Werribee collected its second win of the 2023 Smithy’s VFL season with a dominant display against traditional rivals Williamstown in Round 5 to reclaim the John Pyne Cup.

The Anzac round victory over the Seagulls was the Big W’s first home win of the season with the 93-point result coming on past players and officials day with a large contingent watching on.

After being plagued by inaccuracy against Geelong just a week earlier, Werribee was clinical in front of goal with Hudson Garoni leading the way.

The key forward’s six majors was a career-high while Connor Thar finished with four to tally his best return at VFL level. Tom Gribble, Dom Brew and Jack Henderson dominated in midfield with 80 disposals and 28 clearances between them.

Shaun Manngah kicked the first of Werribee’s 24 goals five minutes into the contest and then Garoni opened his account two minutes later. Further majors to Dom Brew and Garoni and a goalless term by Williamstown had the hosts leading by 25 points at the first change.

It didn’t take long for Werribee to increase its advantage in the second quarter with Bailey Henderson booting his first Werribee goal after just two minutes before Sam Paea nailed the Big W’s sixth.

Thar was next to hit the scoreboard putting Werribee up by 43 points at the 12-minute mark of the term. After back-to-back Williamstown goals Thar would add his second with four minutes remaining before another Seagulls major reduced the margin to 31 points at halftime.

The second half started with Mannagh again goaling early but from there the the two sides traded majors with Garoni responding on three consecutive occasions following Williamstown goals. His fifth came 24 minutes into the quarter before Paea and Nick Hayes had the hosts up by 48 points.

The third finished with Corey Ellison kicked a late goal for Williamstown which would be the last score for the visitors for nearly half an hour as Werribee ran riot adding 9.3 in the first 23 minutes of the final stanza.

Williamstown’s two fourth quarter majors came a minute apart, but the final highlight would come from the boot of former Seagull Noah Lever who ensured Werribee made it 10 majors in the term when he botted his first goal for his new club.

Werribee’s dominance was evident in the final statistics as the home team ended the match +69 in disposals, +31 in contested possessions and +28 in clearances. The Big W also went inside 50 20 more times and out tackled the Seagulls 74 to 47.

FINAL SCORE
Werribee: 4.3 8.5 14.5 24.10 (154)
Williamstown: 0.2 3.4 7.5 9.7 (61)

GOALS
Werribee: H. Garoni 6, C. Thar 4, S. Mannagh 3, N. Hayes 3, K. Declase 2,, S. Paea 2, D. Brew, J. Henderson, N. Lever, J. Porter.
Williamstown: J. Ottavi 2, C. Ellison 2, M. Walker, D. Andrews, M. Philpot, J. Pongracic, C. Preston.

BEST
Werribee:H. Garoni, T. Gribble, D. Brew, C. Thar, B. Malual, J. Henderson.
Williamstown: 

ROUND 5 IMAGE GALLERY - VIEW HERE

PLAYER STATS
Tom Gribble: 30 disposals (16 K, 14 HB) at 80% efficiency, 15 contested possessions, 11 clearances, 5 inside 50s, 12 score involvements, 5 tackles.
Bior Malual: 25 disposals (20 K, 5 HB) at 80% efficiency, 12 handball receives, 5 marks (1 contested), 6 score involvements, 4 tackles.
Dom Brew: 25 disposals (20 K 5 HB), 14 contested possessions, 10 clearances, 11 inside 10 score involvements, 11 tackles.
Jack Henderson: 21 disposals (14 K 10 HB), 11 contested possessions, 7 clearances, 3 inside 50s, 3 rebound 50s, 9 score involvements.
Kobe Annand: 14 disposals (6 K, 8 HB), 27 hit-outs, 7 clearances, 4 inside 50s, 8 score involvements, 5 tackles.
Connor Thar: 14 disposals (12 K, 4 HB), 3 marks, 5 score involvements, 4 goals, 4 tackles.
Nick Hayes: 13 disposals (8 K, 5 HB), 5 marks (1 contested), 9 score involvements, 3 goals, 4 tackles.
Hudson Garoni: 10 disposals (8 K, 2 HB), 8 marks (4 contested), 9 score involvements, 6 goals.

