2024 VFL Season

[AnUltimateRessie]

2024 VFL PARTICIPATING TEAMS:

• Box Hill Hawks
• Brisbane Lions
• Carlton Blues
• Casey Demons
• Coburg Lions
• Collingwood Magpies
• Essendon Bombers
• Footscray Bulldogs
• Frankston Dolphins
• GWS Giants
• Geelong Cats
• Gold Coast Suns
• North Melbourne
• Northern Bullants
• Port Melbourne
• Richmond Tigers
• Sandringham Zebras
• Southport Sharks
• Sydney Swans
• Werribee Tigers
• Williamstown Seagulls

Other Season 2024 Information:

• Clubs are set to have four byes again - including a possible Victorian representive weekend.
• Stand alones are set to play each other twice - depending on what performance bracket they sit in.
• AFL stand alones will only have eight home games instead of nine, handing extra home games to stand alone clubs.

 

[AussieNick1999]

These changes give me a glimmer of hope that Frankston can sneak a finals berth and that Coburg and Preston can find something to build on. Separating teams by performance bracket won't solve everything but it's a step in the right direction.

 

[eth-dog]

Don't like four byes. Play everyone once and work the byes around that.
Don't like the separation of stand alone clubs.
Like that stand alone clubs get more home games.

 

[Flyingleslieskite]

Of course the idea to have a state game on the gather round weekend when some VFL clubs who rely on gate takings would prefer to have the oppurtunity to host a home game when theres no AFL games in Melbourne that weekend.

But then again battling stand alones like the Bullants and Coburg were away to Port Melbourne and Williamstown on the same weekend as gather round 2023, showing the little regard the AFL have for the stand alones, especially the ones without pokies.

 

[kickthething]

Don't like four byes. Play everyone once and work the byes around that.
Don't like the separation of stand alone clubs.
Like that stand alone clubs get more home games.

Agree on the byes, 4 byes at least helps local league and player qualification.

 

[eth-dog]

Agree on the byes, 4 byes at least helps local league and player qualification.

Only if they don't coincide with byes in their fixtures, and only for players that are 50/50 between VFL and local.

 

[bedford]

Only if they don't coincide with byes in their fixtures, and only for players that are 50/50 between VFL and local.

Box Hill had a bye and Callum Brown played for Marcellin and it affected the ladder at the end of the season with a 4 point result and he had 49 possies , selfish by me yes.
Anyhow lets hope this fixture is fairer

 

[eth-dog]

Box Hill had a bye and Callum Brown played for Marcellin and it affected the ladder at the end of the season with a 4 point result and he had 49 possies , selfish by me yes.
Anyhow lets hope this fixture is fairer

I mean I get it. Ormond were very close to staying up but that's the way the cookie crumbles. I think kickthething was more referring to finals qualifications

 

[bedford]

I mean I get it. Ormond were very close to staying up but that's the way the cookie crumbles. I think kickthething was more referring to finals qualifications

Yes i know and now he's given them the arse on gone to a Northern club

 

[AussieNick1999]

Of course the idea to have a state game on the gather round weekend when some VFL clubs who rely on gate takings would prefer to have the oppurtunity to host a home game when theres no AFL games in Melbourne that weekend.

But then again battling stand alones like the Bullants and Coburg were away to Port Melbourne and Williamstown on the same weekend as gather round 2023, showing the little regard the AFL have for the stand alones, especially the ones without pokies.

It might even out somewhat by the standalone AFL reserves clubs have eight home games instead of nine, so the independent clubs will hopefully get an extra home game out of the fixturing.

 

[Flyingleslieskite]

It might even out somewhat by the standalone AFL reserves clubs have eight home games instead of nine, so the independent clubs will hopefully get an extra home game out of the fixturing.

Fair point, but that extra game aint gonna make a huge difference if AFL games are in Melbourne that weekend.

Either way, streaming prevents people from going to games regardless.

 

[kickthething]

Box Hill had a bye and Callum Brown played for Marcellin and it affected the ladder at the end of the season with a 4 point result and he had 49 possies , selfish by me yes.
Anyhow lets hope this fixture is fairer

Is this the last season prior to a Tassie? If so do we think it may be that last season for some stand alones?

 

[AussieNick1999]

Is this the last season prior to a Tassie? If so do we think it may be that last season for some stand alones?

