2023 Essendon Football Club season

Last updated

The 2023 Essendon Football Club season was the club's 125th season playing in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club also fielded an AFLW side that competed in the AFLW's 8th Season. Essendon also fielded reserve teams for the AFL and AFLW in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and the VFLW. This was the club's 14th season in the VFL.

Contents

AFL

Essendon Football Club
2023 AFL season
PresidentDave Barham [1]
Coach Brad Scott [2]
(1st season)
Captain(s) Zach Merrett [3]
(1st season)
Home ground MCG, Marvel Stadium
Practice MatchWon by 5, Lost by 35
Home & Away 11 wins, 12 losses, 0 draws (11th)
Finals DNQ
Best and Fairest Zach Merrett [4]
Leading goalkicker Kyle Langford (51)
Highest home attendance78,300 vs. Richmond (Round 10)
Lowest home attendance28,815 vs. Greater Western Sydney (Round 4)
Average home attendance46,690
Club membership86,274 [5]

Season Summary

It was Essendon's first season coached by Brad Scott who was replacing Ben Rutten who was sacked during the 2022 season. [6] [7] Zach Merrett captained his first season after Dyson Heppell stepped down during the off-season before the 2023 season. [8] [9]

Essendon started the season winning four of their first five games only losing to St Kilda in round 3. [10] [11] The bombers then lost their next four games including a five-goal comeback against Collingwood on Anzac day. [11] [12]

Essendon win the four games just before the bye to put them at 6th place with 8 wins and 5 losses. [11] [13]

The bombers looked like they would make their first finals series since 2021, sitting fifth after their round 17 win against Adelaide. [14] [15] In the last seven rounds the average margin was -44. Essendon lost by margins of 77, 126 and 70 against teams that earlier in the year they either beat or didn't lose to by much. [16] [17] [18] [19] The bombers only won by nine points against North Melbourne and also by one point against West Coast. [20] [21] Essendon's 126 point loss against GWS knocked them out of the finals race. [15]

Pre Season

Essendon defeated Gold Coast by five points in an unofficial match simulation at Austworld Centre Oval. The final score was Gold Coast 11.9 (75) versus Essendon 11.14 (80). [22] The bombers also played an official AFL practice match against St Kilda, and were defeated by 35 points. The final score was St Kilda 10.7 (67) against Essendon 3.14 (32). [23] Essendon's first game in the home & away season was against Hawthorn at the MCG. [24]

Coaching Staff

Brad Scott coached his first season for the bombers after a three-year break from coaching after stepping down from as senior coach of North Melbourne in 2019. [25] Scott would make his coaching record 117-117 after the bombers loss against Collingwood.

2023 Essendon coaching staff
RoleName
Senior Coach Brad Scott
Assistant Coach (backline) Blake Caracella
Assistant Coach (midfield) Daniel Giansiracusa
Assistant Coach (forward) Dale Tapping
Assistant Midfield Coach Ben Jacobs
Head of Development Cam Roberts
Development Coach Brent Stanton
Development Coach Michael Hurley
Specialist Coach Travis Cloke

Playing List

Changes

Deletions from playing list
PlayerReasonRef.
Cody Brand Delisted [26]
Tom Cutler Delisted [27]
Josh Eyre Delisted [28]
Aaron Francis Trade to Sydney [29]
Brayden Ham Delisted [26]
Tom Hird Delisted [27]
Michael Hurley Retired [30]
Garrett McDonagh Delisted [27]
Devon Smith Retired [31]
Alec Waterman Delisted [26]
Additions to playing list
PlayerAcquiredRef.
Alwyn Davey Jnr No 45, 2022 national draft, father-son [32]
Jayden Davey No 54, 2022 national draft, father-son [32]
Lewis Hayes No 25, 2022 national draft [32]
Rhett Montgomerie No 4, 2023 rookie draft
Anthony Munkara Category B rookie
Will Setterfield Trade from Carlton [33]
Elijah Tsatas No 5, 2022 national draft [32]
Sam Weideman Trade from Melbourne [34]

