ESSENDON VFL coach Hayden Skipworth says the significantly less travel has been an advantage to its club since splitting with former partner Bendigo at the end of last season. Speaking ahead of the clash between another stand alone giant – Collingwood – on Saturday at Victoria Park, Skipworth said the less travel on game day

      Round 6 Results     Collingwood 18.12-120 def Geelong Cats 16.11-107 1:00 PM, Sat 18 May at Victoria Park GOALS Collingwood: J. Paine 5, T. Allan 3, A. Didak 3, P. Yagmoor , K. Martin , T. Broomhead , B. Moloney , B. Richmond , J. Hellier , C. Mooney Geelong Cats: M. Brown

IT’S ironic that it was Collingwood that was the first team of the season to beat the reigning premier Geelong by 13-points at Victoria Park on Saturday. It was only last year that the Pies also broke Port Melbourne’s famous winning streak that included its 2011 flag. But perhaps almost more ironic is the general

A SEVEN goal to one second term has placed the Northern Blues back on the winners list, recording a 44-point win over North Ballarat. The Blues were dominant after a tight opening quarter, and never looked back infront of a home crowd at Visy Park. Carlton ruckman Shaun Hampson recorded over 60 hitouts, feeding the

VICTORIA’S 17-point loss to Western Australia in Northam on Saturday was the first time the Vics lost to WA since 1991. Frankston coach Simon Goosey, who was an assistant to head coach Gary Ayres, said Victoria was disappointed in the end result, knowing that it led the match for most of the day. “It was disappointing.

IN thrilling scenes at Trevor Barker Beach Oval, Sandringham defeated the Northern Blues by 13 points, after trailing by as much as 38 points at the 20 minute mark in the third quarter.

The Zebras put on a clinic since that moment, including seven goals in a row

        Round 5 Results   Geelong Cats 21.14-140 def Werribee Tigers 12.13-85 11:00 AM, Sat 4 May at Simonds Stadium GOALS Geelong Cats: N. Vardy 6, G. Burbury 6, S. Kersten 4, J. Caddy 2, D. McFarlane 2, J. Schroder Werribee Tigers:  B. Warren 2, S. Clouston 2, R. Castello , T. McGenniss

GEELONG VFL coach Matthew Knights expects other teams to come at the undefeated Cats in the second half of the season as it crept to flag favouritism with a 55-point shellacking of Werribee at Simonds Stadium on Saturday. Knights said the Cats have improved even further on last year’s premiership season despite an overhaul of

COLLINGWOOD midfielder Luke Ball appears likely to return in a blockbuster match against Geelong next fortnight after starring in today’s VFL match for the Pies against Williamstown. Ball, who found plenty of the ball, was likely to have a week of intense training this week with the VFL having a state representative match against the

FOUR Rounds into the 2013 VFL season, Geelong and the Casey Scorpions remain undefeated while pre-season fancy Werribee is floundering after heavy defeats against Williamstown and Sandringham. Regular contributor Andrew Calleja takes a look at how your side is faring and the month ahead.   Bendigo Gold Went into Round 1 with a side averaging just

IN mild conditions at Preston City Oval on Sunday, Port Melbourne outgunned a gallant Northern Blues outfit to take a 16 point win. The Borough had a ripping start, kicking six goals to the Blues’ two, to take a 26 point buffer into quarter time. It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Port, with key forward

THE Northern Blues felt that the 16-point loss to Port Melbourne at home on Sunday was one that got away. Mid-way through the term they had sprung to a two goal lead after a second quarter comeback. But under pressure and knowing another game was starting to get out of their control, Port’s seasoned players

CARLTON’S Jarrad Waite failed to kick a goal for the Northern Blues in his return match from a calf injury but that didn’t worry the Blues’ coaching staff who were just relieved the star forward had got through unscathed against Port Melbourne at Preston City Oval on Sunday. Waite finished with 12 disposals and six

