# 2023 VAFA season

The 2023 VAFA season was the 122nd season of the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA), the largest senior community Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season began on 15 April and concluded on 15 September, with 63 teams participating across seven divisions under a promotion and relegation system.

## Background

Accounting firm William Buck signed a three-year sponsorship deal extension with the VAFA on 24 April 2023, which included continuing the naming rights for the "William Buck Premier Division", continuing a partnership that began in the 2010s.
The VAFA signed a three-year agreement with KommunityTV, News Corp Australia's live-streaming platform, which saw the platform exclusively broadcast 48 matches throughout 2024. KommunityTV had broadcast 2022 finals matches as part of a trial arrangement.

## Association membership

Following the conclusion of the 2022 season, Manningham Cobras merged with Yarra Old Grammarians in order to keep both clubs viable on and off-field. On 19 September 2022, the formation of Old Yarra Cobras Football Club was announced.
In November 2022, the VAFA revealed Westbourne Grammarians Football Club would not field senior teams in 2023 (having meant to be relegated from Division 3) to Division 4), and would instead field a team in the Thirds competition. However, Westbourne announced on 31 March – around two weeks before the start of the season – that they would not field the thirds team, instead using 2023 to "regroup" as a club.
On 23 February 2023, Premier C club Old Mentonians announced that they would go into recess and not field any teams in 2023 because of a player shortage.

### Name changes

Prahran/Assumption members voted on 30 November 2022 to revert to the club's traditional name of Prahran Football Club, which was reflected in the 2023 season.
Additionally, Emmaus St Leo's renamed to Wattle Park Amateurs Football Club due to "extenuating circumstances".

## Notable events

* During the round 8 match between La Trobe University and Elsternwick in Division 3 on 3 June, a 21-year-old La Trobe University accidentally slapped Elsternwick player Ashley Quinn (a Victoria Police officer) while marking the ball. Quinn grabbed the player and punched him multiple times to the face, breaking his nose and causing the match to be temporarily halted. Quinn fronted the Moorabbin Magistrates' Court in August 2024 on one charge of intentionally causing injury, and was sentenced to a six-month diversion.
* On 15 July, VAFA defeated Perth Football League 20.10 (130) to 17.9 (111) in extra time in a representative game, the first representative victory for the VAFA since 2018.
* On 2 September, during the Division 3 semi-final between Elsternwick and Hawthorn, a Hawthorn player was allegedly punched in the back of a head by a spectator, later identified as former Hawthorn AFL player Shem Tatpu. The player was taken to hospital while Tatpu was arrested by police, however he was later released from custody.
* On 3 August, the VAFA announced that 33 previously-unnamed perpetual awards and trophies would be renamed to honour people "who have given distinguished service" to the VAFA or its clubs.
* St John's was removed from the Division 3 reserves grand final after it was found that they had fielded an ineligible player in the preliminary final against Box Hill North, with Box Hill North taking its place in the grand final against North Brunswick.
* Former West Brunswick reserves captain-coach Ron "Banjo" Patterson, who played a senior premiership in 1960 and won the reserves best and fairest medal in 1969, died on 17 March 2023.
* Former Old Haileybury player Alan Ross, who was part of the club's inaugural senior premiership in 1963, died in May 2023.

## Premier

Collegians won their 18th Premier Division premiership, defeating St Kevin's by 85 points.

### Ladder

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Collegians (P) | 18 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 1707 | 945 | 180.6 | 60 | Finals series |
| 2 | University Blues | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 1343 | 1149 | 116.9 | 52 | Finals series |
| 3 | Old Scotch | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1638 | 1053 | 155.6 | 48 | Finals series |
| 4 | St Kevin's | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1471 | 1084 | 135.7 | 48 | Finals series |
| 5 | Old Brighton | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 1306 | 1221 | 107.0 | 36 |
| 6 | Old Xaverians | 18 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 1347 | 1311 | 102.8 | 32 |
| 7 | University Blacks | 18 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 1200 | 1352 | 88.8 | 32 |
| 8 | Old Melburnians | 18 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 1222 | 1592 | 76.8 | 24 |
| 9 | Old Haileybury | 18 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 1103 | 1468 | 75.1 | 24 | Relegation |
| 10 | Caulfield Grammarians | 18 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 848 | 2010 | 42.2 | 4 | Relegation |
Source: Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. (P) Premiers