NEXT MATCH 
Round 7
Werribee vs Essendon
Sunday 7th May, 2:05pm
NEC Hangar, Melbourne Airport

Werribee returned from the bye and stormed to their tenth win of the season with a dominant 76-point triumph over Sandringham at Avalon Airport Oval on Saturday.

Five changes for the Round 15 encounter mattered little for the hosts  as career-best goal tallies from Shaun Mannagh (7), Harry Grintell (4) and veteran Michael Sodomaco (4) helped lead the Big W to a ninth consecutive victory.

Tom Gribble (36 disposals) and Dom Brew (31 disposals) starred in Werribee’s midfield again with Gribble registering his eighth straight game of 30-plus possessions while it was Brew’s third game this season with more than 30 disposals.

Sam Paea and Harry Grintell, both back in the side, bagged the opening two goals of the game with Mannagh’s first at the 15-minute mark putting Werribee 12 points clear.

Veteran Michael Sodomaco nailed the next two majors from beyond 50, before Kye Declase did the same to give the Big W their best start to a match this season.

It was Mannagh who kick started the scoring in the second term but the Zebras were quick to reply with back-to-back goals. 

Meanwhile, third  majors to Mannagh and Sodomaco with a brilliant running finish, came either side of Sandringham’s fourth goal with the margin 34 points at the main break. 

The goal fest continued in the third term with Grintell, Mannagh and Sodomaco hitting the scoreboard early before Darcy Cassar got in on the action to help stretch the difference to 64 points.

Sandringham would hit back with the next three majors before Declase raised the ton for Werribee late in the quarter with his second goal after a big pack mark.

Werribee kicked six more goals in the final stanza with Mannagh bagging three of the last four to see the hosts comfortably claim their 11th win of the campaign.

Sandringham’s final score was only marginally higher than the 61 points per game the Big W had conceded going into the day, with captain Nick Coughlan and Nathan Cooper important in another solid defensive display.

Werribee:7.4 10.4 16.8 22.9 (141)
Sandringham: 1.4 4.6 7.6 9.11 (65)

GOALS
Werribee: S. Mannagh 7, H. Grintell 4, M. Sodomaco 4, D. Cassar 2, K. Declase 2, S. Paea, T. Gribble, N. Hayes.
Sandringham:N. Gown, 2, J. Billings, O. Hotton, Z. Jones, J. Lohmann J. Segar, M. Harms, M. Heath. 

BEST
Werribee: S. Mannagh, M. Sodomaco, T Gribble, H. Grintell, N. Coughlan, B. Malual.

KEY PLAYERS
Tom Gribble: 36 disposals (14 K, 22 HB), 20 contested possessions, 5 tackles, 13 clearances, 7 inside 50s, 14 score involvements, 1 goal.
Dom Brew: 31 disposals (18 K, 13 HB), 22 contested possessions, 13 clearances, 5 inside 50s, 2 rebound 50s, 8 score involvements, 12 tackles.
Michael Sodomaco: 29 disposals (25 K, 4 HB), 12 marks (2 intercept), 4 tackles, 5 rebound 50s, 7 score involvements, 4 goals.
Bior Malual: 26 disposals (14 K, 12 HB), 9 marks, 3 tackles, 3 inside 50s, 3 rebound 50s, 3 score assists.
Shaun Mannagh: 26 disposals (14 K, 11 HB), 16 contested possessions, 6 tackles, 9 clearances, 7 inside 50s, 11 score involvements, 7 goals.
Darcy Cassar: 20 disposals (11 K, 15 HB) at 90% efficiency, 6 marks, 2 tackles, 4 inside 50s, 6 score involvements, 2 goals.
Harry Grintell: 11 disposals (8 K, 3 HB), 7 marks, 4 tackles, 3 inside 50s, 7 score involvements, 4 goals.
Kobe Annand: 8 disposals (1 K, 7 HB), 33 hit-outs, 5 tackles, 2 clearances, 3 score involvements.

