For the Love of the Game

Jason Bennett & Paddy Grindlay bring you the 2025 VAFA Awards Show, where the final League Best & Fairest leaderboards are announced for every section except Premier Men's & Women's. Every winner is interviewed in a show that always delivers wonderful back-stories & depths of emotion as we celebrate individual excellence across the VAFA in 2025.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Bennett, Paddy Grindlay & Matthew Donald bring you a blockbuster episode of FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME as they look back at an action-packed weekend of Premier Grand Finals, then preview the final game of the season - the Premier Men's Grand Final. The boys review the weekend's premiership deciders with: Old Trinity premiership coach DONALD McDONALD as the T's slide the trophy into the cabinet & start thinking about the challenge of Premier Men's next season; Beaumaris skipper CAL LINEHAN talks us through the Sharks' Premier C Grand Final triumph & their chance to tackle the challenge of Premier B once again in 2026; Best afield in the Premier Women's Grand Final - Old Scotch star JORDY MIFSUD - after her team secured back-to-back top-flight women's premierships for the first time in club history. Then we look ahead to William Buck Premier Men's Grand Final Day with: Old Brighton captain HARRY HILL, who provides us with some insights into how his team plans to deliver the Tonners' first ever top-flight title; Old Scotch skipper ANDY JELBART tells us what his team needs to do to win back-to-back flags; VAFA Media expert DANIEL WARD talks us through how he sees the big game panning out & the Keys to Success for both teams. Plus VAFA news-breaker BRAYDEN MAY on the latest talking points around the VAFA. Throw in Paddy & Matty's Grand Final tips and you've got yourself one of the biggest episodes of the entire season, FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME - thanks to MECWACARE!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Bennett, Paddy Grindlay & Matthew Donald bring you one of the biggest episodes of the entire season as they review 8 Grand Finals from the past weekend, then preview another 7 from the coming weekend! The team catch up with: CHRISTOS MANOUSSAKIS (Old Trinity) & WILL EDWARDS (Caulfield Grammarians) to preview Saturday's Premier B Grand Final; BOTH William Buck Premier Women's Grand Final coaches - DEAN ANDERSON (Old Scotch) & DANI DI STEFANO (Caulfield Grammarians) to preview Sunday's decider; BOTH Premier C Grand Final coaches - JOSH BOURKE (Beaumaris) & LACHIE BUSZARD (AJAX) ahead of Sunday's big one at Trevor Barker Beach Oval. Plus: They review the PREMIER MEN'S SEMI FINALS & look ahead to this weekend's Preliminary Final between Old Xavs & Old Scotch; Our Divisional expert BRAYDEN MAY joins us to talk through our Division 1, 2 and 3 Grand Finals, including an incredible game featuring 23 minutes of extra time! We preview this weekend's Holmesglen UNDER 19 PREMIER Grand Final as Old Brighton & St Kevin's run it back for a second straight year. So much September goodness to unpack in one enormous episode, FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME, thanks to MECWACARE!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Bennett, Paddy Grindlay & Matthew Donald grab a cloth & clean their bi-focals to take a clearer look at a Week 20 of VAFA action that saw six new premiers crowned, some incredible Semi Finals and an Extra Time thriller! The team catch up with: Old Trinity coach DONALD McDONALD after his team progressed straight through to the Premier B Grand Final with a Second Semi win over Old Ivanhoe; St Mary's Salesian skipper ADRIENNE JONES after her team survived the drama, tension & excitement of an Extra Time Grand Final to claim the Women's Division 3 premiership; Our Divisional Expert BRAYDEN MAY, who talks us through Preliminary Final weekend & previews this weekend's 6 x Divisional Grand Finals. Plus: A comprehensive wrap of everything that happened in Premier C, Under 19 Premier, Premier Women's across Semi Final weekend & a preview of what to look for on Preliminary Final weekend; A preview of this weekend's Premier Men's Semi Final blockbusters. All that and more FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME, thanks to MECWACARE!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Bennett, Paddy Grindlay & Matthew Donald dive into a thrilling Week 19 of VAFA action as the Premier sections wrapped their home & away seasons, while the Divisions got stuck into Finals & the Thirds crowned 6 new Premiers! The boys catch up with: Old Scotch coach MARK GNATT after his team came from the clouds over the final 3 weeks to sneak into fourth & keep their premiership defence alive... after one of our panelists declared it 'officially over' a few weeks back (and Mark keeps receipts)... Old Carey coach LUKE GILES after his team also timed its run perfectly to rise up & snatch fourth spot in Premier B, setting up a cut-throat Semi Final against Caulfield Grammarians this weekend. Plus we: Wrap up the home & away season for all our Senior Men's & Women's sections; Take a look at the packed finals schedule up & down the sections with our Divisional Guru BRAYDEN MAY; Review all 6 completed Men's Thirds Grand Finals & celebrate our winners; Preview the 6 Grand Finals coming up this weekend Predict our Semi Final winners for Premier Women's, Premier B & Premier C Men's So much to enjoy in a bumper episode of FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME, thanks to MECWACARE!