            Round 4 Results   Bendigo Gold 9.6-60 lost to Collingwood 25.26-176 6:30 PM, Fri 26 Apr at Queen Elizabeth Oval GOALS Bendigo Gold: C. Walls 2, A. Pollock , R. Thomson , J. Bolton , T. Hams , . Magin , B. McInnes , D. Toman Collingwood: K. Martin 4,

COLLINGWOOD midfielder Luke Ball impressed with 25 touches for the Pies in their 116 point win over Bendigo at Queen Elizabeth Oval last night. Ball, on return from after 54 weeks on the sidelines recovering from a knee reconstruction suffered in round three last year, impressed in 60 per cent game. He spent most of

IT’S hard to put a finger on who is a flag favourite after three rounds given the topsy-turvy form of some teams but reigning premier Geelong would be the closest thing to it at the minute

THE Northern Blues remain undefeated under new coach Luke Webster in 2013, defeating the Coburg Tigers at Mantello Holden Oval by the tune of 26 points, with the final scoreline reading 19.15 (129) to 15.13 (103). Despite trialing the Tigers by 12 points at quarter time, the Blues rebounded with an astounding 9 goal to

              Round 3 Results   Bendigo Gold 7.14-56 lost to North Ballarat 21.15-141 6:30 PM / Fri 19 Apr at Queen Elizabeth Oval GOALS Bendigo Gold: S. Stroobants 2, R. Thomson , D. Putt , T. Hams , . Magin , J. Brooker North Ballarat:  A. Black 5, J. Linke

THE Casey Scorpions have notched their third consecutive win to kickstart their 2013 season after demolishing Essendon at Windy Hill by a score of 25.12 (162) to 11.13 (79). The damage was done after a seven goal to three second term that set up the Scorpions scoring run and, ultimately, their 82-point win. While highly fancied Essendon

PRIZED Hawthorn recruit Brian Lake will play his third consecutive match with the Box Hill Hawks in the VFL today in the hope of returning for next week’s clash against North Melbourne. Lake, the former Western Bulldog, was close to selection for the clash against Fremantle today, but the withdrawal of Matthew Pavlich through injury

GEELONG has more depth returning in the VFL ranks today against the Box Hill Hawks at Simonds Stadium with Jackson Sheringham and Jed Bews making their returns from injury. That is on top of Josh Hunt, Daniel Menzel and Cameron Guthrie – who returned from injury last week – and the Cats are also on

WILLIAMSTOWN coach Peter German appears more relaxed about his coaching in the final year of its alignment with the Western Bulldogs. The Seagulls have adopted a selection policy to have a maximum of 12 Western Bulldogs-listed players playing in its senior team. Some have missed the cut and forced to play VFL reserves. German, also

FORMER Gippsland Power excitement machine Anthony Tipungwuti will make his debut for Essendon’s VFL team against the Casey Scorpions on Saturday. Tipungwuti, who hails from the Tiwi Islands, was unlucky not to be rookie-listed last season but instead finds himself at the Bombers in a VFL capacity but will be looking to impress. Bombers VFL

A WEEK is a long time in football may be a well worn cliché but it aptly describes the change in fortunes between Round’s 1 and 2 for the Frankston Dolphins. Bullish about their 2013 season prospects, Frankston were blown away by the Casey Scorpions in the season opener. The Dolphins lacked cohesion, looked slow

SOME leading commentators said after Geelong’s finals loss to Fremantle in September last year that its premiership window was well and truly closed. But the Cats have a talented young brigade that has them charging back up the ladder quicker than expected,

IT is no surprise to see reigning premier Geelong undefeated and sitting in third spot behind the Northern Blues and Casey Scorpions, but what has happened to the other grand finallist, Port Melbourne

SANDRINGHAM is hoping to have its home ground – Trevor Barker Beach Oval – back up and running for training and playing in the next two to three weeks according to the club today. The Zebras had their latest fixture – in which they lost to Geelong by 32-points – swapped to Simonds Stadium from

