VFL VFL pre-season 2025 (list changes, updates)

[sr36]

no VFL team is going to be succesful when they are starting from scratch every season because they are losing all their experienced players.

Yep. And you're going to try to get them to play the AFL game plan so hte AFL blisted guys can slot more easily into an AFL role, but the fill ins aren't going to know it well enough and the team becomes a mess.

 

[Jen2310]

Yep. And you're going to try to get them to play the AFL game plan so hte AFL blisted guys can slot more easily into an AFL role, but the fill ins aren't going to know it well enough and the team becomes a mess.

Thats why they make our VFL game plan the same as our AFL game plan. Just not easy to adapt as young vfl players new in the system.

 

[Obese Arachnid]

Yep. And you're going to try to get them to play the AFL game plan so hte AFL blisted guys can slot more easily into an AFL role, but the fill ins aren't going to know it well enough and the team becomes a mess.

It's a bugbear of mine but I think, finally, monetary wise we are getting closer to the AFLPA looking at increased list sizes & minimum wages so that you can earn a better than average wage playing a back up role in the VFL.

More to it than that but screw you for making me try & make a point.

Burp!!!

 

[Vinnie Vegas]

Might not be so easy to find under 22 players who are good VFL players and not on an AFL list?

We seem to be one of the only teams unable to do it.

Look at the nominations for the F-R-M Medal - We're basically the only team not on the list.

Every year, the players we sign to the VFL list is a veritable "who's that" of unsigned guys. There's no "this guy narrowly missed out on being drafted" or "this 19 year old won his B&F in the VAFA" or something else where the players achievements are notable.

Maybe there's just no one out there, but when we're consistently doing worse than every other club at this, I have to look towards intention and effort.

There are a bunch of 19 year olds on this list, who were considered mid-season draft candidates this year, but weren't taken. They're obviously going pretty well, and if they were playing in the TAC Cup as an overager this season they will be looking for a new club, but we never sign anyone with a name that's ever been in an article before.

 

[sr36]

We seem to be one of the only teams unable to do it.

Look at the nominations for the F-R-M Medal - We're basically the only team not on the list.

Every year, the players we sign to the VFL list is a veritable "who's that" of unsigned guys. There's no "this guy narrowly missed out on being drafted" or "this 19 year old won his B&F in the VAFA" or something else where the players achievements are notable.

Maybe there's just no one out there, but when we're consistently doing worse than every other club at this, I have to look towards intention and effort.

There are a bunch of 19 year olds on this list, who were considered mid-season draft candidates this year, but weren't taken. They're obviously going pretty well, and if they were playing in the TAC Cup as an overager this season they will be looking for a new club, but we never sign anyone with a name that's ever been in an article before.

The number 1 choice in the midseason draft came from us. Ned Moyle really early a couple of years before. I'm not seeing us as doing consistently worse than others in this space.

If you do add a good one, they're gone in half a season. And frankly neither of them were VFL stars when taken in the draft. Your not going to improve the team much with under 21s.



Ned Long was also under 21.

 

[barrackers]

Reckon signing mature players as spp was in part to improve our vfl side last year. Bytel, Sullivan and Eyre (when played in defence) could all star at vfl level. It looked promising early before injuries hit.

 

[sr36]

Reckon signing mature players as spp was in part to improve our vfl side last year. Bytel, Sullivan and Eyre (when played in defence) could all star at vfl level. It looked promising early before injuries hit.

Yeah, in theory, our move to less draftees should benefit the VFL team as our depth is going to be a bit older and more experienced than other clubs.

However, I just think you're stuffed if injuries hit. You're bringing in a heap of fill ins who aren't going to hit the patterns we want them to run within our game plan.

 

[Harry O]

VFL rules make it pretty hard for a mature list like Pies to attract and retain second tier talent.

7 U22 have to play each game (including 23rd man rule).
Since we would struggle with Pies players U22 to fill that rule (do we even have 7 U22?), it's more likely we play more in this space than other teams.

As a fair number of our AFL listed players who would play VFL are over 22, it reduces the prospect of mature players getting games every week unless the AFL has injuries.
With the VFL siding needing to fill more of the U22 players to satisfy the rule at the expense of a mature player.

Contrast this with a club where the majority of U22 will come from the AFL and those clubs will attract more of the better VFL players because they are more likely to get a game due to the U22 requirements been filled by the AFL list.

Richmond manage their VFL team infinitely better than we do Recruit much better types. And get quite a few of them drafted

 

[Vinnie Vegas]

The number 1 choice in the midseason draft came from us.

He wasn't under 22 though, so not relevant to the discussion.

If you do add a good one, they're gone in half a season.

