Sam Maraldo (left) and Ben Jankovski (right) have been selected to compete for Victoria in the 2025 Toyota AFL Open.

Collingwood is proud to announce the selection of seven Wheelchair Magpies across four different teams in the upcoming 2025 Toyota AFL Open, the flagship event for disability inclusion in sport.

The event will take place from Monday, 27 October to Thursday, 30 October at the La Trobe University Sports Precinct in Bundoora, Victoria with 300 players, coaches and support staff from across the country set to compete for the coveted titles.

WHEELCHAIR FOOTBALL | Find out more

The annual event offers the nation’s best wheelchair footballers an opportunity to showcase their athleticism and skills to the broader community and is free to attend for all.

As participation continues to rise and more people connect with the game, the 2025 Toyota AFL Open will also have a focus on building inclusion pathways for women and girls and building opportunities to showcase and highlight modified versions of footy.

Collingwood CEO Craig Kelly expressed the Club’s pride in the selections.

“We’re so incredibly proud of our players selected to represent for the black and white at Nationals. Not just for their talents and their resilience but the way they represent the Club’s values. Best of luck to all those competing this year, and if you can, make sure to get down there to cheer them on.“

The 2025 Toyota AFL Open is FREE to attend for all fans and the final two days of competition can be viewed LIVE and FREE via AFL Play YouTube and Kayo Freebies.

Pinned
Matthew Blunt in action during the 2025 VWFL Season. Blunt will be swapping his Collingwood guernsey to represent RSL in the national competition next week.

 

Collingwood Magpies selected for the 2025 Toyota AFL Open:

Victoria:
Andrew Paddle (Head Coach) 
Anthony Perito (Forward), Ben Jankovski (Forward)

Tasmania
Martyn Ford (Centre) 
Josh Christian (Centre)

Western Australia
Michael Telban (Forward) 

RSL
Sam Maraldo (Defender) 
Matthew Blunt (Defender)

 

About the Wheelchair Magpies

The Collingwood Magpies’ Wheelchair team competes in AFL Victoria’s Victorian Wheelchair Football League as part of the Club’s ongoing commitment to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for all.

These competitions are designed to allow those currently living with a disability to play in a competitive, adaptive version of AFL football. As one of five AFL clubs in the league's Victorian wheelchair competition, Collingwood's aim is to ensure our players are living their happiest and healthiest lives possible.