                Round 2 Results   Northern Blues 30.16-196 def Bendigo Gold 4.8-32 1:00 PM, Sat 13 Apr at Visy Park (Princes Park) GOALS Northern Blues: T. Thomas 6, T. Menzel 4, L. Mitchell 3, D. Ellard 3, J. Laidler 3, A. Marcon 2, T. Bell 2, T. Totevski 2,

WILLIAMSTOWN recruit Brent Prismall has committed to playing some games at Lara in the Geelong Football League this season – as long as his schedule with the Seagulls permits. Prismall, the former Geelong and Essendon player, will join his younger brother Rhyce at the Cats. Rhyce formerly played with the Werribee Tigers. There is a

IT seems that every time Port Melbourne play Box Hill, you know that you’re in for a mighty contest. The last five matches have been tight but Port has prevailed in every one of them. Box Hill, however, would have got some confidence out of the four-point loss at Box Hill City Oval on Sunday.

                  Round 1 Results   Geelong Cats 12.16-88 def Williamstown 11.14-80 Sun 31 Mar 2:00 PM at Torquay Football Ground GOALS Geelong: J. Schroder 2, B. Raidme 2, J. Hamling 2, J. Hollmer 2, D. Gleeson , J. Thurlow , D. Measures , J. Corey Williamstown:  J.

UPDATE:  Essendon won by 90 points over Bendigo with Alik Magin kicking a goal right on the siren for the Gold.  The Bombers won, 23.9 (147) to 8.9 (57) Jason Winderlich finished with eight goals, only playing the three quarters. Joe Daniher finished with four goals and 10 marks but with an ankle injury. The

NEWS today that Williamstown is shelving some of its Western Bulldogs-listed players in the VFL reserves is in fact old news considering the same thing was happening last season. There appeared to be discontent among the partners last season and that led to both teams deciding to field stand alone teams in the competition next

PORT Melbourne warriors Toby Pinwill and Shane Valenti will miss the next four to six weeks with calf injuries in what is described as a challenge for the Borough to overcome. The Borough face Box Hill, Frankston, Sandringham and the Northern Blues over the next month and going by their performance against Werribee on the

UNLUCKY Geelong forward Daniel Menzel appears likely to make his return from injury against Sandringham on Sunday week and the venue is likely to be switched to Skilled Stadium following problems with the Trevor Barker Beach Oval surface. It would mean that the Cats would swap their later meeting with the Zebras to Sandy’s home

AN 11-goal haul from Werribee spearhead Ben Warren and the unexpected 72-point thrashing handed out to Port Melbourne headline the first week of VFL football. Werribee’s crisp ball movement and skill level all over the ground stunned the Borough. How much should be read into the result given its Round 1 is debatable, but the

REIGNING premier Geelong’s eight-point win over Williamstown was the bigger result in my mind to that of the Werribee Tigers’ 72-point demolition of Port Melbourne a day earlier.

Although it won the flag last year, Geelong’s list had taken a massive thump over the pre-season if you take into account the amount of experience lost

HAWTHORN skipper Luke Hodge snared 17 disposals and six marks in 80 minutes of game time for the Box Hill Hawks in their win over the Casey Scorpions in a VFL practice match at Casey Fields today. Hodge, who showed terrific leadership, was one of the biggest performers for Box Hill and in good news

HAWTHORN skipper Luke Hodge has been named to play for the Box Hill Hawks in a practice match against the Casey Scorpions at Casey Fields today. Hodge, who will miss the opening two rounds of the AFL season as he searches for match fitness, will wear the No.82 in the clash. It will be the

PORT Melbourne coach Gary Ayres believes the VFL is set for a bumper 2013 season with more elite players and more premiership contenders. “The competition looks like it’s recruited a lot of really good ex-AFL players. All clubs seem to be quite aggressive in their recruiting and it obviously means it’s going to be harder

