More than football: Partnerships power Big V weekend

For every footballer, some moments are so special that they stay with them forever.

Almost every player would remember their first game, or even their first goal.  Some are fortunate enough to have played in a premiership team, while a select few can fondly recall the time they kicked the winning goal after the siren.

For 46 of the VAFA’s finest across the men’s and women’s competition, they earned the privilege of representing their state against the combined might of the Adelaide Football League last weekend.

Some of the 46 had worn the Big V before, while others were set to don it for the first time. Regardless, for all it surely stands as one of the great individual achievements of their careers.

But despite the individual efforts required for each player to be selected, one theme kept cropping up over the weekend: partnerships.

It all started at the RACV Club on Friday afternoon, where the VAFA’s past and present came together in a memorable ceremony. In addition to the 2026 squad being present, the teams of 1966, 1976, 1986, 2006 and 2016 had also reunited.

Adding to the occasion, Ian Rice, Matthew Handley and Dick Chandler were all elevated to the status of Big V Champions, as the audience heard of their feats of yesteryear.

Once the class of 2026 had received their guernseys, they all eagerly headed backstage to partake in photo opportunities. But there would not be one person pretending for the camera; it was impossible to wipe the smile off any of their faces.

Standing to the side as the players walked past, the temptation was strong to want to interview every single player – there were stories everywhere you looked.

Jacinta Baxter‘s story could be the most remarkable out of the women’s side.

This time last year, the then 19-year-old had only just broken into the senior lineup for Caulfield Grammarians. Since then, Baxter won last year’s VAFA Rising Star award and maintained such strong form this year that she was named vice-captain of the Big V.

But Baxter brought along plenty of Fields’ teammates to help conquer the state of South Australia. Working alongside her in the midfield would be the tireless run of Rosie Finster, who would be tasked with patrolling the wings.

At either end of the ground, meanwhile, Olivia Rundle and Ruby Dale would be positioned in attack to finish off the hard work of Baxter and Finster, and the calming combination of Brooke Randall and Jade Hillas – wearing No. 8 and 9 respectively – were brought in to use their chemistry to thwart any opposition attacks.

More partnerships.

The experienced Tom Purcell was appointed coach of the women’s side, and ensured a reunion of his own, naming three players that were once under his wing as he coached St Kevin’s to three flags in four seasons: Elyce Hay, Sarah Cameron and Bree Doyle. Partnerships.

But Purcell’s selections weren’t limited to just his VAFA coaching days. Included in his coaching staff was Sydney Swans premiership player Dan Hannebery, who once played under Purcell for Kew Rovers in the Yarra Junior Football League.

Another key appointment among the coaching staff was Marnee Silver, the former coach of West Brunswick. Silver last coached the Magpies in 2024, but at the time coached none other than Taylah Watson, this year’s Big V captain. More partnerships.

From the men’s perspective, one glance at the team sheet and you could see partnerships everywhere.

Daniel Harford and Harry Hill,both being reappointedas coach and captain, respectively, were the most obvious. Harford holds a long-standing connection with the VAFA both as a player and coach, while Hill is the reigning Premiership captain, having led Old Brighton to the summit last year.

Beyond that, almost every player selected was picked alongside a teammate at club level. Every team in the Premier Men’s competition was represented in the squad, and whether that was by design or by coincidence, there’s no doubt it helped the entire playing group bond in the lead-up to the big game.

The odd one out in the squad was Matt Fewings, but he was arguably the feel-good story of the entire team. Representing Mazenod in Premier C, Fewings was the only player selected outside of the Premier Men’s Division. For someone who plays with such intensity and energy, it was unsurprising to see him do everything with a bright smile on the weekend.

But while some partnerships were pre-established, the magic of the Big V helped create others.

Direct combatants on the field for many years, ruckmen Will Clark and Felix Flockart were virtually attached to the hip for the entire trip, sharing meals (and likely notes) throughout. It was somewhat fitting that they would be two of the Big V’s better players on the day.

It is part of the charm of representative football that on-field rivals can come together and form such a strong bond – it will be fascinating to see how they fare when they meet as opponents once again in Round 12.

The flight over was when the reality started to kick in for the playing group. Stuck in a middle seat, I was sandwiched between two people with very different tasks in front of them.

On my left was men’s assistant coach Bernie Dineen. He spoke about his playing days, including the unique achievement of playing competitive football in five different countries, and the brutal misfortune of missing out on three separate state carnivals in South Australia.