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  Finals are the most exciting time on the footy calendar, but it's no simple task to manage 31 different finals series across 8 weeks.   In this episode of our semi-regular podcast series INSIDE THE VAFA, Jason Bennett & Paddy Grindlay explore the process of FINALS FIXTURING with VAFA CEO, JASON REDDICK.   How is the VAFA Finals fixture constructed?   What are the guiding principles as to who plays where & when?   Why do we play finals at non-VAFA venues?   What happens behind the scenes for the VAFA to match-manage 97 finals games & 31 Grand Finals across the course of 8 weeks? Take a peek behind the curtain for some interesting insights into the running of the biggest senior football competition in Australia as we take you INSIDE THE VAFA, thanks to MECWACARE!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Bennett, Paddy Grindlay & Matthew Donald unpack a hectic Week 18 of VAFA action as the Premier sections head towards the final round, the Divisions close out the home & away season and the Thirds confirm their Grand Final line-ups. The boys catch up with: The VAFA's first centurion of 2025 - Richmond Central's JAKE DILLON - after he kicked his 100th goal on the weekend. Oakleigh coach CHRIS WORNER after the Krushers bounced back from relegation in 2024 to turn things around & storm home to sneak into the finals in thrilling fashion. Therry Penola legend JARROD EGGLESTONE, who has hung up the boots (for now) after a stellar 18-year senior career. Plus, our regular favourites: VAFA newshound BRAYDEN MAY with his weekly Divisional Wrap; TON WATCH & BIG BAGS, thanks to Sherrin; The WORLD FAMOUS TIPS - Paddy makes amends & restores his credibility as our Premier B expert. All that and plenty more, FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME, thanks to MECWACARE!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Bennett, Paddy Grindlay & Matthew Donald delve deeper into another cracking weekend of VAFA footy as the finals & relegation races continue to tighten! The boys catch up with: Uni Blues coach MATT SMITH after his team's critical victory in the Uni Derby; Old Geelong coach NICK DIXON after his team kept its season alive by knocking off the top-of-the-table Old Ivanhoe; Parkside coach RICK FROST after his team defeated Mazenod & took a giant step towards safety in Premier C. Plus, our regular segments: VAFA newshound BRAYDEN MAY's Divisional Wrap - Ormond maintain their perfect record... just! TON WATCH & BIG BAGS, thanks to Sherrin - which section had a 17-goal & 14-goal haul that decided the season's goalkicking champion; The WORLD FAMOUS TIPS - Paddy's lead gets trimmed in the race for glory. All that and more, FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME - thanks to MECWACARE!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Bennett, Paddy Grindlay & Matthew Donald savour the sweetness of Week 16 of VAFA action, where the finals and relegation races began to get clearer in some sections, but even more complicated in others! The team catches up with: Collegians coach JORDIE McKENZIE, who dashed off to the hospital at three-quarter time as his wife Bella gave birth to their first child, Grace! Old Camberwell coach NEIL CONNELL, who stayed for the full four quarters as his team posted a critical win over Old Melburnians to set up a blockbuster against Caulfield this weekend; Old Peninsula youngster (and 302-game Melbourne AFL champion) NATHAN JONES after his 6-goal debut for the Pirates wasn't enough to earn him a Best Player vote!! Plus, our regular segments: VAFA newshound BRAYDEN MAY with all the latest news in his Divisional Wrap; TON WATCH & BIG BAGS, thanks to Sherrin... It's happening! Which player booted 19 goals on the weekend to reach 95 majors for the season!! The WORLD FAMOUS TIPS - Paddy extended his lead ever so slightly, while Matty has gone for a massive Premier Men's upset! All that and more, FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME, thanks to MECWACARE!