VFA / VFL News

From the Herald Sun
Reported by Paul Amy
Full article - Click here

THE 2015 VFL season kicks off on Friday with Werribee hosting Geelong under lights. Leader sports editor Paul Amy rounds up each club’s ins and outs.

BOX HILL HAWKS

Coach: Marco Bello

Last year: runner-up to Footscray Bulldogs

In: Cadeyn Williams (Richmond), Jack Sandric (Hobart City), Lochie Adey, James Handley (Blackburn), Matthew Burt, Chris Jones, Liam Kidd, Matthew Traynor (Eastern Ranges), Billy Murphy, Sam Switkowski (Northern Knights), James Sullivan (Tatura), Patrick Dillon (Donvale), Xavier Dimasi (Assumption/Calder Cannons), Ben Fitzpatrick (Korumburra/Bena), Dalton Graham (Sandringham).

Out: Luke Andrews, Callan Burns, Corey Cassidy, Sam Cust, Jackson Eade, Tom Goodwin, Jake Kalanj, Tom Miles, Xavier Murphy, Matt Northe, Nick Papadopoulos, Kalem Post, Michael Thompson, Brandon Wood.

The verdict: the Hawks have lost top-line midfielders in Xavier Murphy and Luke Andrew as well as the emerging Brandon Wood. But they’ve picked up former Tiger Cadeyn Williams and have good young players coming through in support of senior men Sam Iles, David Mirra, Marc Lock and Liam Tobin. Premiers in 2013 and runners-up last year, there’s no reason to think there will be a slackening of standards.

Player watch: Mitch O’Donnell. He’s as hard as a coffin nail and he’ll be granted more opportunity after an excellent pre-season.

Celebrating season 2014 with the Casey Scorpions and A Positive Move

Click on read more for a full club by club report.

FRIDAY APRIL 17
Geelong 12.12.84 def Werribee 10.6.66

Northern Blues(VFL) vs AFL/AIS Academy at MCG 10:25am (C/R to Rich vs WB)
Richmond vs Footscray at Punt Road 11am
Essendon vs Geelong at True Value Solar Centre 12pm
Collingwood vs North Ballarat at Victoria Park 12:30pm
Port Melbourne vs Coburg at Northport Oval VFL 10am DL 1pm
Williamstown vs Box Hill Hawks at Burbank Oval DL 11am VFL 2pm
Casey Scorpions vs Werribee at Casey Fields DL 11am VFL 2pm
Frankston vs Sandringham at Frankston DL 11am VFL 2pm
Northern Blues(Dev League) vs North Ballarat City at Ikon Park 3pm

GOOD FRIDAY APRIL 3
Northern Blues vs Box Hill Hawks at Ikon Park DL 10am VFL 1pm
Coburg vs Frankston at Piranha Park DL 10am VFL 1pm

EASTER SATURDAY APRIL 4
Collingwood vs Casey Scorpions at Olympic Park 10:30am
Essendon vs Richmond at True Value Solar Centre 11am
Geelong vs Footscray at Simonds Stadium 11am
Port Melbourne vs Sandringham DL 10am VFL 1pm

From the Official VFL website
Full article - Click here

The Grand Final replay between Footscray and Box Hill Hawks headlines the opening round of the 2015 Peter Jackson VFL season, with the fixture released today.

The VFL season will kick off on Friday April 17 under lights at Avalon Airport Oval between Werribee and Geelong, with Footscray to unveil its 2014 premiership flag on the Saturday at VU Whitten Oval under new coach Ash Hansen.

The VFL fixture features 15 clubs, with each side to play 18 games and have two byes across a 20 round season.

Grand Final day will not be the only time VFL action heads to Etihad Stadium in 2015, with the Northern Blues to face North Ballarat (Round 5) and Frankston (Round 11) in AFL curtain raiser games.

Night football will again be a feature of the VFL season with four games fixtured to be played under lights – two of these at Bendigo’s Queen Elizabeth Oval.

Frankston, Werribee and Port Melbourne will all host ANZAC Day matches in Round 2, while the Round 8 Coburg versus Northern Blues clash will be the first Queens Birthday VFL game since 2009.

From Sunday Age
Reported by Daniel Cherny
Full Story Click Here

The revival of curtain-raisers at Carlton home games seems likely to be confined to just two matches in 2015, with low-drawing dates against expansion teams pin-pointed as likely options.

The AFL last month flagged its intention to return double-headers to AFL venues in a bid to spruce up the matchday experience for supporters. Several Victorian clubs including the Blues, Essendon and Collingwood have put their hands up to participate. The respective clubs' VFL teams were identified to host the games prior to the matches.

The VFL released its first draft fixture to clubs last week, and while not a single game at either the MCG or Etihad Stadium was officially slated in the fixture, it is understood several games have been mooted for transfer to these venues ahead of the official release expected in mid-December.

In the Blues' case, the home games on May 16 against GWS and June 28 against Gold Coast have been targeted. The matches will likely be preceded by Carlton's VFL affiliate - the Northern Blues - taking on North Ballarat and Frankston respectively.

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 16
VAFA vs Australian GAA at Trevor Barker Oval, Sandringham 11:45am
AFL Victoria vs Ireland at Trevor Barker Oval, Sandringham 2pm

Admission is Free

Here is a link to rules and squads for today's game http://www.foxsportspulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?client=1-118-0-0-0&&news_ta...

From The Age
Reported by Brent Diamond
Full article - Click here

St Kilda's VFL affiliate Sandringham has appointed Saints assistant Paul Hudson as its coach for the next two seasons in the last of the coaching reshuffle in the VFL ranks.

Hudson will take over from Saints development coach Simon McPhee, who will concentrate on his role at St Kilda next season after stepping down, despite leading the Zebras to a breakthrough finals berth.

Hudson is familiar with the Zebras after playing a match-day role with the prominent VFL club over the past three seasons. The former AFL forward is expected to take the alignment into its last era with St Kilda planning to field a standalone team from 2017.

Zebras general manager John Mennie said Hudson had already become a valuable asset to Sandringham.