Fitzroyal02
Rookie
New code sports article mentioning the return of the VFL to the state leagues game. Whilst I’m a fan of it I’d much prefer it to be in Victoria/NPO. Also good to see the VFA teams are split up into 2 hopefully might make the sides who struggled (probably all but Werribee anyway) somewhat more competitive particularly the burgers and preston.
(I’ll add the text below for those like me who don’t have a murdoch subscription)
The Big V could make a comeback to state league representative football next season.
Planning is underway for a VFL-SANFL clash in Adelaide as part of the 2024 AFL Gather Round.
The AFL has told VFL clubs the game has not been confirmed but next year’s draw will be built around the April 6-7 weekend being set aside for state football.
No home-and-away matches will be scheduled.
The VFL last appeared at representative level in 2017, when a team missing many of the league’s best players was routed by the WAFL at the Port Melbourne ground.
WA’s 63-point triumph prompted The West Australian to report “the sad decline and seemingly inevitable demise of the VFL’’.
Port Melbourne’s Tom O’Sullivan won the Frank Johnson Medal as the VFL’s man of the match but coach Justin Plapp and his match committee had to pad out their best-player list.
Future AFL players Bayley Fritsch and Sam Switkowski were on it.
Only VFL-listed players from the league’s 21 clubs will be eligible for selection if next year’s match goes ahead.
With Smithy’s again locked in as the major sponsor, the VFL season is set to start on March 23-24 and will have three byes and the grand final on the weekend of the AFL preliminary finals.
Including the state game, each club will have four byes.
The wildcard round introduced last year – when teams placed seventh to 10th on the ladder battled it for the last two finals places – has been retained.
Two weeks ago the stand-alone clubs met AFL officials to discuss the 2023 season and possible changes to the 2024 draw to help them stay competitive.
Frankston, the Northern Bullants and the winless Coburg propped up the ladder.
League officials are planning what they call a “more balanced fixture with equitable outcomes for the different categories of clubs within the competition’’.
For the stand-alones, it means the three best-performed clubs of 2023 – grand finalist Werribee, Williamstown and Southport – will play each other twice and the other four VFL stand-alone clubs once.
The other four – Port Melbourne (15th), Frankston (19th), Northern Bullants (20th) and Coburg (21st) – will play each other twice and the other three VFL stand-alones once.
Meanwhile AFL stand-alone teams Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Footscray Bulldogs, Geelong, North Melbourne and Richmond will be listed to play eight home games instead of nine.
The additional home games will be allocated to each of the seven VFL stand-alone clubs “as an opportunity to increase revenue and remain competitive’’.
AFL-aligned clubs Box Hill Hawks, Casey Demons and Sandringham will retain nine home matches.
There has been an influx of recruits to the VFL in the past few weeks and it continued today when Port Melbourne announced the signature of delisted Carlton forward Sam Philp.
(I’ll add the text below for those like me who don’t have a murdoch subscription)
The Big V could make a comeback to state league representative football next season.
Planning is underway for a VFL-SANFL clash in Adelaide as part of the 2024 AFL Gather Round.
The AFL has told VFL clubs the game has not been confirmed but next year’s draw will be built around the April 6-7 weekend being set aside for state football.
No home-and-away matches will be scheduled.
The VFL last appeared at representative level in 2017, when a team missing many of the league’s best players was routed by the WAFL at the Port Melbourne ground.
WA’s 63-point triumph prompted The West Australian to report “the sad decline and seemingly inevitable demise of the VFL’’.
Port Melbourne’s Tom O’Sullivan won the Frank Johnson Medal as the VFL’s man of the match but coach Justin Plapp and his match committee had to pad out their best-player list.
Future AFL players Bayley Fritsch and Sam Switkowski were on it.
Only VFL-listed players from the league’s 21 clubs will be eligible for selection if next year’s match goes ahead.
With Smithy’s again locked in as the major sponsor, the VFL season is set to start on March 23-24 and will have three byes and the grand final on the weekend of the AFL preliminary finals.
Including the state game, each club will have four byes.
The wildcard round introduced last year – when teams placed seventh to 10th on the ladder battled it for the last two finals places – has been retained.
Two weeks ago the stand-alone clubs met AFL officials to discuss the 2023 season and possible changes to the 2024 draw to help them stay competitive.
Frankston, the Northern Bullants and the winless Coburg propped up the ladder.
League officials are planning what they call a “more balanced fixture with equitable outcomes for the different categories of clubs within the competition’’.
For the stand-alones, it means the three best-performed clubs of 2023 – grand finalist Werribee, Williamstown and Southport – will play each other twice and the other four VFL stand-alone clubs once.
The other four – Port Melbourne (15th), Frankston (19th), Northern Bullants (20th) and Coburg (21st) – will play each other twice and the other three VFL stand-alones once.
Meanwhile AFL stand-alone teams Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Footscray Bulldogs, Geelong, North Melbourne and Richmond will be listed to play eight home games instead of nine.
The additional home games will be allocated to each of the seven VFL stand-alone clubs “as an opportunity to increase revenue and remain competitive’’.
AFL-aligned clubs Box Hill Hawks, Casey Demons and Sandringham will retain nine home matches.
There has been an influx of recruits to the VFL in the past few weeks and it continued today when Port Melbourne announced the signature of delisted Carlton forward Sam Philp.
