VFL competition is a mess

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DNine

Club Legend
Oct 28, 2008
1,993
995
West of Melbourne
AFL Club
Collingwood
I hate the look of the VFL league. We have AFL sides aligned to sides like Williamstown, first Collingwood, then Bulldogs, then half of North wasn't it, now stand alone. Other suburban sides are the same. I may of got those alignments with Williamstown wrong, but that is not because I have not been following at all, it is because it is so confusing.

I hate the fact that there is Richmond Tigers and the Werribee Tigers, and wasn't it the Coburg Tigers at one point. And Bendigo Bombers, and now the Essendon Bombers. It just seems a messy chuck together by the looks of it.

I can't understand how reject players, who can't become AFL players, play in sides like Port Melbourne, and now Williamstown, and they beat sides that have half a side with AFL talent. It is just a highlight that AFL recruits got it wrong.

And year after year they don't take these players that play all over our reserves, and leave them in the VFL competition. Then when they take the punt, they get products like Sam Dwyer, Michael Barlow and Podsiadly.

I think it needs an over haul. I think firstly, we need to get as many of the AFL sides to be proud enough in their own name, and have a side in the VFL. Pies have there VFL side, Bombers, Richmond, I love the Footscray side, that is really great to see. Fitzroy should be aligned to Brisbane. Although I am not sure that the Lions players that don't get a game for Brisbane Lions could fly down and play, but to have Fitzroy would be great.

All Victorian based sides should have there own VFL side. Then although not afiliated with an interstate side, they should line the same number of stand alone sides with interstate sides. This way, if the Pies played a Victorian side in the AFL, they play their VFL counterpart on the same weekend. Then when we play say Lions, we play Fitzroy in the VFL, Port Adelaide, Port Melbourne, line another stand alone like Bendigo with Crows, so you have some order in comparison to the AFL fixture.

I would love to go back to the days where the VFL (Reserves in the day), played as Curtain Raisers for the AFL game. It would certainly get more people to go to the footy if they got two games, and the stands would be fuller, but it would cut up the grounds like it did back when they had it that way, so I understand that, but why not have VFL games prior to the AFL game at a nearby oval. Richmond could play at Punt Road before the MCG or Etihard for the AFL, Pies could play at Vic Park, prior to the MCG or Etihard. Then supporters could go to one, then head over to the other. This would make a day out of it.

I dislike this play VFL side on Saturday, and AFL side on Sunday. Or Friday night AFL and Sunday for the Twos.

Whatever they do, if anything, try to have some common sense involved, because the way it is, and the amount of chopping and changing, is really quite ridiculous. They really need to give Victorians a decent competition we can learn to love. SANFL and WAFL are killing us, because they get to love their state side. How do kids learn to love a side that keeps changing their name, and alliance.
 
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Unfortunately at the massive expense of the VFA clubs financially, I'd love for the AFL's Victorian reserves clubs to form their own 'VFL' as it stood years ago when there was 12 sides, where they play corresponding fixtures where possible as double fixtures at their home ground, and that includes Fitzroy as a Brisbane feeder club and South Melbourne as a Sydney feeder club.
The VFA clubs will suffer immensely for it, I'd think, but if they could break away and successfully stand alone in a revamped 'VFA', that'd be fantastic too.
 
I can't understand why they can't have a VFA competition with the player that play for the VFL side, that aren't played, they play the VFL reserves, why not call that the VFA, and have sides that don't play in the VFL, say Casey don't have a side in the VFL, they can get a side in the VFA.

You have a point with Fitzroy being a feeder side for Brisbane, they could send recruiters down, and any young kid they recruit on the rookie list, can live down here, and get a number of trips up to Brisbane to get to train with who will may promote them to the senior list. Same with Port, some of the Port players could be 16/17 year old rookies based away from Adelaide for their first years.
 

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Brisbane Lions players travel down to Victoria what? Every three weeks or something. You could send some of the left out players down one week, and the others can play in the Qld league, and they rotate that. It would certainly give the old Fitzroy supporters a new interest. They could watch the VFL sides for two weeks, and then Brisbane when they came down. Same with Port and Port.
 
Good points - my main suggestion though (backed up by nothing) is that maybe the standalone clubs play better because
1) they are playing for the team, not win back their spot in the seniors
2) they play together more often (rather than having 6-8 in & out weekly in some cases)
3) the 'reserves' teams have a lot of players who are coming back from injury/lack of fitness and are using the VFL to get match practice for the AFL so getting their TOG managed
4) would guess there is a bit of "let's take it up to these pansy AFL players" etc where Port Melbourne and co love to thrash an AFL-affiliated team.
 
