SENIOR coaches Luke Beveridge and Brad Scott agree that starting the AFL and VFL competitions at the same time would benefit Victorian clubs managing their players in the early rounds of the season.

Good Friday will mark the opening round of the VFL season, a month after the state league's official practice match series started and three weeks behind the AFL's season opener on March 23.

The exception was a one-off VFL clash between Port Melbourne and the Northern Blues last weekend. 

With their clubs set to square off in the AFL's inaugural Good Friday clash, Beveridge (Footscray) and Scott (Werribee) have had several practice matches to condition players not selected for senior football, but both mentors would like to see more meaningful games scheduled in future.

 "I think we've managed (the VFL practice matches) pretty well, but it is a later start (to the season proper), which is a challenge to manage," Beveridge said.

"We've tried to minimise the amount of practice matches we play, because with the timeline it could be six or seven.

"I'm not sure we could have 22 VFL rounds, (but) it would help if it did run concurrently and with maybe a few byes in there at different times to spread it out.

"It's never perfect, (and) everyone has to manage it."

At North Melbourne, form on the track carries more weight than a player's performance in a VFL practice game, but Scott is hopeful the AFL will introduce a far more consistent model for player development.

"Training form is the basis (for selection at the moment), but we'd certainly like to have a few more games," Scott said.

"There are a lot byes in there, so I know it's something AFL are looking really strongly at and getting a more conducive second-tier competition as a feeder competition to the AFL, and they've been working on that for a while.

"We're really fortunate that we've got a great relationship with Werribee, because they've scheduled practice games when there wasn't a game scheduled. More for (our benefit), than for (theirs)."