Issues raised about inequity of scrimmage games as AFLW players look for on-field minutes
AFL · Sarah Black · 2026-08-20T06:39:37+00:00 · nguồn gốc
THERE are concerns about inequity for unselected AFLW players, with most Victorian clubs fully utilising the VFLW competition over the weekend.
Nine teams – bar Richmond, who do not have a VFLW-aligned side – fielded unselected players through full-blown VFLW matches, with Carlton and St Kilda also sending some seniors to play in the twos, given they had a week off AFLW.
In all, 46 AFLW-listed players took part in a VFLW match, with approximately 40 AFLW-listed non-Victorian players participating in AFL-organised scrimmages.
There are a further two rounds of the VFLW season to come, with Collingwood, North Melbourne and Carlton already qualifying for finals. The Western Bulldogs and Geelong are also a chance of featuring.
Six of the eight non-Victorian clubs participated in the scrimmage in Adelaide over the weekend, which is open to every team.
Club requirements around minutes played and positions required means scrimmages can often end up being as low as 9 v 9 on a full-size field.
The lengthy travel required can be an issue – with the scrimmage location moving around the country in an attempt at evenness – while clubs will often send a staffer with players (given the usual youth of those not selected) which spreads thin resources even further.
Scrimmage participation is optional and clubs can opt-in on a week-by-week basis.
The SANFLW season is into the last two weeks of finals, the WAFLW will hold its Grand Final this weekend, while the QAFLW has three weeks of finals remaining.
Elsewhere, Essendon veteran Bess Keaney made her return to football in the VFLW after giving birth to her daughter.
There is a provision in the CBA to allow players ruled inactive through pregnancy/post-partum to return mid-season if ticked off by medical staff. Emily Goodsir (GWS) and Sammie Johnson (Melbourne) have made use of this rule in the past.
The club then plays with an extra player on their list and doesn't have to relinquish the replacement player who was originally signed.
AFLW-listed players featuring in the VFLW last weekend:
Carlton – Gab Pound, Lily Baxter, Aisling Reidy, Brooke Boileau, Brooke Vickers, Lou-Lou Field, Tara Bohanna, Kiara Bischa
Collingwood – Liv Lewis, Ellie Brady, Georgia Knight
Essendon – Sophie Strong, Madi Ibrahim, Brooke Walker, Bess Keaney, Emma Dineen
Geelong – Sienna Tallariti, Annie Lee, Kate Surman, Jasmin Stewart, Renee Morgan, Caitie Tipping
Hawthorn (Box Hill) – Najwa Allen, Mikaylah Antony, Lavinia Cox, Jess Vukic
North Melbourne-Werribee – Abby Favell, Sarah Wall, Maddy Torpey, Shauna McElligot, Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner
Melbourne (Casey) – Laela Ebert, Tahlia Fellows, Alyssia Pisano, Amelia Dethridge
St Kilda (Sandringham) – Chelsea Sutton, Kyla Forbes, Emmelie Fiedler, Maya Louvel-Finn
Western Bulldogs – Analea McKee, Ellie Gavalas, Keeley Hardingham, Mizuki Brothwell, Lou Stephenson, Brooke Barwick, Lauren Ahrens