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Bennett, Paddy Grindlay & Matthew Donald crack open the Week 15 canister and serve up an in-depth analysis of all the major talking points across a critical weekend up and down the VAFA sections. The boys catch up with: Old Xaverians coach DAN DONATI, as his side prepares to face Old Brighton in a Premier Men's top-of-the-table blockbuster; Canterbury coach STEVE BROWN, who reveals the theme behind his team's remarkable mid-season turnaround that has seen them go from 1-8 to 6-8! Plus our regular segments: VAFA newshound BRAYDEN MAY with his weekly Divisional Wrap & all the big talking points from up & down the Divisions; TON WATCH & BIG BAGS, thanks to Sherrin - is the TON back in play after someone has kicked 25 goals in 2 weeks?! The WORLD FAMOUS TIPS - Joey continues to close in on Paddy & has narrowed the gap once again. All that and more - FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME, thanks to MECWACARE!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Bennett, Paddy Grindlay & Matthew Donald peel back the layers of the onion that was Week 14 of VAFA action. The boys catch up with: Snowdog MARCUS HOLLAND, who talks us through his late heroics to win the game for St Bernard's; De La Salle coach NICK HYLAND, who joins us to chat about his team's challenging season & the positives to come from it; Caulfield Grammarians coach PAUL SATTERLEY, who provides some great insight into the craziness of a watertight Premier B race as the pressure continues to build. Plus, our regular favourites: Our Divisional newshound BRAYDEN MAY with his weekly Divisional Wrap - which playing coach booted 7 goals in a critical win over the weekend? TON WATCH & BIG BAGS, thanks to Sherrin - we had a 15-goal haul over the weekend & suddenly the Season Leaderboard is a race in four! The WORLD FAMOUS TIPS as Joey finally begins to make his move, with a perfect 5/5 in Premier Men's. Who do the boys like this coming week? All that and more, FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME - thanks to MECWACARE!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Bennett, Paddy Grindlay & Matthew Donald plunge head-first into an action-packed Divisional Weekend of footy, reviewing all the results from across the Divisions & where they sit as the finals & relegation races begin to pick up pace. The guys catch up with: VAFA newshound BRAYDEN MAY for his Divisional Wrap; Brunswick 300-game icon CLARE WOODHOUSE after her remarkable milestone; Box Hill North champion CAM LISTON reflects on his 300th game over the weekend; Old Carey legend CHRIS ANGUS as he prepares to lace up the boots for his 300th game. PLUS - we PREVIEW THE FINALS & RELEGATION RACES in ALL the PREMIER sections as well: Who sits where in the finals & relegation races? Which are the key games to watch in the run home? Who is primed for a late charge & who may be in danger? Throw in TON WATCH & our WORLD FAMOUS TIPS and it's an episode bursting at the seams! FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME - thanks to MECWACARE!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Bennett, Paddy Grindlay & Cal Cummins relive an incredible 2025 Big V Weekend which saw the VAFA win 3 of the 4 games, with the other being a one-kick thriller! The boys catch up with: Senior Men's 'Spirit of the Big V' Award winner, former Western Bulldog LOUIS BUTLER, who talks about how much he's loving the VAFA & how special his first Big V experience was; Women's skipper TAYLAH WATSON, who speaks of her pride at leading the team out for the first time; Premier B-Division 3 captain CAL LINEHAN, who relives an unforgettable Extra Time thriller in Bendigo; Under 19s skipper CHARLIE OPIE, who talks us through his team's massive win at the QEO. It was a weekend to remember, both on & off the field - FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME, thanks to MECWACARE!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we hit the depths of winter & the mud starts to stick, Paddy Grindlay, Matthew Donald & Hugo Higginbotham toss Round 12 of VAFA action into the wash for this week's edition of FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME. The boys are joined by: Collegians coach JORDIE McKENZIE after his team rolled the reigning champs once again; Big V Women's captain and West Brunswick's own TAYLAH WATSON to preview this Saturday's showdown against the Perth Football League; Big V Senior Men's skipper & Old Brighton star HARRY HILL as he prepares to lead the Big V into battle once again; VAFA newshound BRAYDEN MAY with his weekly Divisional Wrap, highlighting the key talking points from across the Divisions. Plus, our weekly VAFA WOMEN'S WRAP, bringing you up-to-speed on the latest results in William Buck Premier Women's and Premier B. It's all FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME, thanks to MECWACARE!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Bennett, Paddy Grindlay & Matthew Donald toss Round 11 of VAFA action into the air-fryer to crisp it up for this week's edition of FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME. The boys are joined by: Old Melburnians coach NATHAN BROWN after his team's 4th win from 5 starts; Beaumaris Senior Women's coach SAM CALOGERO after his team's history-making first Premier Women's win. PEGS legend ANDREW FRAZER as he prepares for his 400th game; Plus, BREAKING NEWS on a list of BIG NAME EX-AFL & AFLW VAFA TRANSFERS! Which big names have signed with Ammos clubs for the back-end of the season?! And all our regular segments: VAFA newshound Brayden May's DIVISIONAL WRAP - all the biggest talking points from up & down the Divisions; TON WATCH & BIG BAGS, thanks to SHERRIN - which 3 players kicked double-figures this week? The WORLD FAMOUS TIPS Lots to sink your teeth into on this juicy edition of FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME, thanks to MECWACARE!