# 2022 VAFA season

The 2022 VAFA season was the 121st season of the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA), the largest senior community Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season began on 2 April and concluded on 23 September, with 66 teams participating across seven divisions under a promotion and relegation system.
This was the first VAFA season since 2019 where finals series were held and premiers awarded, following the cancellation of the 2020 season and the curtailing of the 2021 season due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Background

KommunityTV, News Corp Australia's live-streaming platform, began a trial arrangement with the VAFA to broadcast finals matches in 2022.

## Notable events

* After declining relegation from Premier C following their last-placed finish in 2021, the Preston Bullants had its first win in 931 days in round 1 against UHS-VU, the club it had defeated in the 2019 Division 1 grand final.
* Several matches on 13 August 2022 were cancelled due to lightning. Old Xaverians defeated Old Trinity in Premier Division after leading at half-time prior to the match being called off, while Old Camberwell drew with Old Peninsula in Division 1 after the match was cancelled entirely.
* Fitzroy coach Luke Mahoney was awarded the 2022 AFL Victoria Coach of the Year award.

## Premier

St Kevin's won the Premier Division premiership for the third time, defeating Old Brighton by 22 points in the grand final.

### Ladder

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | St Kevin's (P) | 18 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 1539 | 920 | 167.3 | 60 | Finals series |
| 2 | Collegians | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 1380 | 1142 | 120.8 | 52 | Finals series |
| 3 | Old Xaverians | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1516 | 1036 | 146.3 | 48 | Finals series |
| 4 | Old Brighton | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1388 | 1203 | 115.4 | 48 | Finals series |
| 5 | Old Melburnians | 18 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 1329 | 1262 | 105.3 | 44 |
| 6 | University Blues | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 1296 | 1252 | 103.5 | 36 |
| 7 | Old Scotch | 18 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 1423 | 1489 | 95.6 | 32 |
| 8 | Caulfield Grammarians | 18 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 1204 | 1498 | 80.4 | 20 |
| 9 | Old Trinity | 18 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 879 | 1547 | 56.8 | 12 | Relegation |
| 10 | St Bernard's | 18 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 893 | 1498 | 59.6 | 8 | Relegation |
Source: Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. (P) Premiers

### Finals

| | 2022 VAFA Premier Grand Final | 2022 VAFA Premier Grand Final | 2022 VAFA Premier Grand Final | |
| Sunday, 18 September (2:30pm) | St Kevin's | def. | Old Brighton | Trevor Barker Oval |
| | 1.3 (9) 1.10 (16) 3.14 (32) 5.16 (46) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 1.3 (9) 1.4 (10) 2.5 (17) 3.6 (24) | |
| J. Darmody 2, S. Kennedy 2, L. Winter | J. Darmody 2, S. Kennedy 2, L. Winter | Goals | F. Flockart, H. Dick, A. Jarnestrom | F. Flockart, H. Dick, A. Jarnestrom |
| T. Jok, C. Ross, J. Tynan, W. Coates, L. Winter, J. Holden | T. Jok, C. Ross, J. Tynan, W. Coates, L. Winter, J. Holden | Best | H. Dick, A. Jarnestrom, Q. Montanaro, W. Lewis, F. Flockart, M. Kennedy | H. Dick, A. Jarnestrom, Q. Montanaro, W. Lewis, F. Flockart, M. Kennedy |
| The grand final was initially scheduled to be held at Elsternwick Park, but it was moved to Trevor Barker Oval due to the continued poor state of Elsternwick Park which had culminated in unprecedented conditions during the Premier B grand final on 17 September. ||||||

### Club best and fairest

| Club | Winner |
| Caulfield Grammarians | Declan Reilly |
| Collegians | Kenny Ong |
| Old Brighton | Harry Hill |
| Old Melburnians | Josh Freezer |
| Old Scotch | Tyler Sellers |
| Old Trinity | Harry Thompson |
| Old Xaverians | Marcus Stavrou |
| St Bernard's | Jordan Farrell |
| St Kevin's | Luke Winter |
| University Blues | Marty Gleeson |

## Premier B

Old Haileyburians won the Premier B premiership for the fourth time, defeating favourites University Blacks by five points in the grand final.