Statistics

Updated to the end of the 2023 season

Essendon 2023 AFL Playing list and statistics [35]
PlayerNo.Games Goals Behinds Kicks Handballs Disposals Tackles Marks Hitouts Milestone(s)
Andrew McGrath 12301289235524471200
Sam Draper 2141012101531542837282
Darcy Parish 3183627128455577780150 Games (round 24)
Kyle Langford 423512321896314361300
Elijah Tsatas 541235306511150AFL Debut (round 21)
Jye Caldwell 621111218320839189710
Zach Merrett 7228103362986341211120
Ben Hobbs 8186419515935473720
Dylan Shiel 9126110511922438320
Sam Weideman 101615158659145186513Club Debut (round 1)
Will Snelling 111563898217147440
Will Setterfield 1210231129620860470Club Debut (Round 1)
Nik Cox 1360332397113180
Jordan Ridley 14171125986345151260
Jayden Laverde 151910186115301371240100 Games (round 13)
Archie Perkins 1623181321913235165950
James Stewart 17000000000
Lewis Hayes 18000000000
Nick Hind 1916312207129124680
Peter Wright 20101910643296134425
Dyson Heppell 212210253190443501560
Sam Durham 222252178185363471070
Harry Jones 235242916454210
Nick Bryan 248124329721120141
Jake Stringer 251721231458322851450
Kaine Baldwin 26400269354190
Mason Redman 272375380124504431380100 Games (round 21)
Alastair Lord 28000000000
Jake Kelly 29171013610824428910
Brandon Zerk-Thatcher 302200164103267331200
Zach Reid 31000000000
Alwyn Davey Jnr 33104241347520200AFL Debut (round 2)
Andrew Phillips 34205790621524846414
Matt Guelfi 3513144687013837300
Jayden Davey 36000000000
Nic Martin 3723174290216506501240
Rhett Montogomerie 38000000000
Patrick Voss 39000000000
Tex Wanganeen 40000000000
Cian McBride 41000000000
Massimo D'Ambrosio 4281156318710240
Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti 4374527235015150
Anthony Munkara 45000000000
Jye Menzie 462123111008218248470
Jaiden Hunter 49000000000

Results

Keys
HHome game
AAway game
NNeutral venue game
Table of 2023 AFL season results [36]
RoundDateResultScoreOpponentScoreGroundAttendanceLadder
GBTGBT
1 19 MarchWon1910124 Hawthorn 91165 Melbourne Cricket Ground A68,6911st
2 26 MarchWon1612108 Gold Coast 111480 Marvel Stadium H32,9153rd
3 1 AprilLost11874 St Kilda 14892 Melbourne Cricket Ground A69,2556th
4 9 AprilWon112288 Greater Western Sydney 11975 Marvel Stadium H28,8154th
5 15 AprilWon1514104 Melbourne 111177 Adelaide Oval N33,8322nd
6 25 AprilLost111177 Collingwood 131290 Melbourne Cricket Ground A95,1794th
7 30 AprilLost168104 Geelong 2012132 Melbourne Cricket Ground H67,4579th
8 7 MayLost13987 Port Adelaide 122092 Adelaide Oval A36,2479th
9 13 MayLost6945 Brisbane Lions 121587 The Gabba A31,89810th
10 20 MayWon101171 Richmond 101070 Melbourne Cricket Ground H78,3009th
11 27 MayWon141296 West Coast 61046 Optus Stadium A39,2698th
12 4 JuneWon169105 North Melbourne 15999 Marvel Stadium H40,4886th
13 11 JuneWon13886 Carlton 61652 Melbourne Cricket Ground A83,6386th
14 Bye 6th
15 24 JuneLost9761 Fremantle 14993 Optus Stadium A43,0636th
16 1 JulyLost101474 Port Adelaide 111278 Melbourne Cricket Ground H38,9578th
17 9 JulyWon1713115 Adelaide 15797 Marvel Stadium H39,6065th
18 15 JulyLost7345 Geelong 1814122 GMHBA Stadium A23,1858th
19 21 JulyLost7749 Western Bulldogs 131290 Marvel Stadium H43,63411th
20 29 JulyLost15999 Sydney 1511101 Marvel Stadium H38,32913th
21 5 AugustWon101373 West Coast 11672 Marvel Stadium H30,74212th
22 12 AugustWon13886 North Melbourne 12577 Marvel Stadium A37,2319th
23 19 AugustLost5636 Greater Western Sydney 2512162 GIANTS Stadium A10,28110th
24 25 AugustLost31331 Collingwood 165101 Melbourne Cricket Ground H74,34411th

