State of Play - VFL/W Podcast

Joe Pignataro and Gemma Bastiani bring you the State of Play in the Smithy's VFL and VFLW competitions. 

Catch up on:

• Brady Wright's 7-goal haul cements Werribee in the top 2
• Geelong beaten by the Magpies, 12 wins in a row, the streak ends
• Upsets galore in the VFLW - North & Collingwood beaten
• Gemma's Australia v Ireland AFLW weekend
• INTERVIEW: Tom Chitsos, coach of Port Melbourne VFLW side
• The intriguing matches of R...

Joe Pignataro and Gemma Bastiani bring you the State of Play in the Smithy's VFL and VFLW competitions. 

Catch up on:

• A shock loss to Williamstown reignites the #1 seed debate
• Steph Asciak a Bulldogs hero
• Essendon continuing this catapult up the table
• Frankston lets Gemma down against Southport
• INTERVIEW: Cam Joyce; Coach of Essendon's VFL side 
• The intriguing matches of Round 18 of the VFL + Round 11 of the VFLW

Joe Pignataro and Gemma Bastiani bring you the State of Play in the Smithy's VFL and VFLW competitions. 

Catch up on:

• Gemma's pre-season prediction comes back to haunt her
• Frankston's found a new forward on the eve of the finals
• Carlton's VFLW formline is promising
• Essendon are becoming a nuisance
• INTERVIEW: Dave Mirra; Coach of the Box Hill Hawks
• The intriguing matches of Round 17 of the VFL + Round 10 of the VFLW

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Joe Pignataro and Gemma Bastiani bring you the State of Play in the Smithy's VFL and VFLW competitions. 

Catch up on:

• Geelong are taunting their opposition at the top of the ladder
• North Melbourne blew a golden opportunity to break into the top 10
• Recapping the VFLW Grand Final rematch
• INTERVIEW: Paul Groves, coach of Williamstown VFLW
• The intriguing matches of Round 16 of the VFL + Round 9 of the VFLW

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Joe Pignataro and Gemma Bastiani bring you the State of Play in the Smithy's VFL and VFLW competitions. 

Catch up on:

• Have Williamstown surpassed the Magpies?
• Could Footscray go on a surprise September run?
• Unflappable formline of the Cats
• 2025 VFLW Grand Final rematch this weekend
• The intriguing matches of Round 16 of the VFL + Round 9 of the VFLW

Subscribe to the State of Play VFL/W Podcast wherever you get your p...

Joe Pignataro and Gemma Bastiani bring you the State of Play in the Smithy's VFL and VFLW competitions. 

Catch up on:

• Is there vulnerability in the Collingwood VFLW line-up?
• Williamstown's incredibly healthy VFLW list
• Question marks over the Box Hill Hawks form
• Who saw Brisbane's victory coming? 
• INTERVIEW: Harvey Hooper; GWS midfielder
• The intriguing matches of Round 15 of the VFL + Round 8 of the VFLW

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Joe Pignataro and Gemma Bastiani bring you the State of Play in the Smithy's VFL and VFLW competitions. 

Catch up on:

• Williamstown's ruck duo proving to be a handful
• Carlton's season is in free-fall
• Tasmania breakthrough for a historic first VFLW victory
• INTERVIEW: Grace White; Tasmanian VFLW forward
• INTERVIEW: Jackson Voss; Frankston defender
• The intriguing matches of Round 14 of the VFL + Round 7 of the VFLW

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Joe Pignataro and Gemma Bastiani bring you the State of Play in the Smithy's VFL and VFLW competitions. 

Catch up on:

• The reigning premiers are in free-fall
• Noah Yze playing with excitement & freedom at Sandy
• Williamstown the third best seed in the VFLW
• Ella Stoddart holds the key for Box Hill this weekend
• INTERVIEW: Christina Bernardi; Essendon forward
• The intriguing matches of Round 13 of the VFL + Round 6 of the VF...

Joe Pignataro and Gemma Bastiani bring you the State of Play in the Smithy's VFL and VFLW competitions. 

Catch up on:

• Gemma's day at Casey Fields
• Werribee continuing their climb up the ladder
• Bernardi leads the Bombers to their first win
• Renee Tierney & Dom Carbone leading from the front
• INTERVIEW: Charlie Lazzaro, Werribee midfielder 
• The intriguing matches of Round 12 of the VFL + Round 5 of the VFLW

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Joe Pignataro and Gemma Bastiani bring you the State of Play in the Smithy's VFL and VFLW competitions. 