### Ladder

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | University Blacks | 16 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 1444 | 679 | 212.7 | 60 | Finals series |
| 2 | Beaumaris | 16 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 1449 | 962 | 150.6 | 52 | Finals series |
| 3 | Old Haileybury (P) | 16 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 1660 | 940 | 176.6 | 44 | Finals series |
| 4 | Fitzroy | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 1124 | 1082 | 103.9 | 36 | Finals series |
| 5 | De La Salle | 16 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 1094 | 1131 | 96.7 | 28 |
| 6 | St Bedes/Mentone Tigers | 16 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 1109 | 1251 | 88.7 | 26 |
| 7 | AJAX | 16 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 1075 | 1308 | 82.2 | 26 |
| 8 | Williamstown CYMS | 16 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 1062 | 1619 | 65.6 | 12 |
| 9 | Old Carey | 16 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 816 | 1861 | 43.9 | 4 | Relegation |
Source: Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. (P) Premiers

### Finals

| | 2022 VAFA Premier B Grand Final | 2022 VAFA Premier B Grand Final | 2022 VAFA Premier B Grand Final | | |
| Saturday, 17 September (2:30pm) | University Blacks | def. by | Old Haileybury | Elsternwick Park | |
| | 0.1 (1) 1.1 (7) 2.5 (17) 2.5 (17) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 1.5 (11) 1.5 (11) 2.6 (18) 2.10 (22) | Ian Cordner Medal: Joshua Steadman (University Blacks) | Ian Cordner Medal: Joshua Steadman (University Blacks) |
| N. Hey, N. Caris | N. Hey, N. Caris | Goals | B. Seccull, J. Munro | B. Seccull, J. Munro |
| J. Steadman, B. Oliver, H. Bennett, L. Vescio, J. Quaile, M. Dea | J. Steadman, B. Oliver, H. Bennett, L. Vescio, J. Quaile, M. Dea | Best | B. Seccull, L. Riley, J. Paul, J. Gasparini, W. Gown, A. Bradtke | B. Seccull, L. Riley, J. Paul, J. Gasparini, W. Gown, A. Bradtke |
| Heavy rain during the final quarter of the Premier B reserves grand final, which was the curtain-raiser to the senior grand final, resulted in appalling muddy ground conditions, resulting in a difficult and low scoring match. Old Haileybury's score of 2.10 (22) was the second-lowest score in the club's history, almost breaking its record of 2.8 (20) against Old Xaverians in 1998. ||||||

### Club best and fairest

| Club | Winner |
| AJAX | Jordan Cohen |
| Beaumaris | Jak Nardino |
| De La Salle | Jake Williams |
| Fitzroy | Ted Clayton |
| Old Carey | Jonathan Marsh |
| Old Haileybury | Jack Lonie |
| St Bedes/Mentone Tigers | Tom Tyquin |
| University Blacks | Campbell Moorfield |
| Williamstown CYMS | Tom Johnstone |

## Premier C

Monash Blues won the Premier C premiership for the second time, defeating Old Geelong by 21 points in the grand final.

### Ladder

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Monash Blues (P) | 20 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 1867 | 894 | 208.8 | 72 | Finals series |
| 2 | Hampton Rovers | 20 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 1826 | 1231 | 148.3 | 60 | Finals series |
| 3 | Mazenod | 20 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 1734 | 1379 | 125.7 | 52 | Finals series |
| 4 | Old Geelong | 20 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 1821 | 1278 | 142.5 | 48 | Finals series |
| 5 | Old Ivanhoe | 20 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 1714 | 1383 | 123.9 | 48 |
| 6 | Parkdale Vultures | 20 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 1521 | 1197 | 127.1 | 44 |
| 7 | Ormond | 20 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 1536 | 1496 | 102.7 | 40 |
| 8 | Marcellin | 20 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 1345 | 1539 | 87.4 | 28 |
| 9 | Old Mentonians | 20 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 1381 | 1631 | 84.7 | 28 |
| 10 | UHS-VU | 20 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 1050 | 2052 | 51.2 | 16 | Relegation |
| 11 | Preston Bullants | 20 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 893 | 2608 | 34.2 | 4 | Relegation |
Source: Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. (P) Premiers