Ladder

PosTeamPldWLDPFPAPPPtsQualification
1 Collingwood (P)23185021421687127.072Finals series
2 Brisbane Lions 23176021801771123.168
3 Port Adelaide 23176021491906112.768
4 Melbourne 23167020791660125.264
5 Carlton 23139119221697113.354
6 St Kilda 231310017751647107.852
7 Greater Western Sydney 231310020181885107.152
8 Sydney 231210120501863110.050
9 Western Bulldogs 231211019191766108.748
10 Adelaide 231112021931877116.844
11 Essendon 23111201838205089.744
12 Geelong 231012120881855112.642
13 Richmond 23101211856198393.642
14 Fremantle 23101301835189896.740
15 Gold Coast 2391401839200691.736
16 Hawthorn 2371601686210180.228
17 North Melbourne 2332001657231871.512
18 West Coast 2332001418267453.012
Source: afl.com.au
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for
(P) Premiers

Awards

Club Awards

Source: [37]

League Awards

VFL

Season Summary

Essendon Football Club
2023 VFL season
PresidentDave Barham
Coach Leigh Tudor
(2nd season)
Captain(s)Billy Cootee
(1st season)
Home ground The NEC Hangar, Windy Hill
Home & Away 5 wins, 13 losses, 0 draws (17th)
Finals DNQ
Leading goalkickerPatrick Voss (30)

Leigh Tudor returned as the senior VFL coach of Essendon before the start of the 2023 VFL season, after a one-year break. Tudor was previously the coach of the VFL bombers in 2021. [38] This was Billy Cootee's first season as captain of the VFL bombers in 2023. [39]

The bombers had a good start to the season, winning two of their first three games. Essendon then lost their next nine games. The bombers responded to losing nine games in a row by knocking off first place, Gold Coast, giving the suns their second loss of the season. The bombers then beat Geelong after their third bye. The bombers lost their next three games after that, then beating Coburg in the last round. [40]

Squad

Essendon 2023 VFL Playing List [41]
PlayerNo.Pos.
Brad Lynch50Utility
Will Hoare51Key Position/Ruck
Carlos Egan52Small Forward
Sam Conforti53Small Defender/Wing
Toby Murray54Key Forward/Ruck
Tom Phillips55Wing
Will Golds56Wing
Billy Cootee57Midfielder/Forward
Stefan Rasinac58Midfielder/Defender
Brad Bernacki59Midfielder
Jack Cleaver60Defender
Jacob Brown61Defender/Midfielder
Bruno Laguda62Utility
Jack Brown63Midfielder/Small Forward
Josh Hotchkin64Ruck
Oscar Duncan65Key Position
Will Madden66Key Defender
Tom Wallis68Utility
Jake Sutton69Forward/Wing
Riley Loton70Midfielder/Forward
Austin Harris71Small Forward
Maclayn Hallows72Forward
Matthew Foley73Small Defender
Declan Willmore74Midfielder
Jake Moorhead75Midfielder
Harry Minton-Connell76Small Defender
Joel Fitzgerald77Defender/Midfielder
Michael Kiraly78Utility
Callum McCarty79Midfielder/Forward
Solomon McKay80Half Forward/Wing
Beau O'Connell81Midfielder/Wing

Results

Key
HHome game
AAway game
Table of 2023 VFL season results [42]
RoundDateResultScoreOpponentScoreGroundLadder
GBTGBT
1 26 MarchWon1811119 Greater Western Sydney 5939 The NEC Hangar H2nd
2 2 AprilLost14589 Sandringham 1912126 Trevor Barker Oval A8th
3 9 AprilWon121688 Northern Bullants 91165 North Port Oval A8th
4 16 AprilLost51242 Casey 121082 The NEC Hangar H7th
5 23 AprilLost131189 Collingwood 141397 Victoria Park A12th
6 Bye 14th
7 7 MayLost8553 Werribee 101171 The NEC Hangar H15th
8 14 MayLost6541 Brisbane 1613109 Springfield Central Stadium A15th
9 20 MayLost121082 Richmond 121284 Melbourne Cricket Ground H16th
10 28 MayLost81058 Box Hill 1515105 The NEC Hangar H17th
11 4 JuneLost10969 North Melbourne 12880 The NEC Hangar H18th
12 11 JuneLost10868 Carlton 141599 Princes Park A18th
13 Bye 18th
14 25 JuneLost5838 Port Melbourne 131391 North Port Oval A18th
15 2 JulyWon111177 Gold Coast 12476 Windy Hill H17th
16 Bye 17th
17 16 JulyWon91064 Geelong 71254 GMHBA Stadium A16th
18 21 JulyLost9963 Williamstown 91569 Williamstown Cricket Ground A16th
19 30 JulyLost6844 Sydney 1912126 Windy Hill H16th
20 5 AugustLost12779 Southport 121587 Fankhauser Reserve A17th
21 Bye 17th
22 19 AugustWon1510100 Coburg 121385 Williamstown Cricket Ground H17th

