A special State of Origin state league match could feature during the 2024 Gather Round, reports Code Sports.
The AFL is planning to keep the weekend of April 6-7 vacant at state league level to allow the VFL to face the SANFL in Adelaide, according to the report.
The full AFL round will be played in South Australia for the second Gather Round, including five matches at Adelaide Oval.
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It’s unclear where the VFL vs SANFL game would be played, whether as a curtain-raiser or a separate fixture entirely.
Only VFL-listed players from the 21 clubs would be able to play in the contest, not AFL-listed players running around in the seconds.
The VFL has not played against another league since 2017 when an understrength side, featuring future AFL players Bayley Fritsch and Sam Switkowski, lost by 63 points to a WAFL team which included Tim Kelly.
In 2016 the SANFL defeated the VFL by 19 points at Adelaide Oval.
Gather Round will be Round 4 of the 2024 AFL season, though it is actually the fifth round due to the introduction of the four-game ‘Opening Round’.
