St Kilda’s two Wheelchair Football sides will commence their respective premiership defence and prospective push back to finals in less than a fortnight's time as the 2024 Victorian and Community Wheelchair seasons fast approach.
The State Netball and Hockey Centre will be home for both the Victorian Wheelchair Football League (VWFL) and Community Wheelchair Football League (CWFL) across the course of the 10-round season and three-week finals series, however will see the Saints feature at RSEA Park for a special double-header on Friday 21 June a part of Round 8.
After taking out the premiership in the side’s - and division’s - maiden year, the Saints’ CWFL side has added four new names to its roster for 2024 in Sammy Rolph, Christian Lewis, Shannan Sykes (supplementary) and Michael Milton (supplementary).
Sykes and Milton are eligible to play in both the Community and Victorian Wheelchair (VWFL) competitions as part of the supplementary list. Premiership-winning skipper Caitlyn Alger will again lead the red, white and black in what will be her second season at the helm.
Meanwhile, St Kilda’s VWFL side, who clinched their first premiership in 2020, have gained new players Campbell Message, Shaun Groenewegen and Trent Johnson for the upcoming campaign, however have received the biggest boost through the inclusion of Sebastian Welsh.
Welsh has moved from the supplementary list and into the VWFL squad for 2024 off the back of an impressive debut season which yielded a 101-goal return, a best-on-ground Grand Final performance, inaugural best and fairest and premiership honours and selection in the 2023 Vic Metro representative side.
The young forward is likely to partner with fellow competition-leading goalscorer Ryan Smith and Nick Briant, who has assumed the VWFL captaincy for 2024.
2024 Victorian Wheelchair Football League Fixture
| Round | Opponent | Date | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Essendon | Sunday 28 April | 2:00pm | State Netball Hockey Centre (Court 8) |
| 2 | Richmond | Sunday 5 May | 1:00pm | State Netball Hockey Centre (Court 8) |
| 3 | Collingwood | Sunday 12 May | 2:00pm | State Netball Hockey Centre (Court 8) |
| 4 | Hawthorn | Sunday 19 May | 1:00pm | State Netball Hockey Centre (Court 8) |
| 5 | BYE | |||
| 6 | Essendon | Sunday 2 June | 1:00pm | State Netball Hockey Centre (Court 8) |
| 7 | Richmond | Sunday 16 June | 2:00pm | Mullum Mullum Reserve (Reserve 1) |
| 8 | Collingwood | Friday 21 June | 8:00pm | RSEA Park |
| 9 | Hawthorn | Sunday 30 June | 1:00pm | State Netball Hockey Centre (Court 8) |
| 10 | BYE | |||
| Finals - Round 1 | TBC | Sunday 21 July | TBC | State Netball Hockey Centre (Court 8) |
| Preliminary Final | TBC | Sunday 28 July | 2:00pm | State Netball Hockey Centre (Court 8) |
| Grand Final | TBC | Sunday 4 August | 1:00pm | Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre |
2024 Community Wheelchair Football League Fixture
| Round | Opponent | Date | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Essendon Community | Sunday 28 April | 1:00pm | State Netball Hockey Centre (Court 9) |
| 2 | Richmond Community | Sunday 5 May | 2:00pm | State Netball Hockey Centre (Court 9) |
| 3 | Collingwood Community | Sunday 12 May | 1:00pm | State Netball Hockey Centre (Court 9) |
| 4 | Hawthorn Community | Sunday 19 May | 2:00pm | State Netball Hockey Centre (Court 9) |
| 5 | BYE | |||
| 6 | Essendon Community | Sunday 2 June | 2:00pm | State Netball Hockey Centre (Court 9) |
| 7 | Richmond Community | Sunday 16 June | 1:00pm | Mullum Mullum Reserve (Reserve 1) |
| 8 | Collingwood Community | Friday 21 June | 7:00pm | RSEA Park |
| 9 | Hawthorn Community | Sunday 30 June | 1:00pm | State Netball Hockey Centre (Court 9) |
| 10 | BYE | |||
| Finals - Round 1 | TBC | TBB | TBC | TBC |
| Preliminary Final | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC |
| Grand Final | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC |
VWFL Squad
Nick Briant
Ryan Smith
Campbell Message
Shaun Groenewegen
Sebastian Welsh
Ty Nash
Trent Johnson
CWFL Squad
Nathan Tanner
Mark Walker
Piers Wall
Sammy Rolph
Nathan Wilburn
Katherine Simmons
Christian Lewis
Supplementary Players
Matt Ingram
Shannan Sykes
Caitlyn Alger
Michael Milton