ROUND 15 IMAGE GALLERY - VIEW HERE

NEXT GAME
Round 16
Werribee vs Port Melbourne
Saturday 8th July, 3:05pm
North Port Oval, Port Melbourne

Werribee wrapped up its prepartions for the 2023 Smithy's VFL season with a third practice match win from three games after topping Sandringham by four points at RSEA Park on Saturday. 

FINAL SCORE
Werribee: 3.4 3.5 8.11 10.13 (73)
Sandringham: 1.1 7.3 7.3 10.9 (69)

GOALS
Werribee: F. Young 2, S. Paea 2, K. Annand, J. Boyd, C. Byrne, H. Garoni, H. Grintell, L. Smart.

BEST
Werribee: B. Malual, J. Clark, E. Ajang, S. Paea, M. Keast, K. Annand.

PLAYER STATS
Bior Malual: 27 disposals (19 K, 8 HB), 9 marks, 4 inside 50s, 2 tackles.
Shaun Mannagh: 24 disposals (17 K, 7 HB), 6 marks, 7 clearances, 6 inside 50s, 7 tackles.
Jesse Clark: 23 disposals (18 K, 5 HB), 9 marks (1 contested) 4 clearances, 4 inside 50s.
Emmanuel Ajang: 23 disposals (9 K, 14 HB), 3 clearances, 3 inside 50s, 5 tackles.
Matt Keast: 19 disposals (10 K, 9 HB), 4 marks (1 contested), 2 inside 50s, 10 tackles.
Lachlan Smart: 16 disposals (11 K, 5 HB), 3 tackles, 2 clearances, 1 goal. 
Flynn Young: 13 disposals (10 K, 3 HB), 4 marks, 2 tackles, 2 goals.  
Kobe Annand: 6 disposals (3 K, 3 HB), 1 contested mark, 17 hit-outs, 3 clearances, 1 goal.

IMAGE GALLERY – VIEW HERE

NEXT WEEK - ROUND 1
Werribee vs Brisbane Lions
Saturday March 25, 11:05am (AEST)
Brighton Homes Arena, Brisbane

Werribee has suffered its first away loss of the season being denied victory late in its Round 6 clash against Gold Coast.

The Big W took the lead twice in the final term and had the chance to win it at the end, but co-captain Dom Brew's late snap was marked on the goal-line.

Earlier, Werribee fought back from a 37-point halftime deficit, with a six-goal third quarter helping reduce the margin to just two points ahead of the last.

FINAL SCORE
Werribee: 3.5 4.6 10.13 12.17 (89)
Gold Coast 3.1 11.1 12.3 14.7 (91)

GOALS
Werribee: J. Dahlhaus 3, K. Declase 2, S. Mannagh 2, H. Garoni, O. Hanrahan, N. Hayes, E. Jackson, J. Porter.
Gold Coast: S. Day 3, J. Jeffrey 3, A. Sexton 2, R. Atkins, C. Burgess, W. Bella, J Bowes, C. Constable, S. Flanders.

BEST
Werribee: O. Hanrahan, J. Dahlhaus, K. Declase, T. Gribble, C. Ham, D.Brew.
Gold Coast:

HOW IT HAPPENED

It took just over a minute for Werribee to opening the scoring with Kye Declase slotting the first attempt on goal and just three minutes later they had a second courtesy of a Nick Hayes snap from the pocket. Despite Werribee’s hot start Gold Coast soon worked their way into the game and added three majors over the next 20 minutes before Jay Dahlhaus restored Werribee’s lead at the 29-minute mark. After three late misses the visitors went into quarter-time up by four points.

The Suns took advantage of the breeze in the second term and broke the game open in the first 18 minutes of play kicking six straight goals. Werribee eventually ended the home team’s run when debutants Ethan Jackson and Lochie Smart combined at the 23-minute mark with the former marking close to goal and then converting with a left-foot snap. It would be Werribee’s only goal for the quarter and with the Suns adding two further majors the difference at halftime was 37.   

Needing something to change to get back into the match the second half began with rain falling. After weathering several attacking furores from the Suns early in the quarter Werribee would get the much needed first goal through Ollie Hanrahan. Shaun Mannagh added a second halfway through the term, and while the Suns were quick to reply the Big W continued to dominate around the contest. With repeat and deep entries inside 50 Werribee booted four goals in just 10 minutes via Dahlhaus, Josh Porter, Hudson Garoni and Declase to reduce the deficit to two points with a quarter to play.