Catch up on:

• Geelong the clear VFL front-runner
• Trusting Werribee's recent form
• Is North Melbourne Werribee gettable?
• Port Melbourne v Tassie in both VFL/W matches was a spectacle
• The Collingwood obliteration of the Bulldogs in the VFLW
• The intriguing matches of Round 11 of the VFL + Round 4 of the VFLW

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Joe Pignataro and Gemma Bastiani bring you the State of Play in the Smithy's VFL and Rebel VFLW competitions. 

Catch up on:

• Coburg ends Carlton's winning streak
• Paige Price elevated to the Gold Coast SUNS AFLW list
• Ajang Kuol Mun stakes his claim to being the #1 ruck in the game
• North Melbourne Werribee are the second half-specialists
• Are the Box Hill Hawks going under the radar in the VFL?
• The intriguing matches of Round...

On Sunday, May 24 - Coburg will hold its annual Vicki Cleary Day. The Lions annually pay tribute to the life of Vicki Cleary and the all too many women who have been impacted by family and domestic violence.

Phil Cleary is a legend of Coburg, the VFA and the VFL, he joins Joe Pignataro in this bonus edition of State of Play to provide an overview into how this day has grown over the years, and the profound impact the death of his s...

Joe Pignataro and Gemma Bastiani bring you the State of Play in the Smithy's VFL and Rebel VFLW competitions. 

Catch up on:

• Recapping VFLW's opening round
• Everyone is still going to be chasing the Kangaroo's W midfield
• Sandringham win a close one against the Bombers
• Port Melbourne come from 5-goals down against the Kangaroos
• INTERVIEW: Jamie Cassidy-McNamara; Coach of Coburg
• The intriguing matches of Round 9 of the VFL + ...

Joe Pignataro and Gemma Bastiani bring you the State of Play in the Smithy's VFL and Rebel VFLW competitions. 

Catch up on:

• Coburg's victory over Southport: 4 years in the making
• Carlton's 4 game winning streak: The latest by a record margin
• Tassie & Werribee play out the season's first draw
• Prediction time ahead of the VFLW's opening round
• INTERVIEW: Lulu Beatty; Darebin midfielder
• The intriguing matches of Round 8 o...

Joe Pignataro and Gemma Bastiani bring you the State of Play in the Smithy's VFL and Rebel VFLW competitions. 

Catch up on:

• Fun-facts from Round 6 results
• Respect for St Kilda and Richmond despite close fought losses
• Tassie the story of the opening month
• Coburg win the battle of the Lions
• INTERVIEW: Daniel Ward; Coach of Sandringham
• Games you can't afford to miss in Round 7

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Joe Pignataro and Gemma Bastiani bring you the State of Play in the Smithy's VFL and Rebel VFLW competitions. 

Catch up on:

• Top 6 sides all suffer a loss this weekend
• The incredible amount of movement on the ladder
• GWS scoring dominance
• Can you trust the Swans?
• INTERVIEW: Tom Hird; Port Melbourne captain
• The intriguing matches worth watching in Round 6

Subscribe to the State of Play VFL/W Podcast wherever you get yo...

Joe Pignataro and Gemma Bastiani bring you the State of Play in the Smithy's VFL and Rebel VFLW competitions. 

Catch up on:

• St Kilda's first win for 2026
• How the reigning premiers cover their mounting injury list
• Point Gellibrand is a Williamstown fortress 
• Gemma unpacks "The Sleepover Club" 
• Alex Johnson v Nick Malceski in the coaches box this weekend
• A look ahead to Round 5 of the Smithy's VFL

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Joe Pignataro and Gemma Bastiani bring you the State of Play in the Smithy's VFL and Rebel VFLW competitions. 

Catch up on:

• Recapping the SANFLW v VFLW close encounter
• The Big V men get the job done by 5 points
• INTERVIEW: Mitch Podhasjki, Coburg full forward
• A look ahead to Round 4 of the Smithy's VFL

Subscribe to the State of Play VFL/W Podcast wherever you get your podcast to never miss a moment, a fresh episode i...

Joe Pignataro and Gemma Bastiani bring you the State of Play in the Smithy's VFL and Rebel VFLW competitions. 

Catch up on:

• Tasmania remain unbeaten to life in the VFL
• The firepower of the Southport and Footscray forward lines
• Geelong's unheralded heroes
• INTERVIEW: Brett Gourley; VFLW representative coach
• INTERVIEW: Jackson Kornberg; VFL representative coach
• Big V previews ahead of Saturday

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