### Finals

| | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | |
| Sunday, 24 September (2:30pm) | Collegians | def. | St Kevin's | Elsternwick Park |
| | 6.7 (43) 9.8 (62) 16.13 (109) 19.16 (130) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 1.0 (6) 5.4 (34) 5.6 (36) 6.9 (45) | |
| 5: Ferguson, Mirra 2: Greene, Michie 1: Ong, Watson,Walker, Bazzani, Pocknee | 5: Ferguson, Mirra 2: Greene, Michie 1: Ong, Watson,Walker, Bazzani, Pocknee | Goals | 2: Kerr 1: Tucker, Mansfield, Hodges, Kennedy | 2: Kerr 1: Tucker, Mansfield, Hodges, Kennedy |
| Ferguson, Mirra, Beilby, Cassidy, Hibbins, Michie | Ferguson, Mirra, Beilby, Cassidy, Hibbins, Michie | Best | Hodges, Critchley, Tucker, Richards | Hodges, Critchley, Tucker, Richards |

### Team of the Year

2023 VAFA Premier Team of the Year :
| B: | Matt Warren (Collegians) | Marty Gleeson (University Blues) | Luke McCleary (Collegians) |
| HB: | Sam Sofronidis (Collegians) | Campbell Moorfield (University Blacks) | Brodie Steele (Old Haileybury) |
| C: | Jim Bazzani (Collegians) | Kenny Ong (Collegians) | Tom Cutler (University Blues) |
| HF: | Mitch Wallis (St Kevin's) | David Mirra (c) (Collegians) | Henry Brown (Old Scotch) |
| F: | Charlie MacIsaac (Old Xaverians) | James Tarrant (Old Scotch) | Will Pocknee (Collegians) |
| Foll: | Josh Steadman (University Blacks) | Ben Harding (Old Melburnians) | Luke Winter (St Kevin's) |
| Int: | Tom Fisher (Old Brighton) | Aidan Franetic (Old Scotch) | Marcus Stavrou (Old Xaverians) |
| Int: | Brodie Easton (Old Scotch) | | |
| Coach: | Jared Rivers (Collegians) | Jared Rivers (Collegians) | Jared Rivers (Collegians) |

### Club best and fairest

| Club | Winner |
| Caulfield Grammarians | Matt Clarkson |
| Collegians | Sam Sofronidis |
| Old Brighton | Tom Fisher |
| Old Haileybury | Durras Seccull |
| Old Melburnians | Ben Harding |
| Old Scotch | Aidan Franetic |
| Old Xaverians | Marcus Stavrou |
| St Kevin's | Cal Matheson |
| Luke Winter |
| University Blacks | Lachlan Knight |
| University Blues | Marty Gleeson |

### Club leadership

| Club | Coach | Leadership group | Leadership group | Leadership group | Ref |
| Club | Coach | Captain(s) | Vice-captain(s) | Other leader(s) | Ref |
| Caulfield Grammarians | Guy McKenna | Joey McClelland | Harry Schaffer (vc), Jack Ellwood (dvc), Jack Webster (dvc) | Oscar Roberts, Jasper Rouget, Will Vessely, Oscar Ursini | |
| Collegians | Jared Rivers | Sam Hibbins | Viv Michie, Corey Cassidy | David Mirra, Luke McCleary, Matt Warren, Jim Bazzani | |
| Old Brighton | Dan Donati | Harry Hill | Tom Fisher, Michael Karayannis, Hamish Dick, Tom Yorgey | | |
| Old Haileybury | | James Paul | Brede Seccull, Brodie Steele | Durrus Seccull, Jack Munro, Max Sinclair, Sam Loewe, Will Paul, Josh Gasparini | |
| Old Melburnians | | Jackson Paine | Will Nichols | Lachie Haysman, Ben Haysman, Ed Smart, Dan Coffield, Ed Michelmore | |
| Old Scotch | Mark Gnatt | | | | |
| Old Xaverians | | Marcus Stavrou | Billy Gowers (vc), Denis Symeopoulos (dvc), Alex Trigar (dvc) | | |
| St Kevin's | Anthony Lynch | | | | |
| University Blacks | | Campbell Moorfield, Josh Steadman | | Lachlan Knight, Henry Bennett, Nick Hey | |
| University Blues | | Ayce Cordy | | | |