GEELONG’S attempt to back up last year’s victory with the 2013 premiership will not come easily with 13 other teams vying for the prized silverware and the Cats well and truly in the cross-hairs. With a split round kicking off this weekend and taking place over two weeks all sides will be looking to get

Northern Blues Coach: Luke Webster Key Player Arrivals: Lee Dale (Myrtleford), Kieran Delahunty (Minyip-Murtoa), Declan Foot (Swan Hill), Bradyn Taglieri (Eltham), Ben Toman (Assumption College), Jacob Bollard, Keenan Posar, Anthony Bonaddio, Jarryd Coulson, Sean Bolger (Northern Knights), Daniel Watson (Geelong Falcons), Hayden Drew (North Ballarat Rebels) Key Player Departures: Alex Benbow (Belgrave), Dan Toman (Bendigo

Casey Scorpions Coach: Rohan Welsh Key Player Arrivals:Michael Boland (Cranbourne), Jake Best (Leongatha), Ben Hughes (Warragul), Jarryd Drew, Tom Fusinato, Darcy Irwin, Daniel Jackson (Gippsland Power), Jackson Anderson (Eastern Rangers) Key Player Departures:Matthew Fieldsend (Port Melbourne) Last Year’s Finish: 1st (14-4 105.7% 56 pts) This year’s prediction: 10th And why?: Casey finished as the minor premier

LAST year Geelong rose to top to take out the VFL premiership.  Who will it be this year? Our award-winning VFL expert BRENT DIAMOND is joined by contributors DANIEL PAPROTH, ANDREW CALLEJA, JAMIE MORGAN and JUSTIN COOPER to give you our comprehensive preview for the 2013 season.    WERRIBEE, Essendon, Frankston and Williamstown have been the

Williamstown Coach: Peter German Key Player Arrivals: Brent Prismall [Essendon AFL], Willie Wheeler [Coburg VFL], Justin Sherman [Western Bulldogs AFL], Leigh Masters [Coburg VFL], Leigh Williams [Melbourne AFL], Cameron Wood [Collingwood AFL], Sean Heatherington [Calder Cannons TAC], Andrew Gallucci [Calder Cannons TAC]. Ben Casley [South Adelaide SANFL], Josh Bench [Western Jets]. Key Player Departures: Jack

Port Melbourne Coach: Gary Ayres Key Player Arrivals: Nathan Batsanis (Norwood), Luke Rounds (Collingwood), Matt Fieldsend (Casey), Danny Hughes (Box Hill) Key Player Departures: Sam Dwyer (Collingwood, AFL), Stephen Brewer (Greenvale), Adam Bentick (St Bernard’s), Tim Allen (Collingwood) Last Year’s Finish: 2nd on the ladder and Runners-up This year’s prediction: 3rd And why?: A gigantic

Essendon Coach: Hayden Skipworth Key Player Arrivals: Matt Firman (Geelong), Josh Freezer, Jacob Thompson, Ben Duscher (Bendigo), Josh Toy (Gold Coast), Matthew Bate (Melbourne), Michael Sikora (Sandringham) Key Player Departures: Nil Last Year’s Finish: Didn’t form a team until 2013 This year’s prediction: 1st And why?: Hayden Skipworth had little to work with at Bendigo.