Ladder

PosTeamPldWLDPFPAPPPts
15 Port Melbourne 1861201270151284.024
16 Sandringham 1851211298148287.622
17 Essendon (R) 1851301263154581.720
18 Sydney (R) 1841401241165175.216
19 Frankston 1841401112156671.016
Source: AFL
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for
(R) = Reserves

AFLW

Essendon Football Club
2023 AFLW season
PresidentDave Barham
Coach Natalie Wood
(2nd Season)
Captain(s) Steph Cain & Bonnie Toogood
(2nd Season)
(2nd Season)
Home ground Windy Hill
Home & Away 6 wins, 4 losses, 0 draws (7th)
Finals Elimination Final
Best & Fairest Bonnie Toogood
Leading goalkicker Bonnie Toogood
Highest home attendance6,678 vs. Geelong (Elimination Final)
Lowest home attendance1,422 vs. Collingwood (Round 5)
Average home attendance2,954

Season Summary

Natalie Wood continued to coach Essendon's AFLW team in season 8. Steph Cain & Bonnie Toogood also continues to captain the bombers AFLW side in season 8.

The Bombers struggled to get consecutive wins throughout the season only getting consecutive wins twice during the season. Despite them not struggling to get consecutive wins they finished 7th place and played in an elimination final against Geelong which they couldn't win.

Pre Season

Essendon played their pre season match against West Coast. The bombers lost by nine points in a tight contest. The final score was West Coast 6.7 (43) to Essendon 5.4 (34) at Mineral Resources Park.

Coaching Staff

Former Geelong VFLW coach Natalie Wood coached her second season for Essendon's AFLW. The bombers have five other AFLW coaches coaching with Natalie Wood. [43]

2023 Essendon AFLW coaching staff [43]
RoleName
Senior Coach Natalie Wood
Assistant Coach (midfield) Travis Cloke
Assistant Coach (forward) Peta Searle
Assistant Coach (backline) Natasha Hardy
Development Coach Gavin Urquhart
Development Coach Bernard Shepheard

Playing List

Changes

Deletions from playing list
PlayerReasonRef.
Bella Ayre Delisted [44]
Olivia Barton Delisted [44]
Jordan Zanchetta Delisted [44]
Eloise Ashley-Cooper Delisted [45]
Caitlin Sargent Delisted [45]
Jorja Borg Delisted [45]
Megan Ryan Delisted [45]
Frederica Frew Delisted [45]
Additions to playing list
PlayerReasonRef.
Brooke Brown pre-list signings [46]
Kodie Jacques trade from Richmond [47]
Brooke Walker trade from Carlton [48]
Leah Cutting free agent [49]
Georgia Clarke free agent [50]

Statistics

Updated to the end of the Season 8 (2023)

Essendon 2023 AFLW Playing List and Statistics [51] [52]
PlayerNo.Games Goals Behinds Kicks Handballs Disposals Marks Tackles Hitouts
Georgia Gee 282252459716260
Daria Bannister 363434215520210
Madison Prespakis 4115214614228832560
Georgia Nanscawen 511111119520616890
Danielle Marshall 62006410310
Kodi Jacques 7101347317811240
Bonnie Toogood 8111691535721072574
Brooke Walker 91100476511213740
Jacqui Vogt 1084062359710390
Alana Barba 11000000000
Joanne Doonan 122106814260
Lily-Rose Williamson 13000000000
Ellyse Gamble 14111062319321140
Matilda Dyke 16810283765102526
Georgia Clarke 17110052358716300
Leah Cutting 18100415066
Mia Van Dyke 19600293321150
Stephanie Cain 20801624811019371
Jessica Wuetschner 2182226265213120
Amelia Radford 221142884213023230
Renee Tierney 2321111314510
Sophie Alexander 2411677659135311725
Alexandra Morcom 258003517528180
Ashleigh Van Loon 26500810184122
Sophie Van De Heuval 271002944113533230
Mia Busch 28110049247315440
Stephanie Wales 30111070611312236231
Paige Scott 321110585511324580
Amber Clarke 33103366178319170
Catherine Phillips 35000000000
Brooke Brown 368656930992270