## Premier B

St Bernard's won their 5th Premier B premiership, defeating Fitzroy by 31 points in the grand final to complete a perfect season. Fitzroy was promoted to the highest grade the first time since the club entered the VAFA.

### Ladder

Beaumaris were found to have fielded an ineligible player in their round 11 loss to St Bedes/Mentone Tigers and round 12 victory over St Bernard's. On 18 July, the VAFA announced Beaumaris would lose the four premiership points that was gained in their victory, along with their "points for" score from both games. Beaumaris appealed the decision, but it was upheld on 3 August.
As a result of gaining the four points that Beaumaris had lost, St Bernard's finished with a perfect season.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | WF | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | St Bernard's (P) | 18 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1925 | 905 | 212.7 | 72 | Finals series |
| 2 | Fitzroy | 18 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1530 | 1184 | 129.2 | 48 | Finals series |
| 3 | De La Salle | 18 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1358 | 1135 | 119.7 | 48 | Finals series |
| 4 | Beaumaris | 18 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1553 | 1143 | 135.9 | 44 | Finals series |
| 5 | Old Geelong | 18 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1473 | 1266 | 116.4 | 44 |
| 6 | St Bedes/Mentone Tigers | 18 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1485 | 1423 | 104.4 | 44 |
| 7 | Williamstown CYMS | 18 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 1436 | 1594 | 90.1 | 28 |
| 8 | Old Trinity | 18 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 1031 | 1354 | 76.1 | 24 |
| 9 | AJAX | 18 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 1085 | 1852 | 58.6 | 4 | Relegation |
| 10 | Monash Blues | 18 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 954 | 2114 | 45.0 | 4 | Relegation |
Source: Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. (P) Premiers

### Finals

| | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | |
| Saturday, 23 September (2:30pm) | St Bernard's 15.13 (103) | def. | Fitzroy 10.12 (72) | Elsternwick Park |
| Both teams promoted to Premier Division ||||||

### Club best and fairest

| Club | Winner |
| AJAX | Benji Krongold |
| Beaumaris | Cal Heath |
| De La Salle | Christian Algeri |
| Fitzroy | Donovan Toohey |
| Monash Blues | Daniel Easson |
| Old Geelong | Harry Kol |
| Old Trinity | Ollie Scott |
| Harry Thompson |
| St Bedes/Mentone Tigers | Michael Barnes |
| Caleb Lewis |
| St Bernard's | Jordan Farrell |
| Williamstown CYMS | Jordan Busuttil |

## Premier C

As a result of Old Mentonians withdrawing prior to the start of the season, Premier C only had nine teams, with each having two byes and playing 16 games. Additionally, only one team would be relegated to Division 1, instead of the usual two.

