THERE has been much discussion about the role that the VFL competition plays for football in Victoria, and the role it plays for AFL clubs.
The current competition is made up of stand alone VFL clubs (Frankston, Port Melbourne), aligned VFL/AFL clubs (Werribee/Kangaroos, Nth Ballarat/Kangaroos, Northern Bullants/Carlton, Casey/Melbourne, Coburg/Richmond, Sandringham/St Kilda, Williamstown/Western Bulldogs) and AFL stand alone teams Geelong and Collingwood.
The VFL is going through an interesting period. It wants to hold on to its great history and the tradition of its league, but it is also forced (in most cases) to play a role for the AFL clubs, in order to survive.
I have experienced VFL from all angles.
When I was not drafted as an 18-year-old, I went to Williamstown.
That was in 1996, when the team was made up of some VFA legends such as Tony Pastore, Danny Delre and Saadi Ghazi. It was mixed in with a group of talented youngsters, who had spent a couple of years on AFL lists and hadn’t made it, or, as I was, a player who had missed out on the draft and wanted to play the best level of footy in Victoria.
I consider my first year at Williamstown as one of my most enjoyable years playing footy.
It was when games against traditional rivals Werribee and Port Melbourne felt as big as Collingwood/Carlton, or an Adelaide/Port Adelaide showdown.
I was reminded of the importance of these games after debuting at Williamstown, which was against Werribee at Point Gellibrand.
It was a close, hard fought (as they all were) battle, which we were able to win by about a goal.
It was a super atmosphere during the game, but it was the atmosphere after the game that blew me away.
Supporters came from everywhere after the game to shout us at the bar, and the overwhelming feeling was that we had done them a huge favour by beating Werribee.
If we were only going to win four games for the year, make it against Werribee and Port Melbourne twice!
It was fair to say that I handled the game much better than I did the celebrations afterwards.
My second stint in the VFL was again at Williamstown, as an aligned listed player with the Western Bulldogs. My third stint was with Essendon, as a top-up player with their own VFL side, and my fourth and final stint was as a Williamstown-listed player, which was then aligned with Collingwood.
As you can see, the VFL was a very important part of my playing career.
It provided me with my first opportunity to get drafted, by allowing me to stay in Victoria and compete at a high level. It provided me again, during my years at Essendon, with an opportunity to stay in the sights of AFL clubs, and a competition where I could compete against AFL listed players.
Finally, it gave me a chance to get drafted again at 26, and live my dream at Port Adelaide.
I’m not sure in what form it will survive into the future, but the VFL competition is important to football in Victoria. It should be seen as good an option for any young footballer who misses out on the AFL draft, and wants to continue improving their footy.
Currently we lose too many players to other states and many potential AFL players to local leagues.
I have the VFL competition to thank for all of my opportunities.
It was a close, hard fought (as they all were) battle, which we were able to win by about a goal.
It was a super atmosphere during the game, but it was the atmosphere after the game that blew me away.
Supporters came from everywhere after the game to shout us at the bar, and the overwhelming feeling was that we had done them a huge favour by beating Werribee.
If we were only going to win four games for the year, make it against Werribee and Port Melbourne twice!
It was fair to say that I handled the game much better than I did the celebrations afterwards.
My second stint in the VFL was again at Williamstown, as an aligned listed player with the Western Bulldogs. My third stint was with Essendon, as a top-up player with their own VFL side, and my fourth and final stint was as a Williamstown-listed player, which was then aligned with Collingwood.
As you can see, the VFL was a very important part of my playing career.
It provided me with my first opportunity to get drafted, by allowing me to stay in Victoria and compete at a high level. It provided me again, during my years at Essendon, with an opportunity to stay in the sights of AFL clubs, and a competition where I could compete against AFL listed players.
Finally, it gave me a chance to get drafted again at 26, and live my dream at Port Adelaide.
I’m not sure in what form it will survive into the future, but the VFL competition is important to football in Victoria. It should be seen as good an option for any young footballer who misses out on the AFL draft, and wants to continue improving their footy.
Currently we lose too many players to other states and many potential AFL players to local leagues.
I have the VFL competition to thank for all of my opportunities.
