AFL Origin: Optus Stadium mural takes inspiration from fierce rivalry between WA and Victoria

The heated rivalry between Western Australia and Victoria has inspired the design of a new mural at Optus Stadium. Fans flooding into the sold-out State of Origin clash on Saturday will be the first to get a glimpse of the new artwork, which is located in Lobby 101 on the east side of the venue. The piece, titled Homegrown, was commissioned by the AFL and West Australian Government and was created by Noongar artist Kamsani Achil Bin Salleh. “The brief was to create something of a competitive nature East versus West,” the artist, who goes by Kambarni, told The West Australian. “I did that with a blend of togetherness and harmony. All from the same country, representing the same sport and there’s a lot of integration between teams and where people are from.” AFL art director Martin Cook said discussions around the piece had begun late last year, following the announcement of the concept’s return in September. “From the get-go, Kam kind of nailed three or four concepts and from there we just went through the process with him of making sure it all feels authentic and comes together,” he said Cook – who is also responsible for artwork and designs throughout the city – said the design process began mid-way through 2025. “For the designs throughout the city it’s been about five or six months working with agencies and coming up with the design concepts,” he said. “Once we had the colours, which were pretty easy to come up with, obviously we’ve got the strong yellows from WA and then the blue and white from Victoria. “Once we had those established and some patterns, we briefed Kam and he was able to take it from there and bring his own sort of perspective on what WA and Vic artwork can look like from his point of view.” Get a FREE WA AAMI AFL Origin Guernsey worth RRP $130 when you sign up for a 12-month subscription to thewest.com.au Subscribe now from just $6 per week. T&Cs apply, limited time only. https://www.thewest.com.au/footypack