THE second annual VFL Standalone Practice Match Carnival will be held at Frankston’s Kinetic Stadium on Saturday, March 2 as the feature of the 2024 Smithy’s VFL practice match schedule.

The six Victorian VFL standalone clubs played on the same day at Craigieburn’s Highgate Reserve last year, with the event moving south for the repeat edition in 2024.

The day will kick off with a contest that is fiercely fought regardless of what time of the year it is, with the competition’s two oldest rivals in Williamstown and Port Melbourne to get things going at 10:45am, followed by hosts Frankston taking on Northern Bullants at 1:15pm and Werribee meeting Coburg at 3:45pm.

All three matches will be played over four 23-minute quarters with no time-on.

There are already 34 matches scheduled from Thursday, February 22, until Saturday, March 16, with games to played across 14 different days, giving VFL fans plenty of chances to see their team in action before the season proper gets underway.

Six games are curtain-raisers or curtain-closers to AFL Match Simulations or 2024 AAMI Community Series games, with another four being set on grounds nearby to AFL Opening Round or Round 1 games that would allow fans to see both.

Carlton is the busiest club with five matches scheduled, including on consecutive days against Geelong (February 22) and Coburg (February 23).

Two Q-Clashes between the Gold Coast Suns and Brisbane Lions are also in the schedule, with Southport travelling to Sydney twice to meet the Swans and Giants.

There is also one VFL/VFLW double header set down, with Footscray playing Box Hill Hawks and the Western Bulldogs to host Darebin at VU Whitten Oval on March 2, while both Bulldog teams are due to play North Melbourne on March 9, with the men booked in for Whitten Oval and the women’s venue still to be determined.

Continue for the full Smithy’s VFL pre-season schedule as it currently stands.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22
# Sydney Swans 21.5 (131) def GWS Giants 1.6 (12)
(Tramway Oval, 1:00pm, 4x25min)

Carlton 9.7 (61) def Geelong Cats 8.6 (54)
(IKON Park, 2:00pm, 4x20min)

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23
Footscray Bulldogs (105) def Box Hill Hawks (24)
(VU Whitten Oval, 1:50pm, 4x25min)

Sandringham 9.10 (64) def Essendon 9.5 (59)
(RSEA Park, 5:00pm, 4x20min)

Carlton 8.4 (52) def by Coburg 9.8 (62)
(IKON Park, 6:00pm, 4x20min)

Werribee 10.8 (68) def by Williamstown 12.9 (81)
(Deakin University Waurn Ponds, 7:00pm, 6x20min)

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24
Frankston 10.5 (65) def Port Melbourne 3.6 (24)
(Kinetic Stadium, 12:00pm, 4x20min)

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27
Richmond 13.12 (90) def by Collingwood 14.12 (96)
(Swinburne Centre, 3:00pm, 4x20min)

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28
Carlton 9.9 (63) def by Casey Demons 14.9 (92)
(IKON Park, 10:30am, 4x20min)

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 29
Sydney Swans 3.10 (28) def by Brisbane Lions 12.11 (83)
(Tramway Oval, 9:00am, 4x23min)

FRIDAY, MARCH 1
Geelong Cats 20.7 (127) def Essendon 9.14 (68)
(GMHBA Stadium, 2:00pm, 4x25min)

Gold Coast Suns 11.4 (70) def by Southport Sharks 14.6 (90)
(Austworld Centre, 7:00pm, 4x25min)

SATURDAY, MARCH 2
Williamstown 7.7 (49) def Port Melbourne 6.8 (44)
(Kinetic Stadium, 10:45am, 4x23min)

Frankston 6.17 (53) def by Northern Bullants 9.2 (56)
(Kinetic Stadium, 1:15pm, 4x23min)

Werribee 13.6 (84) def Coburg 6.8 (44)
(Kinetic Stadium, 3:45pm, 4x23min)

Richmond 7.9 (51) def by North Melbourne 10.3 (63)
(Swinburne Centre, 11:00am, 4x20min)

Footscray Bulldogs 12.9 (81) def Box Hill Hawks 6.14 (50)
(VU Whitten Oval, 12:00pm, 4x25min)

SUNDAY, MARCH 3
Sandringham 5.3 (33) def by North Melbourne 13.10 (88)
(RSEA Park, 5:20pm, 4x25min)

THURSDAY, MARCH 7
Carlton 4.9 (33) def by Coburg 4.10 (34)
(IKON Park, 6:40pm, 4x20min)

FRIDAY, MARCH 8
Essendon 13.8 (86) def Northern Bullants 10.10 (70)
(NEC Hangar, 5:00pm, 4x25min)

Casey Demons 10.1 (61) def Port Melbourne 6.13 (49)
(Casey Fields, 6:30pm, 4x25min)

Geelong Cats 10.7 (67) def by Werribee 12.14 (86)
(Deakin University Waurn Ponds, 6:30pm, 4x25min)

Frankston 7.6 (48) def by Williamstown 13.8 (86)
(Kinetic Stadium, 7:00pm, 4x25min)

SATURDAY, MARCH 9
Footscray Bulldogs 9.2 (56) def by North Melbourne 11.8 (74)
(VU Whitten Oval, 10:00am, 4x25min)

Richmond 14.9 (93) def Box Hill Hawks 11.5 (71)
(Swinburne Centre, 10:00am, 4x25min)

Gold Coast Suns v Brisbane Lions (Austworld Centre, 11:00am, 4x25min)

Sydney Swans 3.7 (25) def by Southport Sharks 13.16 (94)
(Tramway Oval, 11.15am, 4x25min)

THURSDAY, MARCH 14
Richmond v Carlton (Swinburne Centre, 4:00pm, 4x25min)

FRIDAY, MARCH 15
Collingwood v Port Melbourne (Victoria Park, 4:00pm, 4x23min)

SATURDAY, MARCH 16
GWS Giants v Southport Sharks (Tom Wills Oval, 11:15am, 4x25min)
Casey Demons v Coburg (Casey Fields, 12:00pm, 4x25min)
Footscray Bulldogs v Werribee (VU Whitten Oval, 1:00pm, 4x25min)
Geelong Cats v Sandringham (Deakin University Waurn Ponds, 2:00pm, 4x25min)
Essendon v Box Hill Hawks (NEC Hangar, 4:00pm, 4x25min)

* Curtain raiser to AFL game
# Curtain closer to AFL game