### Ladder

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Old Camberwell | 16 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 1257 | 921 | 136.5 | 56 | Finals series |
| 2 | Old Ivanhoe (P) | 16 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 1417 | 974 | 145.5 | 46 | Finals series |
| 3 | PEGS | 16 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 1174 | 971 | 120.9 | 46 | Finals series |
| 4 | Parkdale Vultures | 16 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 1256 | 1086 | 115.7 | 38 | Finals series |
| 5 | Hampton Rovers | 16 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 1144 | 1233 | 92.8 | 28 |
| 6 | Mazenod | 16 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 1014 | 1097 | 92.4 | 28 |
| 7 | Old Carey | 16 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 1054 | 1161 | 90.8 | 24 |
| 8 | Marcellin | 16 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 925 | 1407 | 65.7 | 12 |
| 9 | Ormond | 16 | 2 | 13 | 1 | 1035 | 1426 | 72.6 | 10 | Relegation |
Source: Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. (P) Premiers

### Finals

| | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | |
| Saturday, 23 September (2:30pm) | Old Ivanhoe 14.20 (104) | def. | Old Camberwell 9.8 (62) | Trevor Barker Beach Oval |
| Both teams promoted to Premier B ||||||

### Club best and fairest

| Club | Winner |
| Hampton Rovers | Liam O'Driscoll |
| Marcellin | Matthew Capetola |
| Mazenod | |
| Old Camberwell | James Allen |
| Old Carey | Tom Jepson |
| Old Ivanhoe | Patrick Naish |
| Ormond | Luke Kennedy |
| Parkdale Vultures | |
| PEGS | Alex McLeod |

## Division 1

On 7 June 2023, Preston Bullants parted wats with senior coach George Cotsonis, who was in his second season in the role. He was replaced by Tom Hill, a former Greater Western Sydney and Western Bulldogs-listed player.
Following the conclusion of the season, in which they finished last, Ivanhoe left the VAFA and transferred to the Northern Football Netball League for 2024.
Preston was ultimately not relegated for the 2024 season as part of the VAFA's aim to keep all divisions at 10 teams each.

### Ladder

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Glen Eira (P) | 18 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 1593 | 969 | 164.4 | 64 | Finals series |
| 2 | Oakleigh | 18 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 1650 | 1114 | 148.1 | 56 | Finals series |
| 3 | Prahran | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 1642 | 1047 | 156.8 | 52 | Finals series |
| 4 | UHS-VU | 18 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 1311 | 1230 | 106.6 | 40 | Finals series |
| 5 | Therry Penola | 18 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 1289 | 1177 | 109.5 | 40 |
| 6 | Old Peninsula | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 1363 | 1431 | 95.3 | 36 |
| 7 | Kew | 18 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 1209 | 1218 | 99.3 | 32 |
| 8 | West Brunswick | 18 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 958 | 1527 | 62.7 | 16 |
| 9 | Preston Bullants | 18 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 1203 | 1739 | 69.2 | 12 | Relegation |
| 10 | Ivanhoe | 18 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 886 | 1652 | 53.6 | 8 | Relegation |
Source: Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. (P) Premiers

### Finals

| | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | |
| Saturday, 16 September (2:30pm) | Oakleigh 6.13 (49) | def. by | Glen Eira 15.13 (103) | Trevor Barker Beach Oval |
| Both teams promoted to Premier C ||||||

### Club best and fairest

| Club | Winner |
| Glen Eira | Lachlan Myers |
| Ivanhoe | |
| Kew | Max Waters |
| Oakleigh | |
| Old Peninsula | Jake Lovett |
| Prahran | Rory Brodie |
| Preston Bullants | |
| Therry Penola | Jackson Young |
| UHS-VU | Finn Urie |
| West Brunswick | Emlyn Nettleton |

## Division 2

Parkside won their first-ever Division 2 premiership, and their first senior premiership since 1988, defeating Old Yarra Cobras (who were in their first VAFA season) by three points.
Following the conclusion of the season, in which they finished seventh, Old Paradians left the VAFA and transferred to the Northern Football Netball League for the 2024 season.