Collingwood Coach: Dale Tapping Key Player Arrivals: Ben Moloney ( Werribee ) Tim Allan ( Port Melbourne ) Tom Tyquin ( Sandringham Dragons ) Sam Dwyer ( Port Melbourne ) Kyle Martin ( Frankston ) Jack Frost ( Williamstown ) Ben Hudson ( Brisbane Lions ) Brodie Grundy ( Sturt ) Ben Kennedy ( Glenelg

Sandringham Coach: Simon McPhee Key Player Arrivals: Ryan Minahan (Upper Ferntree Gully), Cameron Banfield (Sandringham Dragons), Kenny Ong (Sandringham Dragons) Key Player Departures: Jackson Coleman (Frankston), Michael Sikora (Essendon), Matthew Stapleton (Bendigo) Last Year’s Finish:8th This year’s prediction: 8th And why?: With the loss of two very promising players in Jackson Coleman and Michael Sikora, and

Frankston Coach: Simon Goosey Key Player Arrivals: Michael Lourey [Sandringham VFL], Sam Lloyd [Mt Eliza MPNEL], Jackson Coleman [Sandringham VFL], Scott Simpson [Mt Eliza MPNFL], Jayden Cass [Box Hill Hawks], Tom Purcell [Box Hill Hawks], Damien Garner [Rowville EFL], Ziggy Alwan [Noble Park EFL], Chris Irving [Sandringham VFL], Josh Dyson [Brisbane Lions AFL], Russell Gabriel

North Ballarat Coach: Gerard FitzGerald Key Player Arrivals: Lucas Cook ( Melbourne ) Steve Clifton ( GWS Giants ) Sam Scott ( Geelong Falcons ) Nick Rippon ( Ballarat Rebels ) David Morris ( Ballarat Rebels ) Tony Lockyer ( Ballarat Rebels ) Key Player Departures: Derick Micallef ( North Juniors ) Marc Creig (

Bendigo Gold Coach: Austinn Jones Key Player Arrivals: Alik Magin ( Gold Coast ) Troy Kelm ( Kerang ) Matt Stapleton ( Sandringham ) Pat Flynn ( Collingwood VFL ) Ricky Thompson (  Lalbert ) James Brooker  ( Montmerency ) Nathan McCarty ( Rochester ) Jackson Bolton ( Box Hill ) Che Walls ( Bendigo

Coburg Coach: Tim Clarke (new) Key Player Arrivals: Adam Saad [Calder Cannons TAC], Ricky Petterd, Sam Lonergan, Orren Stephenson Key Player Departures: Willie Wheeler [Williamstown VFL], Leigh Masters [Williamstown VFL], James Saville [East Fremantle], Pat Contin, Rhett Jordan [Norwood EFL], Angus Graham Last Year’s Finish: 12th This year’s prediction: 13th And why?: With a young,

Werribee Tigers Coach: Scott West Key Player Arrivals: Addam Maric (Richmond), Brett Meredith, Jarrad Moore (Sydney), Scott Clouston (Brisbane Lions), Kris Pendlebury (Collingwood), Ben Brown (Glenorchy), Ben Warren (North Melbourne) Key Player Departures: Matt O’Dwyer, Travis Tuck, Brad Mangan, Nathan Ablett, Kyle Hartigan Last Year’s Finish: 4th This year’s prediction: 2nd And why?: Although it

Geelong Coach: Matthew Knights Key Player Arrivals: Piers Flanagan (Gold Coast), Jai Sheahan, Jordan Erskine Key Player Departures: Simon Hogan (retired), Orren Stephenson (Richmond), Shannon Byrnes (Melbourne), David Wojcinski (retired), Jonathan Simpkin (Hawthorn) Last Year’s Finish: Premiers This year’s prediction: 5th And why?: The Cats don’t have as strong of a list that they had

Box Hill Hawks Coach: Damian Carroll Key Player Arrivals: Sam Iles (Gold Coast), Jackson Eade (Old Camberwell), Sam Crocker (St Kilda), Brad Harvey (Brisbane Lions), Ryan Exon (Oakleigh Chargers), Bryce Retzlaff (Brisbane Lions) Key Player Departures: Adam Pattison (retired), Danny Hughes (Port Melbourne), Guy Phelps, Daniel Cooper, Jayden Cass (Frankston), Matt Jones (Melbourne) Last Year’s

