STATE of Origin coaches Damien Hardwick and John Longmire have been granted their wish, leading a change to the selection criteria in next week's Bushfire Relief match to access more star power.
Original plans to select three players from each of the 18 clubs to make up the 27-man Victoria and All-Star line-ups have been scrapped.
Instead, a minimum of one player from each AFL club will be required across the two outfits, opening the door for more players from powerhouse clubs to take part.
It is understood up to five players could represent some AFL clubs in the clash at Marvel Stadium on Friday, February 28.
Given the interest from players to take part and the willingness of clubs to allow them to play, Hardwick (Victoria) and Longmire (All Stars) pushed their case to avoid a host of big names sitting out.
The pair came together at AFL House last Wednesday to start mapping out the teams that will be finalised on Tuesday morning and revealed exclusively on AFL.com.au at 12pm AEDT the same day.
Each club was required to put forward eight names – four eligible for each of the Victorian and All Stars squads – who were fit and eligible to be selected by Hardwick and Longmire.
Superstars Dustin Martin and Patrick Dangerfield (Victoria) and club captains Nat Fyfe and Patrick Cripps (All Stars) are among those expected to be selected.
Melbourne ruckman Max Gawn, Sydney spearhead Lance Franklin and West Coast All-Australian Jack Darling are among those who will miss through injury.
HELPING HAND How your club is aiding the bushfire relief efforts
"We have been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the playing group and the support from all the clubs," AFL general manager of football Steve Hocking told AFL.com.au.
"Once we sat down with the coaches to discuss the teams it was clear we had a responsibility to have the best players in the competition play and make the State of Origin match the competitive showcase for the fans.
"It is such an important event, our industry coming together, to raise valuable funds for those who have been affected by the bushfires, and recognise the sacrifice of the firefighters, emergency services and thousands of volunteers around the country."
"The Friday night double header at Marvel will be a great representation of both our women's and men's competitions."
Collingwood and Melbourne will kickstart round four of the NAB AFL Women's competition from 5.40pm AEDT, followed by the State of Origin Bushfire relief match from 7.50pm.