AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon says he realises players have the potential for injury while playing pre-season matches, but the feedback from this year’s return of State of Origin football has been overwhelmingly positive.

Dillon joined WA Premier Roger Cook, Sport Minister Rita Saffioti and West Coast legend Glen Jakovich on Monday to announce the interstate contest will return to Perth next year with a match between South Australia and a local representative side.

The 2028 match will be played in Adelaide before returning to WA the following year.

Dillon said the players loved the opportunity earlier in the year after the match resumed from hiatus when WA took on Victoria at Optus Stadium in February.

“We’ve got good feedback in relation to length of game, squad sizes,” he said.

“Actually - one of the best bits of feedback we got was the players wanted to spend more time together as a group.

“Injuries are part of AFL football, and they can happen at any time.

“I think what our players do love is that ability to come together, represent their states, and perform at the highest level.”

Dillon also weighed in the recent debate about West Coast star Harley Reid, after Eagles coach Andrew McQualter flagged the club would consider approaching the AFL over the lack of apparent protection afforded to their midfielder.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday night following West Coast’s loss to Fremantle in the Western Derby, McQualter said he will analyse the tape before deciding whether to take the issue further.

“I can’t talk to it specifically, I’m not allowed to,” McQualter said.

“But we will definitely look closely at it and look to get some clarity if we think there’s some inconsistency in the way that Harley’s been treated.”

Dillon said there was open dialogue between the club and the AFL.

“Harley Reid is a super, super player, and I love coming over here, seeing the West Coast play, and one of the reasons you do that is because of Harley Reid and the way he plays,” Dillon said.

“I understand Andrew McQualter had mentioned he’ll talk to our footy department, and there’s an open dialogue between West Coast and Greg Swann and his team, and that’ll continue.

“But Harley’s a great player, and yeah, he’s certainly worth the price of admission.”

Asked if he had any advice for the West Coast star, Dillon quipped that he should simply stop giving away free kicks.

The AFL boss was also questioned on the price of flights to Melbourne for the grand final, with Fremantle currently three games clear on the top of the ladder.

“We’ll work with our partners on that one,” he said.

“But ultimately, you know, that is the airlines. It’s their pricing. We can influence, but we obviously can’t direct.

“It’s an exciting time for Fremantle fans. They’ve got the Bulldogs here this Friday night, and if they win that game, then they’ve locked in top spot, which leads to two finals here in Western Australia, which will be exciting, and potentially we get to see ‘Wharfie Time’ come back again.

“One of the great things about Australian rules footy is that it is accessible and affordable.

“We’ll work with our partners, but there’s limited powers that the AFL has in respect to airline pricing.”