### Finals

| | 2022 VAFA Premier C Grand Final | 2022 VAFA Premier C Grand Final | 2022 VAFA Premier C Grand Final | | |
| Friday, 23 September (2:30pm) | Monash Blues | def. | Old Geelong | Trevor Barker Oval | |
| | 2.1 (13) 4.5 (29) 7.7 (49) 8.9 (57) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 2.3 (15) 3.3 (21) 4.6 (30) 5.6 (36) | Best on ground: Beau Harris (Monash Blues) | Best on ground: Beau Harris (Monash Blues) |
| N. Darling 3, R. Smart, C. Cosgriff, N. Argento, S. Simpson, T. Le Lievre | N. Darling 3, R. Smart, C. Cosgriff, N. Argento, S. Simpson, T. Le Lievre | Goals | C. Dixon 2, S. Dixon, S. Hooper, S. Anderson | C. Dixon 2, S. Dixon, S. Hooper, S. Anderson |
| C. Cosgriff, N. Argento, M. King, N. Darling, B. Harris, D. Easson | C. Cosgriff, N. Argento, M. King, N. Darling, B. Harris, D. Easson | Best | W. Horsfall, J. Sheridan, S. Dixon, J. Anderson, L. Radcliffe, C. Dixon | W. Horsfall, J. Sheridan, S. Dixon, J. Anderson, L. Radcliffe, C. Dixon |
| The grand final was initially scheduled to be held at Elsternwick Park, but it was moved to Trevor Barker Oval due to the continued poor state of Elsternwick Park which had culminated in unprecedented conditions during the Premier B grand final on 17 September. ||||||

### Club best and fairest

| Club | Winner |
| Hampton Rovers | Christian Carnovale |
| Marcellin | Patrick Howe |
| Mazenod | Matthew Fewings |
| Monash Blues | Mac Cameron |
| Old Geelong | Jack Sheridan |
| Old Ivanhoe | Sam Wilcox |
| Old Mentonians | |
| Ormond | Dae Szydlik |
| Parkdale Vultures | Charlie Yee |
| Preston Bullants | Rory Howard |
| UHS-VU | Ben Dimatinna |

## Division 1

PEGS won the Division 1 premiership for the second time, defeating Old Camberwell by 27 points in the grand final.

### Ladder

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | PEGS (P) | 18 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 1875 | 740 | 253.4 | 68 | Finals series |
| 2 | Kew | 18 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 1038 | 1634 | 157.4 | 58 | Finals series |
| 3 | Old Camberwell | 17 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 1556 | 914 | 170.2 | 48 | Finals series |
| 4 | Glen Eira | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1492 | 951 | 156.9 | 48 | Finals series |
| 5 | Prahran Assumption | 18 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 1409 | 1187 | 118.7 | 42 |
| 6 | Oakleigh | 18 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 1461 | 1339 | 109.1 | 40 |
| 7 | Therry Penola | 18 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 1294 | 1583 | 81.7 | 28 |
| 8 | Old Peninsula | 17 | 4 | 13 | 1 | 1028 | 1421 | 72.3 | 16 |
| 9 | Whitefriars | 18 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 992 | 1611 | 61.6 | 12 | Relegation |
| 10 | St Mary's Salesian | 18 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 777 | 2734 | 28.4 | 0 | Relegation |
Source: Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. (P) Premiers

