VFL 2025

Turns out I was able to get to Port Melbourne's game, so I'll note a few impressions.
Score progression:
Ge: 5.3 (33) 9.3 (57) 10.5 (65) 15.8 (96)
PM: 4.1 (25) 8.4 (52) 8.9 (57) 11.11 (77)
Goalkickers for Port Melbourne (minus whoever kicked Port's first of the fourth - I didn't see clearly who got that one, and while I think I identified Signorello correctly, I could be wrong about who kicked the goal I attribute to him): Manton 3, Davey 1, Baldwin 1, Wanganeen 1, Philp 1, Lloyd 1, Signorello 1, Hird 1

Well, I was expecting a loss, and that turned out to be correct. There are some positive signs. Certainly the problems of recent seasons are yet to be solved, but they're working on it. There were still too many turnovers and poor defense of turnovers, particularly in the first half; the Geelong players got too many easy chains of possession and too much space in front of goal. And of course kicking 0.5 for the third quarter was not exactly ideal. Port Melbourne did have an early lead, but Geelong didn't take long to get the lead themselves, and Port never led again - they could have in the third with better goalkicking, although Geelong were good at responding when Port did kick goals. But pressure and positioning did improve in the second half despite the desired scoreboard result not coming and Geelong continuing to create opportunities and make the most of them. The next step is to put that together for an entire game, and of course also stop turning the ball over and start kicking straight for goal.

I'd have Lazzaro as best on if I had to pick one, closely followed by Kuol Mun and Hooper. Lazzaro really adds some speed to the midfield and is very difficult for opponents to catch. Rosman was very good as well but only played the second half. (I'd wondered how he, Highmore, Baldwin, and Van Es would fit into the side - they didn't play them all at the same time.) Green was good as usual. This was Tom Hird's best game of the preseason; his first half was decent despite some mistakes in positioning, and in the second half he was definitely good (he played mostly midfield but was on a wing for part of the fourth quarter). I am again impressed by Lachie Bond and expect he'll play Round 1. Again, some very good tackles by Lloyd, whom I also expect to see in the round 1 side. Riley Polkinghorne has looked consistently promising in all three preseason games - not dominating, but showing enough that I expect to see him in the round 1 side as well.

No Heppell report, as he didn't play - he was set to play the fourth quarter only but then didn't play at all. I don't know why. Davey seemed a bit more involved in the play than he had in previous games, although he still has a tendency to fumble ground balls. There were some good moments from Wanganeen. I don't recall Baldwin being a main culprit for turnovers this week, and I do like how he contests the ball. There were some good signs from Connor Riley in the first half; I don't particularly remember him in the second.

I don't expect a win over Brisbane's VFL side - probably the best we can hope for is to be competitive all game. Of course we especially need a stronger forward line, as we've discussed here. But there are still signs of improvement. Effort is there, and hopefully over the course of the season the team will gel better. (I'm certainly more optimistic about Port Melbourne's season than Port Adelaide's....)
 
Flyingleslieskite said:
Good result for Werribee against a team whos AFL season has started.
Click to expand...
Think you will find Foorscray will struggle early in the season with so many injuries at AFL level with another 2 major injuries in the AFL match last night.

Interesting that Footscray had 5 more scoring shots v Werribee and lost by 5 goals.
 
Saturday night football live and free on the Seven Network is coming to the Smithy’s VFL.


In an exciting development, a Saturday night match will feature every round of the 2025 Smithy’s VFL home and away season. The match will be broadcast live and free by the Seven Network via 7mate in Victoria and 7plus Sport nationally from 7:00pm.


The Saturday night broadcast match will be played at multiple venues, including Port Melbourne's ETU Stadium, Carlton's IKON Park, Frankston's Kinetic Stadium and Footscray's Mission Whitten Oval.


AFL Head of State League Competitions, Jennie Loughnan, said: “The introduction of weekly Saturday night football is a fantastic result for the Smithy’s VFL.


“We are thrilled to be continuing our long-standing broadcast partnership with the Seven Network and look forward to showcasing the Smithy’s VFL to more fans via the new Saturday night timeslot,” Loughnan said.


“Having a weekly broadcast match featured in prime-time is a huge win for the Smithy’s VFL, our clubs and our fans.


“Twelve players who were VFL-listed during the 2024 season have been added to AFL lists and we are excited to watch more stars emerge this year.


“We are extremely grateful to our host venues for working with us to bring this concept to life and thank our clubs for their support.”


Seven Network Head of AFL and Sport Innovation, Gary O’Keeffe said: “In 2025, Seven is taking its VFL coverage to the next level, bringing fans prime-time, live, and free state league footy like never before.


“The growth of the game from the grassroots to the elite is extremely important to us at Seven,” he said.


“For the first time, weekly VFL games will hit prime time on Saturday nights, live and free on Seven and streamed on 7plus Sport. This is a game-changer for fans, giving them the chance to watch the next generation of stars shine under the lights in a blockbuster time slot.