First, I'd say: great! Happy to have our good young players go in the MSD every year. It'll prove that our talent evaluation is top notch. Good problem to have in my book.

But secondly, plainly, they're not all gone in half a season. Every single person on that link I posted went undrafted in the MSD (granted some of them are over 22 as well). There's really not that many guys taken from the VFL every year, certainly not enough to chuck the baby out with the bathwater in terms of trying to have solid young talents as part of the VFL squad.

This year will be a good measuring stick - It's a strong and deep draft, which is almost certain to leave some fairly strong players going undrafted as 18 year olds and looking for a new home.

 

[sr36]

He wasn't under 22 though, so not relevant to the discussion.

First, I'd say: great! Happy to have our good young players go in the MSD every year. It'll prove that our talent evaluation is top notch. Good problem to have in my book.

But secondly, plainly, they're not all gone in half a season. Every single person on that link I posted went undrafted in the MSD (granted some of them are over 22 as well). There's really not that many guys taken from the VFL every year, certainly not enough to chuck the baby out with the bathwater in terms of trying to have solid young talents as part of the VFL squad.

This year will be a good measuring stick - It's a strong and deep draft, which is almost certain to leave some fairly strong players going undrafted as 18 year olds and looking for a new home.

How many of the under 22 ones are good VFL players? We drafted one of them in Smit and he's a good prospect but hardly a gun VFL player.

The reality of the 21 and under players is that more than any other age group multiple tiers of ability are on AFL lists. By the time footballers are 25+ only the good ones have survived in the AFL, and the second tier guys are playing elsewhere - they're the blokes you're going to spend your VFL salary cap on if you want to have a competitive team.

 

[Vinnie Vegas]

How many of the under 22 ones are good VFL players?

The ones nominated for the Fothergill-Round-Mitchell medal? 100% of those guys are good VFL players, and not a single one of them is from Collingwood.

Last year Campbell Hustwaite was nominated, but we lost him this season (probably largely due to the ill-advised choice to add a crab like Bytel to our list when he was never really going to be of significant value)

 

[sr36]

The ones nominated for the Fothergill-Round-Mitchell medal? 100% of those guys are good VFL players, and not a single one of them is from Collingwood.

Last year Campbell Hustwaite was nominated, but we lost him this season (probably largely due to the ill-advised choice to add a crab like Bytel to our list when he was never really going to be of significant value)

The point is why would you have your VFL regulars as 19 year olds rather than 25 year olds? Get good VFL players as your VFL regulars and usually you're going to meet the under age requirement with AFL list guys. You'll have years like this year when you have so many injuries that it all goes to shit - but having better VFL 19-21 year olds rather than listing guys like Sparkes, Glover, Lane doesn't seem to be a good idea to me

 

[Vinnie Vegas]

The point is why would you have your VFL regulars as 19 year olds rather than 25 year olds?

Because they count towards the quota.

They don't all need to be in that age range, but I think it's negligent to have nothing but guys in their mid 20s who have no improvement in them.

 

[Mollythedolly]

Because they count towards the quota.

They don't all need to be in that age range, but I think it's negligent to have nothing but guys in their mid 20s who have no improvement in them.

I’m less concerned about the u22’s than I am with the retention of quality senior VFL players and those we’ve historically signed to replace departees. The departure of Hustwaite and Tardrew and retirement of Jetta last year more significant to the team than the recruitment of a couple of 19-22 year olds, and we seem to struggle to replace them with quality. Lane and Sparkes this year will again hurt.

We do add heaps of 19-22 year olds. If there is a downside in who we target it’s that we do give undrafted NGA’s and FS’s good opportunity, often to our detriment. Flip side is the message it sends to the kids coming through those programs that we’ll give them every opportunity.

 

[Jen2310]

I’m less concerned about the u22’s than I am with the retention of quality senior VFL players and those we’ve historically signed to replace departees. The departure of Hustwaite and Tardrew and retirement of Jetta last year more significant to the team than the recruitment of a couple of 19-22 year olds, and we seem to struggle to replace them with quality. Lane and Sparkes this year will again hurt.

We do add heaps of 19-22 year olds. If there is a downside in who we target it’s that we do give undrafted NGA’s and FS’s good opportunity, often to our detriment. Flip side is the message it sends to the kids coming through those programs that we’ll give them every opportunity.

Our experience and leadership we lost with Tardrew and Hustwaite was noticeable, but felt Glover and Lane did a good job this year. But now we're losing Lane, and Sparkes, who while wasn't experienced compared to others, he feels like a big loss too.

But we'll add our NGA's to this vfl list. They'll play as overagers for oakleigh too I imagine. Though Dougie probably won't play until mid season with his ACL