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Bennett, Paddy Grindlay & Matthew Donald grab their box-cutters & unpack another action-packed round of VAFA footy in the league's most popular (and only) weekly podcast! It's Coaches' Corner as the boys catch up with: Old Brighton coach MARCEL BRUIN after his side's thrilling 1-point win over the Bloods; Glen Eira/Old McKinnon coach GUY MARTYN after his team has turned its season around with 4 wins from 5 starts; Ormond coach KYLE PINTO, whose team sits a perfect 10-0 atop the Division 1 ladder. Plus, our regular weekly fare: VAFA newshound BRAYDEN MAY's Divisional Wrap; PREMIER WOMEN'S & PREMIER B WOMEN'S Report; TON WATCH & BIG BAGS, thanks to Sherrin; The WORLD FAMOUS TIPS - who wins in Rd.11 and why? All that and more FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME, thanks to MECWACARE!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Bennett is joined by VAFA Media commentators Matthew Donald & Cal Cummins to talk all things VAFA action as we hit the midway point of the season. They catch up with a cavalcade of guests in a BLOCKBUSTER episode: St Bernard's coach STEVE ALESSIO after his team's nail-biting draw against the Blues. Former AFL champion JOSH KENNEDY after his incredible VAFA debut for Old Xavs. Old Trinity coach DONALD McDONALD after his team's win over league-leaders Old Ivanhoe. Wattle Park's new 300-gamer LAWRENCE VIRGO after his stellar personal-best 6-goal haul in his milestone game. VAFA News Corp newshound BRAYDEN MAY with his weekly Divisional Wrap Plus, our wrap of the VAFA's Women's competition & regular segments: TON WATCH - Which 3 players booted double-figure goals this week? WORLD FAMOUS TIPS - Who wins in what promises to be a fantastic Week 10 of action? All this and more in a packed-to-the-brim episode of FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME, thanks to MECWACARE!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the 2025 Big V Centenary squads selected & entering training camp, Paddy Grindlay & Hugo Higginbotham chat with coaches Daniel Harford, Paul Groves, Luke Mahoney & Paul Carrigan to get their thoughts on: Squad selection Training program & focus Game style Opposition analysis Expectations in the Centenary year, and lots more! Everything you need to know about our Big V program for 2025, thanks to MECWACARE!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Bennett, Paddy Grindlay & VAFA Media analyst Pat Cortazzo strap on their scuba tanks to take a deep dive into Round 8 of action & catch up with: Uni Blacks veteran JOEL ERNEST after his game-winning goal to cap one of the VAFA's comebacks of the year; Old Scotch spearhead JAMES TARRANT after he booted 5 goals in the final term to see the Cardinals home in an incredible come-from-behind win; Williamstown CYMS men's coach CON TERZOGLOU after a fantastic weekend for his club that saw both their Senior Men & Senior Women post memorable victories. Pat - who has worked as a footy analyst at Carlton & Hawthorn - casts his eye over EVERY Premier Men's team from an analytical perspective: Where are they strong & where do they have room for improvement? Which areas of the game should the coaches be contemplating over the bye? Plus all the usual goodness:- TON WATCH & BIG BAGS, thanks to Sherrin - 3 players booted double-figure snags over the weekend & who leads the VAFA's goalkicking leaderboard? WORLD FAMOUS TIPS - how did the boys go in Round 8 & who are they on for Round 9? There's so much to enjoy FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME, thanks to MECWACARE!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Bennett, Paddy Grindlay & special guest co-host HUGO HIGGINBOTHAM wrap an action-packed Round 7 of VAFA action as they catch up with: Old Haileybury coach DANIEL WARD after his team's history-making win over SKOB; Parkdale coach OWEN LALOR ahead of his team's Premier C blockbuster against AJAX as the two 7-0 teams finally square off; Caulfield Grammarians coach DANI DE STEFANO after her team knocked off St Kevin's & Old Scotch in consecutive weeks to sit atop Premier Women's at 7-0. Plus all the usual faves -  #TONWATCH & #BIGBAGS, thanks to Sherrin - 3 players booted 8 on the weekend. Who got it done? ANYTIME FITNESS RISING STARS - one from U19 Premier & one from Div 1 Women's. The WORLD FAMOUS TIPS - which tipster nailed a perfect 5/5 in Prem B last weekend? All that and loads more, FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME - thanks to MECWACARE!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.