### Finals

| | 2022 VAFA Division 1 Grand Final | 2022 VAFA Division 1 Grand Final | 2022 VAFA Division 1 Grand Final | |
| Saturday, 10 September (2:30pm) | PEGS | def. | Old Camberwell | Trevor Barker Oval |
| | 6.4 (40) 6.5 (41) 9.9 (63) 12.12 (84) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 0.1 (1) 2.4 (16) 5.5 (35) 8.9 (57) | |
| J. Fenner 4, R. Simmons 2, A. Frazer, S. Ghasimzadeh, D. Benson, J. Erougian, B. Hannah, A. Binns | J. Fenner 4, R. Simmons 2, A. Frazer, S. Ghasimzadeh, D. Benson, J. Erougian, B. Hannah, A. Binns | Goals | R. Verbi 3, N. Latsas, L. Thomas, H. Crothers, B. Hart, W. Dalrymple | R. Verbi 3, N. Latsas, L. Thomas, H. Crothers, B. Hart, W. Dalrymple |
| S. Whillas, J. Fenner, R. Macdonald, C. Livori, A. Horne, B. Hannah | S. Whillas, J. Fenner, R. Macdonald, C. Livori, A. Horne, B. Hannah | Best | J. Allen, B. Hart, R. Verbi, W. Dalrymple, A. Milham, T. Oliver | J. Allen, B. Hart, R. Verbi, W. Dalrymple, A. Milham, T. Oliver |

## Division 2

Ivanhoe won the Division 2 premiership for the first time, defeating West Brunswick by one point in the grand final. It was Ivanhoe's first senior premiership in any division since 1969.
This was the last season for the Manningham Cobras and the Yarra Old Grammarians, which merged ahead of the 2023 VAFA season to form the Old Yarra Cobras Football Club.

### Ladder

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Ivanhoe (P) | 18 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 1881 | 864 | 217.7 | 64 | Finals series |
| 2 | West Brunswick | 18 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 1760 | 882 | 199.6 | 60 | Finals series |
| 3 | Brunswick | 18 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 1653 | 931 | 177.6 | 54 | Finals series |
| 4 | Old Paradians | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 1443 | 1087 | 132.8 | 52 | Finals series |
| 5 | MHSOB | 18 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 1569 | 1165 | 134.7 | 46 |
| 6 | Aquinas | 18 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 1289 | 1357 | 95.0 | 32 |
| 7 | Bulleen Templestowe | 18 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1036 | 1360 | 76.2 | 24 |
| 8 | Yarra Old Grammarians | 18 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 1119 | 1617 | 69.2 | 12 |
| 9 | Power House | 18 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 841 | 2083 | 40.4 | 8 | Relegation |
| 10 | Manningham Cobras | 18 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 721 | 1966 | 36.7 | 8 | Relegation |
Source: Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. (P) Premiers

### Finals

| | 2022 VAFA Division 2 Grand Final | 2022 VAFA Division 2 Grand Final | 2022 VAFA Division 2 Grand Final | |
| Sunday, 11 September (2:30pm) | Ivanhoe | def. | West Brunswick | Trevor Barker Oval |
| | 2.3 (15) 3.5 (23) 5.6 (36) 9.9 (63) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 3.2 (20) 7.6 (48) 8.8 (56) 9.8 (62) | |
| A. Close 5, A. Pipakis, C. O'Brien, N. Godfrey, L. Svarc | A. Close 5, A. Pipakis, C. O'Brien, N. Godfrey, L. Svarc | Goals | B. Hutchins 3, T. Cottrell 3, L. Buckler, E. Hayes-Hills, B. Irving | B. Hutchins 3, T. Cottrell 3, L. Buckler, E. Hayes-Hills, B. Irving |
| N. Carter, W. Schultz, C. O'Brien, A. Close, S. Selwood, J. Andonovski | N. Carter, W. Schultz, C. O'Brien, A. Close, S. Selwood, J. Andonovski | Best | M. Turnbull, M. Risstrom, D. Ferrier, T. Cottrell, A. Rizzardo, E. Hayes-Hills | M. Turnbull, M. Risstrom, D. Ferrier, T. Cottrell, A. Rizzardo, E. Hayes-Hills |

## Division 3

South Melbourne Districts won the Division 3 premiership for the second time, defeating Parkside by 12 points in the grand final.