IT’S that time of the year where we make predictions about where the pecking order may stand for VFL-listed players. It’s important to remember that list is created and judged on a three tier criteria. Firstly, their 2012 form is looked upon, secondly we look at their importance to the team they’re at, and the

  14/3/13 – ESSENDON has continued its massive pre-season of recruiting in its inaugural season with Trent Shinners coming across from Bendigo. It has also snared Temora’s Sam Tagliabue. 7/3/13 – GEELONG is set to include delisted Gold Coast youngster Piers Flanagan on its final list this week. He has been training with the VFL

THERE is no silver lining for him in his new role because Austinn “Aussie” Jones hopes one day it’s decked in Gold. The 36-year-old Jones is the new coach of Bendigo – the VFL’s third stand-alone team – and he is relishing the opportunity as his side prepares to kick start the season against now-bitter

SOME coaches are tough to get in contact with, others have all the time in the day for metropolitan and local media. We thought we would compile a top five of those coaches in the VFL that are diligently promoting the competition and their respective clubs

PORT Melbourne coach Gary Ayres says the club is in a better position than it was this time last year as the grand finalists look to improve to go one step further in 2013. Speaking on the recently launched Borough TV, Ayres admitted there was a “lot of issues” after the clubs’ breakthrough premiership win

NEW Sandringham recruits, Cameron Banfield and Kenny Ong, are ecstatic with their recent signings. Recruited from the Sandringham Dragons in the TAC Cup, they both understand their team roles against ‘bigger bodied’ players

THE VFL has announced the preliminary list of 34 players that will have an opportunity to be a part of the 2013 AFL Victoria VFL Academy The VFL Academy program was launched last year and provides nominated players experiences that complement the programs delivered by VFL clubs and, significantly, helps to expose players involved to the

THE VFL is set for more of a fight against the WAFL in the State of Origin game in Northam on May 11, as part of the Shires’ new $11 million sporting facility promotion. Last year’s match between the VFL and the Tasmanian State League ended in a disaster with the VFL producing a shellacking

ADAM Marcon and Kane Lambert have again been the stand-outs over summer with Carlton’s VFL affiliate, the Northern Blues. After a solid finish to last season, the Northern Blues have plenty of belief they can play finals footy this year. “The guys that played there last year Adam Marcon and Kane Lambert, best and fairest

SANDRINGHAM’S pacy small forward, Chris Michaliades hasn’t given up on his dream of playing AFL at the highest level and his journey has been one of hard work and determination

NEW Sandringham Development coach, Matt Embling, is ecstatic for his upcoming challenge. After four years as the University Blues under 19s coach, Embling is looking forward to working closely with the Sandringham players

WE’VE been tracking VFL player movements since the end of the 2012 campaign and now BRENT DIAMOND analyses the big winners in the recruiting stakes so far this off-season

WILLIAMSTOWN today officially announced the signing of former Essendon midfielder Brent Prismall, who has also signed at affiliate the Western Bulldogs in a welfare role previously. The Seagulls have added some of the best pre-season recruits so far in the VFL, with Prismall joining former Bulldog and Brisbane Lions midfielder Justin Sherman and delisted Pies

NEW Casey Scorpions coach Rohan Welsh is confident he will fit straight in as part of Casey’s alignment with Melbourne. Welsh, who was coach of Vic Metro for the past four years, has links to a lot of people at the Demons. “I knew Neeldy through the TAC [Cup] when he was at [Western] Jets

NEW Melbourne midfielder Matt Jones was one that was on the radar of AFL recruiters but there were some around him at Box Hill that may well have thought they were in a better place for a look-in. Luke Andrews is one who shone bright in the latter part of the season and is perhaps

It is perhaps the biggest transition since James Podsiadly crossed from Werribee, where he was also captain, to Geelong, writes BRENT

AT the Western Jets, Kyle Hartigan was always seen as a AFL draft prospect. Back then he was slim framed and raw and despite the promise, AFL clubs overlooked him thinking that he would be a development project that could turn out to be a disaster. However, since then he has been anything but a