### Ladder

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Parkside (P) | 18 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 1589 | 958 | 165.9 | 60 | Finals series |
| 2 | Brunswick | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 1476 | 1203 | 122.7 | 52 | Finals series |
| 3 | Old Yarra Cobras | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 1572 | 1276 | 123.2 | 50 | Finals series |
| 4 | South Melbourne Districts | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1416 | 1151 | 123.0 | 48 | Finals series |
| 5 | Whitefriars | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1677 | 1416 | 118.4 | 48 |
| 6 | MHSOB | 18 | 7 | 10 | 1 | 1341 | 1456 | 92.1 | 30 |
| 7 | Old Paradians | 18 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 1227 | 1428 | 85.9 | 26 |
| 8 | Bulleen Templestowe | 18 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 1041 | 1622 | 64.2 | 20 |
| 9 | St Mary's Salesian | 18 | 4 | 13 | 1 | 1277 | 1625 | 78.6 | 18 | Relegation |
| 10 | Aquinas | 18 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 1213 | 1694 | 71.6 | 8 | Relegation |
Source: Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. (P) Premiers

### Finals

| | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | |
| Sunday, 17 September (2:30pm) | Parkside 10.8 (68) | def. | Old Yarra Cobras 10.5 (65) | Coburg City Oval |
| Both teams promoted to Division 1 ||||||

### Club best and fairest

| Club | Winner |
| Aquinas | Josh Glennie |
| Brunswick | Angus Ross |
| Bulleen Templestowe | Jack Anderson |
| MHSOB | Julian Eimutis |
| Old Paradians | Marcus Nolan |
| Old Yarra Cobras | Nick Zappala |
| St Mary's Salesian | Jack Elliston |
| South Melbourne Districts | Jamie Brooker |
| Parkside | |
| Whitefriars | Daniel Wood |

## Division 3
### Ladder

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Elsternwick (P) | 18 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 1936 | 1120 | 172.8 | 64 | Finals series |
| 2 | Hawthorn | 18 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 2234 | 1280 | 174.5 | 56 | Finals series |
| 3 | Canterbury | 18 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 1845 | 1142 | 161.6 | 56 | Finals series |
| 4 | Wattle Park | 18 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 1587 | 1324 | 119.9 | 44 | Finals series |
| 5 | Richmond Central | 18 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 1286 | 1581 | 82.4 | 28 |
| 6 | Power House | 18 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 1382 | 1627 | 84.9 | 24 |
| 7 | La Trobe University | 18 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 900 | 1769 | 50.9 | 12 | Relegation |
| 8 | Swinburne University | 18 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 948 | 2295 | 41.3 | 4 | Relegation |
Source: Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. (P) Premiers

### Finals

| | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | |
| Saturday, 16 September (2:30pm) | Hawthorn 12.6 (78) | def. by | Elsternwick 21.19 (145) | Box Hill City Oval |
| Both teams promoted to Division 2 ||||||

### Club best and fairest

| Club | Winner |
| Canterbury | Michael Topp |
| Elsternwick | |
| Hawthorn | Will Meehan |
| Justin Raiti |
| La Trobe University | Matt Ogle |
| Power House | Sean Scotland |
| Richmond Central | Lochie Conboy |
| Swinburne University | |
| Wattle Park | |

## Division 4

Division 4 was abolished at the end of the season and merged into Division 3.

### Ladder

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | North Brunswick (P) | 18 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1970 | 631 | 312.2 | 70 | Finals series |
| 2 | Box Hill North | 18 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 1719 | 1340 | 128.3 | 42 | Finals series |
| 3 | Albert Park | 18 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 1436 | 1377 | 104.3 | 40 | Finals series |
| 4 | St John's | 18 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 1216 | 1413 | 85.0 | 32 | Finals series |
| 5 | Masala Dandenong | 18 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 1537 | 1496 | 102.7 | 28 |
| 6 | Eley Park | 18 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 863 | 2466 | 35.0 | 4 |
Source: Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. (P) Premiers

### Finals

| | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | |
| Sunday, September 17 (2:30pm) | North Brunswick 10.9 (69) | def. | Albert Park 8.6 (54) | Garvey Oval |
| Both teams promoted to Division 3 ||||||

### Club best and fairest

| Club | Winner |
| Albert Park | |
| Box Hill North | Blake Williams |
| Eley Park | Kane Scanlon |
| Masala Dandenong | |
| North Brunswick | |
| St John's | |