### Ladder

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | South Melbourne Districts (P) | 16 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 1342 | 766 | 175.2 | 52 | Finals series |
| 2 | Elsternwick | 16 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 1595 | 968 | 164.8 | 52 | Finals series |
| 3 | Canterbury | 16 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 1770 | 1065 | 166.2 | 48 | Finals series |
| 4 | Parkside | 16 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 1332 | 968 | 137.6 | 40 | Finals series |
| 5 | Emmaus St Leo's | 16 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 1277 | 1020 | 125.2 | 24 |
| 6 | Hawthorn | 16 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 1337 | 1276 | 104.8 | 24 |
| 7 | Richmond Central | 16 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 1130 | 1266 | 89.3 | 24 |
| 8 | North Brunswick | 16 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 854 | 1119 | 76.3 | 24 | Relegation |
| 9 | Westbourne Grammarians | 16 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 496 | 2685 | 18.5 | 0 | Relegation |
Source: Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. (P) Premiers

### Finals

| | 2022 VAFA Division 3 Grand Final | 2022 VAFA Division 3 Grand Final | 2022 VAFA Division 3 Grand Final | |
| Saturday, 10 September (2:30pm) | South Melbourne Districts | def. | Parkside | Garvey Oval |
| | 3.3 (21) 4.3 (27) 6.7 (43) 7.9 (51) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 0.2 (2) 1.5 (11) 3.6 (24) 5.9 (39) | |
| G. Dixon 3, O. Dufficy 2, J. Brooker, L. Sfetkidis | G. Dixon 3, O. Dufficy 2, J. Brooker, L. Sfetkidis | Goals | M. Holden 2, D. Douglas, L. Balcombe, J. Hamilton | M. Holden 2, D. Douglas, L. Balcombe, J. Hamilton |
| G. Dixon, O. Dufficy | G. Dixon, O. Dufficy | Best | J. Hamilton, M. Romano, S. Mackie, M. Holden, B. Douglas | J. Hamilton, M. Romano, S. Mackie, M. Holden, B. Douglas |

## Division 4

La Trobe University won the Division 4 premiership for the second time, defeating Swinburne University by 15 points in the grand final.

### Ladder

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | La Trobe University (P) | 15 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1788 | 591 | 302.5 | 56 | Finals series |
| 2 | Swinburne University | 16 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 1404 | 1135 | 123.7 | 52 | Finals series |
| 3 | St John's | 15 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 1295 | 826 | 156.8 | 44 | Finals series |
| 4 | Masala Dandenong | 16 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 1350 | 1341 | 100.7 | 28 | Finals series |
| 5 | Albert Park | 15 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 1147 | 1267 | 90.5 | 24 |
| 6 | Eley Park | 16 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 765 | 1891 | 40.5 | 8 |
| 7 | Box Hill North | 15 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 722 | 1420 | 50.9 | 4 |
Source: Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. (P) Premiers

### Finals

| | 2022 VAFA Division 4 Grand Final | 2022 VAFA Division 4 Grand Final | 2022 VAFA Division 4 Grand Final | |
| Sunday, 11 September (2:30pm) | La Trobe University | def. | Swinburne University | Garvey Oval |
| | 2.3 (15) 5.7 (37) 6.8 (44) 11.11 (77) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 0.2 (2) 3.5 (23) 9.7 (61) 9.8 (62) | |
| R. Alexander 4, M. Ogle, P. Lindsay, D. Thorn, B. Dowler, T. Whelan, B. Vicary, C. Scanlon | R. Alexander 4, M. Ogle, P. Lindsay, D. Thorn, B. Dowler, T. Whelan, B. Vicary, C. Scanlon | Goals | A. Vesty 3, C. Tayler-Turner 3, T. Ryan 3 | A. Vesty 3, C. Tayler-Turner 3, T. Ryan 3 |
| M. Ogle, R. Alexander, A. Castles, R. Keath, T. Whelan, L. Webb | M. Ogle, R. Alexander, A. Castles, R. Keath, T. Whelan, L. Webb | Best | B. Field, T. Hartney, R. Barry, A. Vesty, T. Ryan, L. Randello | B. Field, T. Hartney, R. Barry, A. Vesty, T. Ryan, L. Randello |