Round 1 (Split Round)  Saturday 30th March Port Melbourne vs. Werribee Tigers (Rd 16) North Port Oval 2:00 PM Sunday 31st March Geelong vs. Williamstown Spring Creek Reserve 2:00 PM Friday 5th April Bendigo Gold vs. Essendon Queen Elizabeth Oval 6:30 PM Saturday 6th April Collingwood vs. North Ballarat Victoria Park 1:00 PM Werribee Tigers

BRENT Prismall cut a dejected figure after yesterday’s AFL pre-season and rookie draft. He had been offered a one year deal at Port Adelaide but knocked back the offer simply because it was only for one year and that wouldn’t be enough security for him and his new wife to start a new life in

NEW Western Bulldogs rookie Brett Goodes said yesterday that he was in a ‘win-win’ situation while training at the Western Bulldogs in the hope of finally realising his AFL dream. The brother of Swans champion Adam was so often spruiked to the Swans by his brother but to no avail.  He had dominated at VFL

FRANKSTON has possibly become the new breeding ground for mature age talent after another two Dolphins were taken by AFL clubs in yesterday’s rookie draft. Leigh Osborne (Gold Coast) and Kyle Martin (Collingwood) were plucked after just their first seasons at the Dolphins this year. “I just wanted to play the best footy that I

FRANKSTON coach Simon Goosey believes the club is ready to add experience to its list after years of building the club up with youth. While it was largely competitive last season, Frankston still won the wooden spoon again. He believes having so many draft prospects at the club has made other young players want to

BENDIGO has begun life as a stand alone club already realising the big challenge ahead of it to remain in the VFL with the majority of its list walking to former partner Essendon. Bendigo skipper Ben Duscher said this week that a lot of players went to Essendon, mainly because of the travel factor but

BENDIGO’S Ben Duscher has been informed that he is no longer in line for a spot on the Western Bulldogs’ list after training with them over the past month

THE Casey Scorpions say that they will hire a new senior coach within two weeks in the aftermath of the doubt about their future in the VFL. Assistant coach Steve O’Brien will run pre-season training sessions in the meantime. AFL Victoria this week announced that the Scorpions had shown enough to retain their licence in

THE Casey Scorpions have been given the all clear by AFL Victoria to play in the VFL next season despite suffering from massive debt and doubt surrounding its future in the competition. The Scorpions have identified that there is a future for them in the competition, but if Melbourne leaves it as a partner – which it

IN 2013, only 10 teams will participate in the Foxtel Cup, an AFL initiative which is a state league based competition involving the best teams of the previous season. The Foxtel Cup will be telecast on Fox Sports live on Thursday nights during the season.   Those teams are: VFL Port Melbourne, Werribee SANFL Norwood,

MELBOURNE is poised to field a stand alone VFL team from next season after its feeder team the Casey Scorpions have today admitted it is undergoing some financial concern. The Scorpions, who had only recruited Brendan Fevola two years ago for one season as it appeared cashed-up, has ended up quite short-handed by an unsuccessful

CARLTON assistant coach Luke Webster has been named the new Northern Blues VFL coach today. Webster, who will replace Darren Harris, already has an understanding of the Blues’ young list given his background as a development coach at the club since 2010. Northern Blues General Manager Garry O’Sullivan said the club is thrilled to have a

16 PLAYERS were drafted or rookie listed from the VFL in 2011 and while it’s doubtful that many will be picked up in 2012, the competition will still provide several mature aged prospects for season 2013. This week saw the NAB AFL National Draft Combine take place with Leigh Osborne [Frankston] and Round-Fothergill Medallist Dean

EXCITING ruck/forward prospect Majak Daw has taken a big step towards his AFL debut with the North Melbourne Football Club announcing this afternoon that he has been promoted to their senior list. Daw,21, was drafted by the Kangaroos with the 9th pick of the 2009 Draft and has spent the last three seasons with North Melbourne on their

