Former AFL coach’s big call to potentially scrap VFL

Former AFL assistant coach Craig Jennings believes revamping the VFL system could be the league's answer to saving finances amid the coronavrius pandemic.

Jennings, who has coached at North Melbourne, Western Bulldogs, Essendon, and most recently Melbourne, believes the VFL has grown irrelevant in recent years.

With the financial squeeze set to impact clubs in the next few years, he questioned whether a second-tier league will be necessary beyond 2020.

"I can almost see a model where clubs just play practice matches,” Jennings said on Fox Footy’s podcast, THE DEBATE.

“I can’t remember one time where the concept of playing VFL in a competitive game was deemed important by the match committee.

“All we’d talk about was can a player play a certain role and is their form up to scratch. I feel like you can get that out of a different model or going back to different competitions.

“What I saw in the match committee was little care for the results at VFL level. When you go out there you want to win because learning how to win is a skill. But I look at the financial part of it and I know where I’d be spending the money."

With list sizes set to be reduced for 2021, Jennings says the commitment for a second-tier competition would make little sense.

“It’s about the return you get on your investment," he said. “It’s about the return you get on your investment," he said.

Meanwhile, retired Hawthorn and Melbourne great Jordan Lewis said the playing standard of the VFL diminished over the course of his playing career.

“The standard of VFL football has dropped in the past 10 years,” Lewis said.

“You’d get people who were either just on the cusp of playing AFL or those who had just retired returning because it was a really good standard.

“The money to play in suburban leagues has been too good to refuse. Maybe if the VFL competition survives, those same guys will play VFL because the money won’t be there in local leagues.”

Carlton has already severed ties with VFL affiliate the Northern Blues, while fears remain that standalone clubs Port Melbourne, Williamstown, Frankston and others will not survive the financial strain caused by Coronavirus.