“We couldn’t be more excited to deliver state league footy to a bigger audience than ever before, live and free on Seven and 7plus Sport.”


Below is the Seven Network's Smithy's VFL broadcast match schedule for Rounds 1-13.

Round 1: Footscray Bulldogs vs Northern Bullants at Mission Whitten Oval
Round 2: Port Melbourne vs Frankston at ETU Stadium
Round 3: Carlton vs Southport Sharks at IKON Park
Round 4: Port Melbourne vs Essendon at ETU Stadium
Round 5: Essendon vs Collingwood at ETU Stadium
Round 6: Box Hill Hawks vs Richmond at Kinetic Stadium
Round 7: Carlton vs Sandringham at IKON Park
Round 8: Port Melbourne vs Geelong Cats at ETU Stadium
Round 9: Richmond vs Essendon at Kinetic Stadium
Round 10: Frankston vs Sandringham at Kinetic Stadium
Round 11: Collingwood vs Casey Demons at Mission Whitten Oval
Round 12: Casey Demons vs Essendon at ETU Stadium
Round 13: Frankston vs Essendon at Kinetic Stadium


The Smithy's VFL fixture will be updated to reflect the changes in scheduling for the Saturday night broadcast matches.

Saturday night lights to shine on VFL

Saturday night football live and free on the Seven Network is coming to the Smithy’s VFL in 2025
www.afl.com.au
 
Sammoll said:
Saturday night football live and free on the Seven Network is coming to the Smithy’s VFL.


In an exciting development, a Saturday night match will feature every round of the 2025 Smithy’s VFL home and away season. The match will be broadcast live and free by the Seven Network via 7mate in Victoria and 7plus Sport nationally from 7:00pm.


The Saturday night broadcast match will be played at multiple venues, including Port Melbourne's ETU Stadium, Carlton's IKON Park, Frankston's Kinetic Stadium and Footscray's Mission Whitten Oval.


AFL Head of State League Competitions, Jennie Loughnan, said: “The introduction of weekly Saturday night football is a fantastic result for the Smithy’s VFL.


“We are thrilled to be continuing our long-standing broadcast partnership with the Seven Network and look forward to showcasing the Smithy’s VFL to more fans via the new Saturday night timeslot,” Loughnan said.


“Having a weekly broadcast match featured in prime-time is a huge win for the Smithy’s VFL, our clubs and our fans.


“Twelve players who were VFL-listed during the 2024 season have been added to AFL lists and we are excited to watch more stars emerge this year.


“We are extremely grateful to our host venues for working with us to bring this concept to life and thank our clubs for their support.”


Seven Network Head of AFL and Sport Innovation, Gary O’Keeffe said: “In 2025, Seven is taking its VFL coverage to the next level, bringing fans prime-time, live, and free state league footy like never before.


“The growth of the game from the grassroots to the elite is extremely important to us at Seven,” he said.


“For the first time, weekly VFL games will hit prime time on Saturday nights, live and free on Seven and streamed on 7plus Sport. This is a game-changer for fans, giving them the chance to watch the next generation of stars shine under the lights in a blockbuster time slot.


“We couldn’t be more excited to deliver state league footy to a bigger audience than ever before, live and free on Seven and 7plus Sport.”


Below is the Seven Network's Smithy's VFL broadcast match schedule for Rounds 1-13.

Round 1: Footscray Bulldogs vs Northern Bullants at Mission Whitten Oval
Round 2: Port Melbourne vs Frankston at ETU Stadium
Round 3: Carlton vs Southport Sharks at IKON Park
Round 4: Port Melbourne vs Essendon at ETU Stadium
Round 5: Essendon vs Collingwood at ETU Stadium
Round 6: Box Hill Hawks vs Richmond at Kinetic Stadium
Round 7: Carlton vs Sandringham at IKON Park
Round 8: Port Melbourne vs Geelong Cats at ETU Stadium
Round 9: Richmond vs Essendon at Kinetic Stadium
Round 10: Frankston vs Sandringham at Kinetic Stadium
Round 11: Collingwood vs Casey Demons at Mission Whitten Oval
Round 12: Casey Demons vs Essendon at ETU Stadium
Round 13: Frankston vs Essendon at Kinetic Stadium


The Smithy's VFL fixture will be updated to reflect the changes in scheduling for the Saturday night broadcast matches.

Saturday night lights to shine on VFL

Saturday night football live and free on the Seven Network is coming to the Smithy’s VFL in 2025
www.afl.com.au
Click to expand...
So we lose a home game? **** you Channel 7. That game should go to two stand alone clubs, same with Richmond/Essendon, Collingwood/Casey and Casey/Essendon.
 
eth-dog said:
So we lose a home game? **** you Channel 7. That game should go to two stand alone clubs, same with Richmond/Essendon, Collingwood/Casey and Casey/Essendon.
Click to expand...
I doubt Essendon would have gotten that fixture if the club objected to it.

Does Windy Hill have the facilities for nighttime broadcasts? If not then the only option is to move it to a venue with broadcast lights, play it in the daytime, or not televise it.
 
