep footy fit in? The weekend showed it is a pretty good weekend for rep footy, and how that plays out into the future will be discussed with clubs and players over the next weeks and months.

"I would hope by the middle of the year that we'd have a bit of an idea about what we’re doing, and we do that as part of the fixture schedule for next year."

Dillon said the players' enthusiasm for the All Stars helped get clubs over the line, given their traditional reluctance to release players for representative footy due to injury risk.

"We're absolutely committed to Indigenous All Stars. Whether that's every year or every couple of years, that's the bit we've got to work through. In the other years, I think that's where you look at other types of representative football, whether that's forms of State of Origin or All Stars, they're the things we need to discuss," he said.

"The player buy-in is what is really important. I think you see when representative football is at its best, is when the players are really engaged like the All Stars were on the weekend, and a shoutout to Fremantle in how they embraced the concept as well. 

"I think [clubs have] seen how the players have embraced it and what they've got out of it and how much it meant to the players. It was great that we had coaches from clubs like Xavier Clarke, we had Simon Goodwin and Sam Mitchell over there also working with the All Stars, so it was embraced by all of the clubs. We had a number of club presidents and CEOs also over there, engaging with the players and the teams."

Earlier this month, Dillon unveiled the AFL’s plan to move pass the 10-million mark for fan attendance, with representative footy being one of the methods set to be used, alongside traditional marquee games like Anzac Day and Easter Monday.

The AFL met with Irish officials last year about a potential return of International Rules, while both male and female players have called for more regular Indigenous All Stars matches.

With nearly 40 Irish AFLW players currently on the books, a women’s version of International Rules or an Australia v Ireland football match seems much more feasible than in years past.