Results

Key
HHome game
AAway game
Table of 2023 AFLW season results [53]
RoundDateResultScoreOpponentScoreGroundAttendanceLadder
GBTGBT
1 2 SeptemberWon7749 Hawthorn 4630 Kinetic Stadium A3,7785th
2 10 SeptemberWon6440 St Kilda 4428 Windy Hill H3,1955th
3 16 SeptemberLost5434 Adelaide 12981 Wigan Oval A2,23810th
4 24 SeptemberWon7850 Fremantle 4630 Windy Hill H2,8227th
5 30 SeptemberLost3624 Collingwood 6844 AIA Centre A1,4229th
6 8 OctoberWon4529 Geelong 2719 Reid Oval H2,8327th
7 14 OctoberWon853 Richmond 5636 IKON Park A2,8475th
8 22 OctoberLost2719 West Coast 3523 Windy Hill H2,1085th
9 28 OctoberWon8856 Carlton 3624 Windy Hill H3,8125th
10 3 NovemberLost3725 Gold Coast 6339 Great Barrier Reef Arena A2,1317th
Table of 2023 AFLW finals results
RoundDateResultScoreOpponentScoreGroundAttendance
GBTGBT
Elimination Final 12 NovemberLost5333 Geelong 7951 GMHBA Stadium A6,678
PosTeamPldWLDPFPAPPPtsQualification
1 Adelaide 10910599314190.836Finals series
2 Melbourne 10820653293222.932
3 North Melbourne 10730478213224.428
4 Brisbane (P)10730505339149.028
5 Gold Coast 10631416351118.526
6 Geelong 10640449318141.224
7 Essendon 10640379354107.124
8 Sydney 10640462432106.924
9 St Kilda 10640408399102.324
10 Richmond 10550382379100.820
11 Collingwood 1055033139983.020
12 Carlton 1046036142086.016
13 Fremantle 1046028940271.916
14 Hawthorn 1037030745667.312
15 Port Adelaide 1027140453875.110
16 Greater Western Sydney 1028031659653.08
17 West Coast 1028026953050.88
18 Western Bulldogs 1019032059553.84
Source: afl.com.au
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for
(P) Premiers

VFLW

Essendon Football Club
2023 VFLW season
PresidentDave Barham
Coach Travis Cloke
(1st season)
Captain(s) Georgia Nanscawen
(2nd season)
Home ground The NEC Hangar
Home & Away 8 wins, 5 losses, 1 draw (5th)
Finals Preliminary Final
Best and Fairest Sophie Molan
Leading goalkickerMia-Rae Clifford (14)

Season Summary

Former Collingwood player Travis Cloke was appointed senior coach of Essendon's VFLW side in November 2022. Cloke coached with four other coaches. [54] Georgia Nanscawen captained her second season for the bombers VFLW side. Courtney Ugle was the vice captain of Essendon's VFLW team. Kendra Heil, Mia-Rae Clifford and Eloise Ashley Cooper were all also part of Essendon's leadership group in 2023. [55] Essendon were coming off a their first VFLW premiership in the season prior to the 2023 VFLW season. [56] [57]

The bombers started their sixth VFLW season with a draw against Box Hill. Essendon kicked four goals to Box Hill's three goals. The bombers then lost their next two games against the Southern Saints and Carlton. Essendon then won their next five games from rounds four to eight. [58]

In the last round of the season Essendon needed a win to make the finals. The bombers defeated the Western Bulldogs in the last round to make the finals. The final score was 6.5 (41) to 4.4 (28). [59] [60]

In the first round of finals the bombers defeated Box Hill by 10 points. Their 10-point win against the hawks put them into the semi finals against Collingwood which they lost to by four points. [61] The bombers loss to Collingwood put them into the Preliminary Final against Port Melbourne. Essendon lost by five goals against the Boroughs eliminating them from the 2023 VFLW season. [57]

Coaching Staff

Retired Collingwood and Western Bulldogs player Travis Cloke was appointed senior coach of the bombers VFLW team. Cloke coached with four other coaches including former AFLW player Kirby Bentley. [54]

2023 VFLW coaching staff [54]
RoleName
Senior Coach Travis Cloke
Assistant Coach (midfield) Brett Pollard
Assistant Coach (defensive) Jacara Egan
Assistant Coach (forward) Kirby Bentley
Development Coach Jarrad Campbell