Potentially. I think both 2025 and 2026 have been floated as potential entry years for Tasmania. Whether it's the end for some of the standalones or not probably comes down to their own situations. Coburg and Preston are clearly struggling and if they find themselves broke in the coming years I imagine the AFL will send them packing as they did with Frankston in 2016. As for the Dolphins, we haven't been doing great on-field these past couple years but financially I don't think our situation is dire. The club's debt was finally wiped out last year, we're drawing really good crowds especially for night games, and there's a clear agenda at the club to raise our profile within the local community and get more people signed on as members.

I don't think the AFL will actively push standalone clubs out, they'll just shrug their shoulders and turn away if one of these clubs ends up in a hole.

 

[Flyingleslieskite]

Potentially. I think both 2025 and 2026 have been floated as potential entry years for Tasmania. Whether it's the end for some of the standalones or not probably comes down to their own situations. Coburg and Preston are clearly struggling and if they find themselves broke in the coming years I imagine the AFL will send them packing as they did with Frankston in 2016. As for the Dolphins, we haven't been doing great on-field these past couple years but financially I don't think our situation is dire. The club's debt was finally wiped out last year, we're drawing really good crowds especially for night games, and there's a clear agenda at the club to raise our profile within the local community and get more people signed on as members.

I don't think the AFL will actively push standalone clubs out, they'll just shrug their shoulders and turn away if one of these clubs ends up in a hole.

The AFL aren't going to push them out. It will get to the point where its going to be hard enough and then they'll make their own decision. Clearly, they're not going to provide any stand alones funding. Once one stand alone falls it will cause a domino effect.
AFL Reserves is inevitable.

 

[AnUltimateRessie]

Agree on the byes, 4 byes at least helps local league and player qualification.

Yeah, that's my doubt with rep football returning as well. Some of the better players in the league would much rather go play for their local to try and qualify for finals when there is a bye.

 

[AnUltimateRessie]

Is this the last season prior to a Tassie? If so do we think it may be that last season for some stand alones?

All going to plan, yes. Tasmania should be in the VFL come 2025. I think that'll have a few more dominos to fall regarding the AFL reserves in 2025 as well.

 

[AussieNick1999]

Brodie McLaughlin has signed to play for Williamstown next year.

God I hope we demolish the Seagulls next year.

 

[AnUltimateRessie]

Brodie McLaughlin has signed to play for Williamstown next year.

God I hope we demolish the Seagulls next year.

That's a great pickup by Willy.

 

[AussieNick1999]

That's a great pickup by Willy.

It is, but it's also frustrating to see the trend of ex-Frankston players moving to opposition clubs continue. It stung playing Gold Coast this year and watching McLaughlin kick a bag against us, and now there's every chance he'll do the same to us again against with Williamstown. This isn't a dig at him personally, but I'm really hoping that with the changes made to the football department at Frankston, we can either retain players or entice them to come back and have less of our talent turning into our own opposition.

 

[AnUltimateRessie]

 

[Flyingleslieskite]

Inevitable.
Just like AFL Reserves replacing the VFL as we know it.

 

[AnUltimateRessie]

Inevitable.
Just like AFL Reserves replacing the VFL as we know it.

Surely the rest will follow for a 2025 or 2026 AFL reserves competition. Tassie set to join in 2025 as well.

 

[eth-dog]

Best solution I've seen is get the non Vic AFL teams (and Southport) to form a 10 team AFL reserves and then the VFL can be Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Geelong, Box Hill, Casey, North Melbourne, Richmond, Sandy, Footscray, Coburg, Bullants, Port, Werribee, Williamstown and Frankston, with the WAFL and SANFL maintaining their current competitions

 

[Flyingleslieskite]

Best solution I've seen is get the non Vic AFL teams (and Southport) to form a 10 team AFL reserves and then the VFL can be Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Geelong, Box Hill, Casey, North Melbourne, Richmond, Sandy, Footscray, Coburg, Bullants, Port, Werribee, Williamstown and Frankston, with the WAFL and SANFL maintaining their current competitions

Won't happen

 

[junkyard_dog]

This has to be Port trying to force the AFL's hand in setting up a proper AFL reserves comp.
I cant see how Port entering the VFL comp as it currently stands will be any benefit over playing in the SANFL.