Victorian Wheelchair Football League – Preliminary Final Preview
The Victorian Wheelchair Football League (VWFL) finals series is heating up, with two exciting, back-to-back Preliminary Final matches on this Sunday at the State Netball and Hockey Centre.
The Community Wheelchair Football League (CWFL) prelim will kick off first at 1pm, followed by the VWFL game, with both finals being played between St Kilda and Collingwood.
Entry to the State Netball and Hockey Centre is free, and both games will be live streamed on the VWFL Facebook page from 12:50pm.
Don't miss out on the blockbuster Grand Final weekend next Sunday 4 August, where the winners of the CWFL and VWFL preliminary finals will take on Richmond Football Club in both divisions.
Full fixtures and results are available on PlayHQ
Keep reading below for a match preview of both games.
Victorian Wheelchair Football League
Preliminary Final
St Kilda Football Club vs Collingwood Football Club
2:00pm at the State Netball & Hockey Centre, Parkville, Melbourne.
Ladder Positioning
St Kilda: 2nd – (6W, 2L – 172%)
Collingwood: 4th – (5W, 3L – 135%)
Previous Encounters
Round 3: St Kilda: 8.6 (54) def by Collingwood: 13.2 (80) – COLL by 26pts
Round 8: St Kilda: 14.4 (88) def Collingwood: 9.8 (62) – STK by 26pts
Week 1 Finals Results
Elimination Final: Collingwood: 16.6 (102) def Essendon: 7.6 (48) – COLL by 54pts
Qualifying Final: Richmond: 14.5 (89) def St Kilda: 8.5 (53) – RICH by 36pts
Key to victory
St Kilda: Change up the game plan. Richmond showed the rest of the league in the Qualifying Final on how to play/defend against the Saints. St Kilda did make a change in the last quarter that brought them back into the contest, but the damage had already been done. If things aren’t working for the Saints in the early stages, they need to be able to change their game plan quickly and put it in to affect immediately.
Collingwood: Stay calm. When the Saints beat the Pies in Round 8 this year, a big reason for their defeat was that the Pies couldn’t remain calm and poised in crucial moments. They let moments go to their heads and it coincided with their overall play. The Pies have shown a lot of growth in recent weeks in how they approach the game mentally, if they can continue to do that, they may just knock out the Saints in straight sets.
Player to watch
St Kilda: Ryan Smith – After a quiet game in the qualifying final, he will be looking to bounce back in a big way and potentially send his side into a Grand Final. A player of his calibre doesn’t string together consecutive bad games, watch out for the Ryno stampede that could unfold.
Collingwood: Martyn Ford – Instrumental player for this Collingwood unit. Has taken over majority of the minutes in the centre position and sets the tone for the squad. Can assist his forwards beautifully while also getting back into defence and creating stops.
Community Wheelchair Football League – Preliminary Final
Community Wheelchair Football League
Preliminary Final
St Kilda Football Club v Collingwood Football Club
1:00pm at the State Netball & Hockey Centre, Parkville, Melbourne.
Ladder Positioning
St Kilda: 2nd – (5W, 3L – 102%)
Collingwood: 3rd – (4W, 4L – 165%)
Previous Encounters
Round 3: St Kilda: 4.3 (27) def Collingwood: 3.7 (25) – STK by 2pts
Round 8: St Kilda: 5.3 (33) def Collingwood: 4.4 (28) – STK by 5pts
Week 1 Finals Results
Qualifying Final: Richmond: 8.3 (51) def St Kilda: 3.6 (24) – RICH by 27pts
Elimination Final: Collingwood: 9.1 (55) def Essendon: 1.3 (9) – COLL by 46pts
Key to Victory
St Kilda: Other avenues into goal – St Kilda registered 52 goals throughout the 2024 Season with star forward Michael Milton scoring a ridiculous 44 of those which is 86% of all their majors. Collingwood will understand that Milton will be the focus in the forward line and have an array of defenders they can throw at him. Michael also produced a goal on the 4-quarter siren to win the game against the Pies back in Round 2 and scored all 10 goals in their 2 games this season so he will be garnering a lot of attention, and the Saints will need to find someone else to help in the forward line.
Collingwood: Accuracy – In the 2 games the Pies have played against the Saints this year, they have both been decided by under a goal. In both games Collingwood either had more scoring shots or the same amount as St Kilda but they’re accuracy let them down. In their first matchup, the Pies were in control of the contest and finished the 1st half with 3 more scoring shots but only managed 1.5 and still found themselves down at the big break. The Pies could have easily won both of those games but their ability to be accurate in front of goals at pivotal moments was the reason for their defeats.
Player to watch
St Kilda: Shannan Sykes – Shannan made 4 of the CWFL Team of the Week’s throughout the 2024 Season as a defender. If the Saints are to win this contest not only will Shannan have to defend to his normal high standard but may have to spend some minutes in the forward line as he did in their Qualifying Final.
Collingwood: Jack Elliot – Jack is a heart & soul player for the Collingwood football club. He plays with passion and enthusiasm that rubs of on everyone. If the Pies are to win, I’m envisioning Jack Elliot scoring the first goal of the game, giving out one his famous celebrations and giving the Pies the hot start that they will need.
