How do you feel about the squad selected?
My knowledge is nowhere near as good as most of you posting here, but I'm happy with the selections from Port Melbourne.
I think on a ground like Port if we play a physical contested style of game, we will be well placed to knock the WAFL over. I note that there are less Victorians in the WAFL state side than in the last 2 or 3 times we've played them.
I'm tipping a 4 goal win to the Vics. Looking forward to the game!
Thats not my estimate - its a official figure given by the club. Last weekends game was estimated by some to have had 1,500 people and definetelly not as big a crowd as when Port plays. Don;t worry about that Bourke St offer - we will pass :)
Port has the biggest memebrship in the league with over 1000 members so if only a few hundred of the away supporters turn up then theirs 1,500 - thats not even taking into account the port fans who pay at the door, neutrals, members bringing friends along etc etc.
an interesting persepective on the state of VFL football from A WA football journalist
https://thewest.com.au/sport/the-tuesday-wafl---vfl-demise-a-warning-to…
The sad decline and seemingly inevitable demise of the VFL should sound a loud and clear warning to WA football.
But the game was crucial for shining a spotlight on much more than just the result.
It revealed that the life has been sucked out of the VFL and that football is much the poorer for the shell that remains.
Barely 500 spectators showed up at the boutique North Port Oval in Port Melbourne, the recipient of $8 million in redevelopment money only a year or two ago, while there was just a handful of Victorian officials at the pre and post-match functions.
There was no publicity for the State match in Melbourne, not a word of news or comment in the mainstream media.
Little things can say a lot and playing and presenting as a rabble tells you that Victorian club footy is in dire straits.
The reasons are obvious.
The growth of the national competition has overwhelmed a league competition that started life as the Victorian Football Association in 1877 but now has little identity, pride or role other than as a training ground for fringe AFL players.
It is purely player-first – AFL reserves players that is – and as a result is on its death bed as a league.
Sure, there are standalone clubs like Port Melbourne but the once-mighty Borough is riddled with debt, had to ask its players to forego their match payments in the opening round this season and might not be able to withstand a further financial buffeting.
Having a competition with a major focus being the preparation of AFL fringe players means that traditional elements like winning games and flags, producing and developing young talent and maintaining the decades of heritage that underpin any great institution become irrelevant.
And when relevance is lost, what reason is there to exist?
In reply to an interesting persepective by Wally from Wil…
Spot on the money.
I hope VFL and club adminstrators take note,
Yep 100% correct The AFL VIC/ VFL admistrators couldnt care less its just a job for them They have no love or passion for the current bullshit VFLwhich is dying before our eyes.
Even myself havent been to a game this season to watch what now is basically thr St Kilda reserves and most likely I wont go in the future
The alignments are killing the VFL. Forcing good players to suburban comps eg Trent Dennis Lane, And the AFL reserves teams are happy to top up with players from suburban comps.
Wonder what will eventually be left of the VFL when the AFL does away with its reserves teams? Port, Willy, Coburg and maybe Nth Ballarat and Frankston. It would be a miracle if the AFL aligned VFL teams could survive.
In reply to Thats not my estimate - its a by MegaA
Mega A you are having a lend of yourself if you think all 1000 port members turn up to all matches The AFL clubs esitmate that only 45=50% of members turn to games and I dont think Port or any VFL would be any different
or 25% in the case of North Melbourne
on another issue, wasn't Bill Kelty tasked with conducting a review of second-tier football?? What ever happened with that, or is he still conducting it? Surely that would encompass the future structure of the VFL and/or AFL Reserves competition(s).
Kevin Hillier hinted in my local newspaper last week that in future the AFL Reserves comp will be resurrected and the old VFA clubs will be hived off to a new super suburban competition, not sure where that would leave the aligned clubs & North Ballarat.
From his column in Star Weekly, May 25
Kevin hillier i remember him running around for the mighty northcote dragons.