PORT Melbourne coach Gary Ayres says the club needs to bolster its ruck stocks over the pre-season if it is going to continue to compete for VFL glory, after the Borough lost Sunday’s pulsating VFL grand final to Geelong by 33-points at Etihad Stadium. Ayres said Geelong’s talls – Orren Stephenson and Dawson Simpson –

HERE are the selected line-ups for the VFL grand final clash between Port Melbourne and Geelong at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.   Port Melbourne B No. 23 H. Sandilands HT: 189 WT: 90 31. D. Noonan 193 92 8. S. Brewer 188 84 HB 6. C. Hinkley 185 79 36. S. Pleming 194 83 35.

RICHMOND has re-employed development coach Tim Clarke to coach its VFL team in the last year of its alignment with the Coburg Tigers next season. Clarke will also take the helm of Richmond’s VFL team in its inaugural season of fielding a stand alone club in the VFL from 2014. The former Hawthorn midfielder held

BRETT Lovett has made the shock decision to step down as coach of the Casey Scorpions just a week after being named the VFL Coach of the Year. Lovett cited an increase in family commitments as the reason that he has decided to part ways with the Scorpions. The Scorpions were swept away in straight

BRENT DIAMOND rates the top 10 ready-made players that are almost certain to be drafted from state league clubs this season. 1. Adam Marcon (Northern Blues VFL) – Almost certain to go as a rookie with feeder club Carlton in the mix for his services. Has really established himself as a midfielder this season and

IT’S 10 years since Port Melbourne and Geelong played in one of the great VFL-VFA Grand Finals. Port Melbourne, partially aligned with the Sydney Swans, appeared headed for a massive upset as they led the more fancied Cats by 14-points at three quarter time. Geelong had barely been troubled throughout the Home & Away matches

THIS week’s VFL grand final edition of The F Word comes to you from Etihad Stadium in Melbourne where we were able to join and record the the press conferences for the 2012 VFL and the 2012 TAC Cup grand finals

GEELONG VFL coach Matthew Knights says the Cats need to play “four quality quarters” to beat reigning premier Port Melbourne in Sunday’s VFL grand final at Etihad Stadium. Speaking at the VFL grand final press conference at Etihad Stadium today, Knights said his team needed to match Port in the midfield and contain it for

GEELONG has confirmed that premiership veteran David Wojcinski announced his retirement today in the lead-up to his final game in Cats colours in the VFL grand final against Port Melbourne at Etihad Stadium on Sunday. It is also likely to Shannon Byrnes’ last in Geelong colours as he enters the off-season as a free agent.

PORT Melbourne coach Gary Ayres believes he has a special group that are perhaps about to embark on history-making back-to-back flags as a stand alone VFL club, when some critics bestowed that it not one could be achieved in the current environment. He was full of praise for his hard-working brigade after Saturday’s impressive win

SUNDAY’S VFL grand final between Geelong and Port Melbourne is likely to be the last in Cats colours for both premiership veterans David Wojcinski and Shannon Byrnes. Wojcinski is tipped to hang up the boots after 203 AFL games, while Byrnes said he will talk about his playing future after this week’s grand final. It

PORT Melbourne premiership skipper John Baird should definitely play on next season given his incredible form in leading the Borough to yet another grand final. While Werribee’s Ben Ross won the Liston, clearly in my eyes, Baird has been the best player in the VFL in 2012 and after overcoming a career threatening Achilles injury

RYE’S Justin Van Unen was a stand-out in the Young Guns Game with four goals for team Green in its 14-point loss to team Black in Sunday’s curtain-raiser to the VFL preliminary final. The final score was Black 15.7 (97) def Green 12.11 (83) Sandringham’s Michael Sikora played well, rucking against Bendigo’s Dean Putt, with