In his hand as we spoke was a book titled Legacy by James Kerr. The book is about the New Zealand All Blacks and the strategies that have contributed to their long-standing success. Bernie described it as a book that talks about “leaving the jumper in a better place than you found it.”

To my right was Hillas, who already appeared to be preparing herself for one of the biggest games of her life. In contrast to Dineen, as soon as she sat down, she put on her headphones and kept to herself. I didn’t dare to risk disrupting her preparations.

Once we checked into the hotel, the entire travelling party gathered for dinner. The positive atmosphere that had been on show at the Big V luncheon earlier that day had carried through the flight, and spirits remained high ahead of a big day for the players, but the hard work was just getting started. After dinner, the players broke away for their respective team meetings ahead of the big day.

There was a fair amount of nervous energy among the playing group the following morning. While there was understandably a great deal of excitement, this wasn’t just any ordinary match, a fact that clearly wasn’t lost on the players.

Some of the players spoke during breakfast about their pre-game routines that they had set up for themselves during the season, and the travel and later start times meant that they had to adjust accordingly.

I arrived at Norwood Oval at midday, around half an hour before any of the players did, and while the ground was initially very quiet, that all changed once the women’s team arrived.

Tasked with maintaining its perfect record in representative football, the team left an immediate impression on those already at the ground, bringing ferocious energy to the venue.

The positive support the players showed for each other during the warm-up was emphatic. The camaraderie on display felt closer to a group that had been playing together for several years rather than one that had only been training for several weeks.

The encouragement was audible no matter where you stood on the ground. Even from the commentary position, the girls could be heard loudly in the rooms. It was obvious that they were ready. It felt as if there was no way they were going to lose this match.

The girls duly asserted their dominance from the very start of the game. Watson and Baxter led the way in the middle thanks largely to the tap work of Fitzroy’s Jaime Nelson, while Old Scotch’s Jordan Mifsud established herself as the dominant target in the forward line.

By quarter-time, the girls had piled on five goals while keeping their opposition scoreless, and they only built from there.

Sarah Cameron and Renee Saulitis followed Mifsud’s lead up forward, and their influence on the game grew as a result. Whenever the Big V defence was threatened, Georgia Fraser-Smith was usually there to repel the danger.

Having kept the Adelaide Football League goalless to half-time, the hosts did improve in the second half, but the visitors were always in control, and the 61-point win was appropriately sealed with Watson converting as the final siren sounded.

What followed was symbolic of the team spirit that had been on display right from the start of the weekend, as every Big V ran to their captain and embraced as a team, before belting out the song in the team room moments later.

Jacinta Baxter’s phenomenal 44 disposals, 10 clearances, and 10 score involvements earned her the medal as best afield, while Mifsud was clearly the most impactful forward on the ground, finishing with 3 goals.

In truth, there were up to a dozen players who could have walked away with best-on-ground honours. It was a complete team performance, which is just what the Spirit of the Big V is all about. Team over individual. Partnerships over lone hands.

As the women’s match drew to a close, the men’s team were preparing behind the scenes for their encounter as the Norwood Oval crowd built throughout the afternoon. Despite knowing that they would be pitted against a very strong opponent comprising several former AFL players, there was a real determination to make it two wins from two for the Big V.

Unfortunately, the men’s side couldn’t replicate what the women had achieved earlier in the day. The ADFL started strongly and had the Big V on the back foot early, kicking the first four goals of the match, and never relinquished full control of the game.

However, for all the class that the hosts possessed, the Big V showed tremendous fight after quarter time, and at one stage had trimmed the margin back to 22 points midway through the third term, before a flurry late in the quarter from the ADFL broke the game open, with the margin blowing out in the last stanza.

Despite the heavy 71-point defeat, there were plenty in the Big V who could hold their head high. Flockart and Clark combined superbly around the ground, and Ben Huggard set the standard across all four quarters. Charlie Cormack grew into the game, while captain Harry Hill never stopped trying.

The final act of the day took place in the Premiers’ Bar, where the playing groups of both clubs came together for the post-match presentations, with both coaches addressing the room as the players watched a third match playing out on the oval – a State of Origin charity match.

While the day ultimately concluded with an equal measure of joy and disappointment in the VAFA camp, the final gathering gave the players a chance to reflect on what they had achieved both as individuals and as a collective.

Not only are they now part of the next lineage of Big V representatives, but the memories and partnerships that they had formed with their new teammates will surely remain a highlight of their careers for years to come.