I'm happy that the games aren't being exclusively played at North Port Oval. It sucks for clubs that don't have broadcast lights to lose home games but there's no reason to punish the other clubs that do. And I hope the clubs were at least given a choice of moving to a neutral venue or not being televised.
 
AussieNick1999 said:
I doubt Essendon would have gotten that fixture if the club objected to it.

Does Windy Hill have the facilities for nighttime broadcasts? If not then the only option is to move it to a venue with broadcast lights, play it in the daytime, or not televise it.
Click to expand...
Nope. And I'm in favour of not having it televised.
 
AussieNick1999 said:
I'm happy that the games aren't being exclusively played at North Port Oval. It sucks for clubs that don't have broadcast lights to lose home games but there's no reason to punish the other clubs that do. And I hope the clubs were at least given a choice of moving to a neutral venue or not being televised.
Click to expand...
The AFL stand alones and aligned clubs should be moving their home games if anything to accomodate.
 
Flyingleslieskite said:
Essendon don't charge entry to home games so this is a massive overreaction
Click to expand...
Money has nothing to do with it. Stand Alone sides should get first dibs on these games. Also I'd prefer playing our home games on our home ground. Shocking, I know.
 
Why have the bullants of all clubs got a tv game in these first 13 rounds? Yet none for the likes of Werribee who are the reiging premiers and been the domanint stand alone the last few seasons, Williamstown who are usually more often than not up there and Coburg, tipped to be a big improver in 2025 - mind you they are long overdue for a live game on ch7.

Channel seven clearly were preparing for Tarryn Thomas to sign with the Bullants, shame on them
 
Shonuff77 said:
A bit disappointing that Werribee, Coburg and Willy got no Saturday night games even as the away teams.
Click to expand...
Fixture still not announced for Rounds 14 - 21, so hopefully every stand-alone team gets a chance to play in one by the end of the season. It's a pretty big deal for these club's sponsors.
 
Spiny Norman said:
Turns out I was able to get to Port Melbourne's game, so I'll note a few impressions.
Score progression:
Ge: 5.3 (33) 9.3 (57) 10.5 (65) 15.8 (96)
PM: 4.1 (25) 8.4 (52) 8.9 (57) 11.11 (77)
Goalkickers for Port Melbourne (minus whoever kicked Port's first of the fourth - I didn't see clearly who got that one, and while I think I identified Signorello correctly, I could be wrong about who kicked the goal I attribute to him): Manton 3, Davey 1, Baldwin 1, Wanganeen 1, Philp 1, Lloyd 1, Signorello 1, Hird 1

Well, I was expecting a loss, and that turned out to be correct. There are some positive signs. Certainly the problems of recent seasons are yet to be solved, but they're working on it. There were still too many turnovers and poor defense of turnovers, particularly in the first half; the Geelong players got too many easy chains of possession and too much space in front of goal. And of course kicking 0.5 for the third quarter was not exactly ideal. Port Melbourne did have an early lead, but Geelong didn't take long to get the lead themselves, and Port never led again - they could have in the third with better goalkicking, although Geelong were good at responding when Port did kick goals. But pressure and positioning did improve in the second half despite the desired scoreboard result not coming and Geelong continuing to create opportunities and make the most of them. The next step is to put that together for an entire game, and of course also stop turning the ball over and start kicking straight for goal.

I'd have Lazzaro as best on if I had to pick one, closely followed by Kuol Mun and Hooper. Lazzaro really adds some speed to the midfield and is very difficult for opponents to catch. Rosman was very good as well but only played the second half. (I'd wondered how he, Highmore, Baldwin, and Van Es would fit into the side - they didn't play them all at the same time.) Green was good as usual. This was Tom Hird's best game of the preseason; his first half was decent despite some mistakes in positioning, and in the second half he was definitely good (he played mostly midfield but was on a wing for part of the fourth quarter). I am again impressed by Lachie Bond and expect he'll play Round 1. Again, some very good tackles by Lloyd, whom I also expect to see in the round 1 side. Riley Polkinghorne has looked consistently promising in all three preseason games - not dominating, but showing enough that I expect to see him in the round 1 side as well.

No Heppell report, as he didn't play - he was set to play the fourth quarter only but then didn't play at all. I don't know why. Davey seemed a bit more involved in the play than he had in previous games, although he still has a tendency to fumble ground balls. There were some good moments from Wanganeen. I don't recall Baldwin being a main culprit for turnovers this week, and I do like how he contests the ball. There were some good signs from Connor Riley in the first half; I don't particularly remember him in the second.

I don't expect a win over Brisbane's VFL side - probably the best we can hope for is to be competitive all game. Of course we especially need a stronger forward line, as we've discussed here. But there are still signs of improvement. Effort is there, and hopefully over the course of the season the team will gel better. (I'm certainly more optimistic about Port Melbourne's season than Port Adelaide's....)
Click to expand...
How did Farrant go?
 

VFL 2025


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