2026 BBFFL#2 Season Launch
Welcome to BBFFL#2 for season number 15. The big question is can anybody stop @Crazy_Bomber after he gone back to back winning the BBFFL#2 premiership in 2024 and 2025. Or can @stoops break through after suffering back to back defeats in Grand Finals to finally become a BBFFL#2 Premier. Or has Bix time finally arrived for @TrevorBix in 2012, 2013, 2014… anyway you know the drill?
Practice matches have commenced tonight and will continue until on 1 March. Opening round then start on 5 March. I am properly that keepers are due at 6pm on Saturday 28 February - just after Essendon’s official practice match ends. The draft would then start the next day. Opening round starts on Thursday 6 March - so we likely would not finish the draft in time. However given scores for opening round only count as the scores when players have their early byes I’m ok with us overlapping with Opening Round unless anyone has a huge objection. I think we need to have at least seen most of the AFL teams play a formal practice game.
Invites to Keeper Fantasy have gone out and if I’m reading it right the only coaches yet to sign up are @ivan and @aceman. I have resent the invite tonight. Please let me know if you haven’t received the invite. Great work to the 16 coaches who look like they have already signed up.
2026 Game Changes
With the move to Keeper Fantasy I am hoping the league admin will be very seamless. The platform is far superior to AFL Fantasy. Our squads remain as follows:
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Backs × 5
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Mids × 6
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Forwards × 5
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Ruck × 1
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Flex × 1
Emergency rules will be amended. You get to name 1 emergency in each position except for utility
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If your utility doesn’t play, only an emergency of the same position as the utility will replace them as a scoring player.
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If your ruckman doesn’t play and you have another ruck in your starting 18, the backup ruck moves to ruck, and emergency cover is applied to the line they vacated.
The intention is to have lockouts through the season for the first Saturday game. Free agency rules will be confirmed shortly - there are different options defending on the cost of the league.
A mid‑season draft will also run after Round 11, with reverse ladder order used to select newly listed players. Subject to change of when the AFl midseason draft takes place the platform allows for this function
KEY AFL DATES (2026)
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Preseason matches: 18 February – 1 March
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Round 0 commences: 5 March
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Round 1 commences: 12 March
KEY BBFFL#2 DATES (2026)
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Final trades finalised: 6pm, 27 February
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Squads trimmed to 20: 6pm, 28 February (via Keeper Fantasy website/app)
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Evening of 28 February: Spreadsheet with available players circulated
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Draft commences: No later than midday 1 March
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Draft completed by: Thursday 5 March (this is our aim)
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Partial lockout for Round 1: 7.30pm, Thursday 12 March
Lists
The current squads are in Keeper Fantasy as at the end of 2025.
Draft Order
I will post in the next day or so the draft order as it currently stands after our mid‑season trade period.
Keepers
Please feel free to post on Blitz, but the official squads will be taken from Keeper Fantasy. Trades should be able to be made and reflected in your squads on the platform.
LTI List
It looks like we have the ability to use an LTI list again. There will be 2 spots available. Anyone wishing to list an LTI will have to do so prior to the commencement of the draft to get a pick in the post‑draft ‘LTI Draft’. Otherwise you will have to wait until the first free agency period to acquire a replacement.
Draft Format
We will be using Kpper League platform for the draft. It looks like it will be super easy to use. I will still send out the initial spreadsheet with averages for the last couple of years and also post the overall draft picks in Blitz. The combination of email alerts and texting should ensure the draft moves smoothly.
We haven’t seen any action on the trade front yet, but it would be great if everyone was active in trying to improve their lists and/or draft positions. Please do the right thing by other coaches and respond to their PMs. There is nothing more frustrating than a non‑response.
As always let me know if you have any questions or issues. Go Bulls!