The Victorian Football League has today announced the Smithy's VFL State Team 43-player squad ahead of the clash with the SANFL’s West End State Team.

North Melbourne captain Darcy Macpherson is the club's sole representative. Macpherson joined the Roos in the off-season after playing 97 AFL games for the Gold Coast Suns across nine seasons.

The clash between the VFL and SANFL representative teams will follow the North Melbourne v Gold Coast Suns AFL match at nearby Barossa Park, providing a footy showcase for the Barossa region.

The VFL State Team squad features representatives from 18 clubs across the 21-team competition.

Only VFL-listed players are available to be selected in the VFL State Team, with current AFL-listed players ineligible.

Players who are injured were not selected in the initial squad, however players can still be added from outside the squad when the final team of 23 players to represent the 'Big V' is announced in the week leading into the match.

The VFL State Team coaching panel was announced last month, with Box Hill Hawks coach Zane Littlejohn reappointed as head coach.

The coaching panel comprises an additional five VFL club coaches in assistant roles. They include Jamie Cassidy-McNamara (Coburg), Stewart Edge (Footscray Bulldogs), Ben Hudson (Brisbane Lions), Jackson Kornberg (Frankston) and Taylor Whitford (Casey Demons).

The VFL State Team will be looking for atonement in the 2025 AAMI State Game after falling to the SANFL by 14 points in last year’s clash at Glenelg’s Stratarama Stadium.

It was the first time the VFL State Team had been on the representative stage since 2017 and reignited the rivalry between the VFL and SANFL which dates back to the late 1800s.