2025 VAFA Fixture Calendar released
The VAFA has released its fixture calendar for 2025, with all competitions to kick off on Saturday April 5 and play two rounds before the Easter Bye. Four grading rounds
Mitch Dyer
If you played in Division 3 Men’s this week, there was a 20% chance you were a part of a side that won by over 90 points as the cream of the crop rose to remind the competition that if you want to be the best, you better get recruiting.
Let’s kick things off with Wattle Park easily accounting for Swinburne University at home. Starting the first quarter with a bang, Swinburne left their kicking boots at home, struggling to find the majors with defenders under siege from any of the 10 goal scorers for the Animals. Wattle Park comes out of the round 6 battle with a huge percentage booster managing to run away 123-point winners to record the biggest winning margin of 2023 and sit three wins and three losses to kick start their campaign.
Moving onto the battle of the middle, it was Power House taking on Richmond Central in a bid to ascend the ladder into the top four for one side and into the contention of a finals spot for the other. It’s been almost a theme all season for the Snakes with a hot start seeing the side run out to an early lead into the half off the back of some Jake Dillon brilliance and hard contested footy. On the back foot Power House managed to keep the visiting side scoreless in the final quarter, trailing from 17 points to run out 10-point winners in what truly was a come from behind miracle for a Saturday afternoon. Big games from Michael Timmons, Max McCulloch and the defenders of Power House means the side can breathe a little easier heading into round 7.
Next up two giants went at it as the cream of the crop (as I like to put it) fought it out for supremacy of what could be a grand final preview. Elsternwick and Hawthorn were sure to be a showstopper and boy it lived up to the hype, with the Hawks coming back from a disappointing first quarter to lead into the half. Elsternwick, who you will remember played as a part of last year’s finals series then put their foot on the gas and ripped the breaks out, rectifying some errant kicking to steam ahead by 22 points from a strong Hawks side.
The final game of the round was contested between the bookends of the competition, as the only other side I believe can sneak into a grand final spot, Canterbury, took on La Trobe University. The Cobras have been near perfect thus far in 2023 having only lost one game through the first six rounds, and this past weekend was never going to be a question of how so but rather, how much. When the score read 89 to 3 in the first half every fan of La Trobe must have nearly packed up the car and committed to round 7 being a better time, however to their credit the side stemmed the flow of an 86-point deficit to only fall by 98 to the Cobras. For Canterbury big man Tom Lowden, it was another four goal haul whilst 11 of his other teammates decided to join the party to take honors as the most goal scorers in a singular side this round.
The VAFA has released its fixture calendar for 2025, with all competitions to kick off on Saturday April 5 and play two rounds before the Easter Bye. Four grading rounds
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