I can't understand why they can't have a VFA competition with the player that play for the VFL side, that aren't played, they play the VFL reserves, why not call that the VFA, and have sides that don't play in the VFL, say Casey don't have a side in the VFL, they can get a side in the VFA.

You have a point with Fitzroy being a feeder side for Brisbane, they could send recruiters down, and any young kid they recruit on the rookie list, can live down here, and get a number of trips up to Brisbane to get to train with who will may promote them to the senior list. Same with Port, some of the Port players could be 16/17 year old rookies based away from Adelaide for their first years.

Why would you call the reserves competition the VFA, and not the competition that was once the VFA and has VFA sides in it?
 
It's a sick joke.

There's 10 AFL clubs they obviously need their own reserves comp. and it's what they want, they're just penny pinching.

Pathetic by former VFA clubs who have prostituted themselves to become reserves teams. Much sooner drop back to a lesser competition and maintain your identity, history and pride.

Respect for the former VFA clubs who now go it alone.

I'm just glad it doesn't carry the VFA name as that would be a disgrace to the old competition.
 
stop reading after this, do you even know what the VFL stands for? lol

Do you know Fitzroy is a Victorian place? It would just be the side we play when we play Brisbane. As someone suggested, it could be a Victorian club that Brisbane could keep their victorian youngsters, instead of asking a 17 year old from Victoria to come up to Brisbane to play on the rookie list. It is an idea. Feel free to stop reading without telling me, I don't really want to know. AND, I have NEVER told a poster I stopped reading after I did. Would be embarrassed as to how that would reflect on me. It's like saying, If someone like me stops reading, there's problems with the idea. It suggests an inflated ego.....just saying.
 
Because "The reserves competition the VFA, and not the competition that was once the VFA and has VFA sides in it" is too long a name LOL.

If you give the Victorian reserves teams their own competition, that can be the VFL.

But another competition with only the VFA sides should be called the VFA.
 

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It's a sick joke.

There's 10 AFL clubs they obviously need their own reserves comp. and it's what they want, they're just penny pinching.

Pathetic by former VFA clubs who have prostituted themselves to become reserves teams. Much sooner drop back to a lesser competition and maintain your identity, history and pride.

Respect for the former VFA clubs who now go it alone.

I'm just glad it doesn't carry the VFA name as that would be a disgrace to the old competition.



Totally agree and surprised it wasn't one of the issues raised this week with Gil McLachlan.

Like a lot of people I grew up passionately supporting Carlton and Coburg. As a Coburg supporter the enemy was Preston.

Yesterday, I had to watch Northern Blues (aka Preston) play Coburg (who used to be Richmond 2nds who I grew up in the '70s seeing as Carlton's mortal enemy). Too bloody confusing.


In summary, the VFL has just lost all meaning for me. Watching the Northern Blues on the ABC yesterday, I couldn't have given a rats-toss bag about the result (Coburg won by a couple of goals). All I did was watch and assess the Carlton listed players to see if they are any good and if we can replace our senior team with them this week :)


The VFA Grand Final used to be epic the 70's and 80's. I could not honestly even tell you who won the VFL flag last year.
 
It would certainly give the old Fitzroy supporters a new interest.

We already have an interest. Every second Saturday afternoon at the Brunswick Street Oval.

What happens to THE Fitzroy Football Club already in the VAFA?
 
Brisbane reserves shouldn't play in the VFL. It would weaken the NEAFL and disadvantage teams like Sydney and Gold Coast.
 
I generally agree with this post. Its been a disgrace for so long. For a major competition to have so many players at so many clubs who have an aim for the season that ahs nothing to do with that club is unacceptable. The only bit I disagree with a little is this part

I can't understand how reject players, who can't become AFL players, play in sides like Port Melbourne, and now Williamstown, and they beat sides that have half a side with AFL talent. It is just a highlight that AFL recruits got it wrong.

It doesn't necessarily mean the recruiters got it wrong. It does mean that not all the best players in the land are on AFL lists.

It is the nature of the AFL, partly driven by the draft, that clubs look to the future when recruiting. That means there will be plenty of players mid-career who are better right now than 18 and 19 year olds who will become better players. That is where a club like Port Melbourne can beat an AFL aligned side. Stand-alone sides can recruit and play for now and for themselves rather than serving a master club. For some it works, for Bendigo survival will be a struggle.
 
Yes. You get a reserves side playing at a good ground and they get dosh in return for sacrificing their heritage.
And Hawks don't have to fork out the $$$ to run a stand alone team. I wonder how long Hawks can hold out?
 

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