Results

Home & Away

Key
HHome game
AAway game
Table of 2023 VFLW season results [58]
RoundDateResultsScoreOpponentScoreGroundLadder
GBTGBT
1 26 MarchDraw4327 Box Hill 3927 The NEC Hangar H7th
2 2 AprilLost2517 Southern Saints 6642 Trevor Barker Beach Oval A9th
3 8 AprilLost2214 Carlton 10868 The NEC Hangar H10th
4 16 AprilWon41337 Casey 5535 The NEC Hangar H9th
5 22 AprilWon4731 Collingwood 2315 Victoria Park A8th
6 30 AprilWon4630 Williamstown 3321 DSV Stadium A6th
7 7 MayWon2820 Southern Saints 128 The NEC Hangar H5th
8 13 MayWon5333 Box Hill 1915 Box Hill City Oval A3rd
9 20 MayLost4226 Geelong Cats 4428 The NEC Hangar H5th
10 28 MayWon6642 Darebin 128 La Trobe University A4th
11 4 JuneLost5737 North Melbourne 6945 The NEC Hangar H6th
12 17 JuneWon4630 Casey 3725 Casey Fields A4th
13 25 JuneLost3119 Port Melbourne 3422 ETU Stadium A7th
14 1 JulyWon6541 Western Bulldogs 4428 Windy Hill H5th
Elimination Final8 JulyWon4731 Box Hill 3321 Box Hill City Oval A-
Semi Final15 JulyLost2618 Collingwood 3422 Victoria Park A-
Preliminary Final23 JulyLost1511 Port Melbourne 6541 ETU Stadium H-

Ladder

PosTeamPldWLDPFPAPPPtsQualification
3 Williamstown 14950471368128.036 Finals series
4 Box Hill 14842444358124.036
5 Essendon 14851404387104.434
6 Carlton 14860526349150.732
7 Southern Saints 14860365334109.332
Source: AFL.com.au
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.

Awards

  • Best and Fairest: Sophie Molan [62]
  • Leading Goal Kicker: Mia Rae-Clifford (14 Goals) [63]

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The 2018 VFL Women's season was the third season of the VFL Women's (VFLW). The season commenced on 5 May and concluded with the Grand Final on 23 September 2018. The competition was contested by thirteen clubs.

The 2021 VFL Women's season was the fifth season of the VFL Women's (VFLW). The season commenced on 27 February and was eventually curtailed on 10 September 2021 by the COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria, causing the grand final to be cancelled and no premiership awarded. Collingwood were recognised as the minor premiers for their undefeated regular season.

The 2022 VFL Women's season was the sixth season of the VFL Women's (VFLW). The season commenced on 12 February and concluded with the grand final on 3 July. Essendon went through the season undefeated and won its first VFLW premiership, defeating the Southern Saints by 35 points in the grand final; this resulted in the first completed VFLW season since 2019 after COVID-19 disruptions affected the previous two seasons.

The 2022 Geelong Football Club season was the club's 158th season playing Australian rules football, with the club competing in their 123rd season in the Australian Football League (AFL). Geelong also fielded a women's team in both 2022 AFL Women's season 6 and 2022 AFL Women's season 7, and a men's and women's reserves team in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and the VFL Women's (VFLW) respectively.

The 2023 Collingwood Football Club season is the club's 127th season of senior competition in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club also fielded its reserves team in the Victorian Football League and women's teams in the AFL Women's and VFL Women's competitions. Prior to the season, Scott Pendlebury stepped down as captain after nine years as skipper.

The 2023 VFL Women's season was the seventh season of the VFL Women's (VFLW). The season commenced on 25 March and concluded with the grand final on 30 July.

The 2023 Geelong Football Club season was the club's 159th season playing Australian rules football, with the club competing in their 124th season in the Australian Football League (AFL). Geelong also fielded a women's team in the 2023 AFL Women's season, and men's and women's reserves team in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and the VFL Women's (VFLW) respectively.

Alana Barba is an Australian rules footballer most recently playing for the Essendon Football Club in the AFLW. She previously played for the Gold Coast Suns in 2022 (S6).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 VFL Women's season</span> Australian rules football season

The 2024 VFL Women's season was the eighth season of the VFL Women's (VFLW), the state level senior women's Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season ran from 22 March to 21 July, comprising a home-and-away season, followed by a finals series featuring the top six clubs.

The 2024 Collingwood Football Club season is the club's 128th season of senior competition in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club also fielded its reserves team in the Victorian Football League and women's teams in the AFL Women's and VFL Women's competitions.

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