Having not led since the first quarter Werribee went ahead 15 minutes into the final quarter when Jay Dahlhaus kicked his third goal after a quick hack forward. However, it wouldn’t be for long as the Suns goaled six minutes later before Mannagh responded to put Werribee back in front. With two minutes to play Gold Coast transitioned from defence and regained the lead one last time before Werribee’s final efforts came up short. After winning the centre clearance Dom Brew’s last second snap was marked on the goal-line to deny the Big W a famous victory.

KEY PLAYERS

Tom Gribble:34 disposals (20 contested possessions), 8 clearances, 9 inside 50s, 9 score involvements, 5 tackles.
Ollie Hanrahan: 28 disposals (16 kicks), 5 tackles, 5 clearances, 7 score involvements, 1 goal.
Dom Brew: 24 disposals (17 kicks), 9 clearances, 4 inside 50s, 4 rebound 50s, 4 score involvements.
Shaun Mannagh:20 disposals (17 contested possessions), 9 clearances, 7 tackles, 5 inside 50s, 2 goals.
Nick Hayes:19 disposals at 79% efficiency, 4 marks, 7 score involvements, 1 goal
Charlie Ham: 16 disposals, 3 marks (1 contested) 4 tackles, 3 inside 50s.
Jay Dahlhaus: 13 disposals, 4 tackles, 6 score involvements, 3 inside 50s, 3 goals.

VIEW MATCH GALLERY

WATCH REPLAY

NEXT MATCH
Round 7
Werribee vs Sydney
Saturday May 7, 1.05pm
Avalon Airport Oval, Werribee

Werribee will contest its first official practice match of the preseason this Saturday with the team set to take on Frankston on neutral territory.

The Big W takes plays the Dolphins in the second of three games as part of the Victorian Standalone Carnival being held at Craigieburn’s Highgate Reserve.

Coach Michel Barlow has picked a strong 28-man squad for the encounter, the first of three practice games the club will play before kicking off the 2023 Smithy's VFL season on March 25 against Brisbane.

Werribee’s match against Frankston and the day's other two matches (Northern Bullants v Williamstown, 10:45am & Coburg v Port Melbourne, 3:15pm) will be live streamed via Cluch TV.

Werribee supporters attending Saturday's practice match will be able to purchase 2023 memberships on the day or can sign up now by visiting the WFC Online Shop HERE.

PRACTICE MATCH 1
Werribee vs Frankston
Saturday 4th March, 1:00pm
Highgate Reserve, Craigieburn
WATCH LIVE HERE

Werribee let slip a first home win of the season going down to Carlton by 19 points in Round 5.

Up by 17 points at quarter time in front of a strong crowd at Avalon Airport Oval on Saturday, Werribee's advantage was cut to 10 points at halftime before the Blues took a one-point lead into the final term.

Werribee regained control early in the last thanks to goals from Hudson Garoni and Josh Porter but that was all the home team could muster with basic skill errors and the loss of Matt Hanson and Jesse Clark impacting the Big W late as Carlton (4-1) surged home finishing the match with five unaswered goals. 

FINAL SCORE

Werribee: 3.7 5.9 8.11 10.14 (74)
Carlton 1.2 4.5 9.6 14.9 (93) 

GOALS
Werribee: S. Mannagh 2, J. Henderson 2, H. Garoni 2, B. Malual, J. Porter, L. Rocci, M. Sodomaco.
Carlton: B. Crocker 3, N. Cahill 2, J. Carroll 2, J. Cripps 2, P. Dow, B. Kemp, T. Williamson, W. Hayes, L. O’Brien.

BEST
Werribee: J. Henderson, K. Gray, N. Hayes, T. Gribble, B. Malual, C. Ham.
Carlton:

HOW IT HAPPENED 

For the second week in a row Werribee started the stronger of the two sides and after a couple of early misses by Ollie Hanrahan, Michael Sodomaco produced another opening quarter goal while Lucas Rocci, in his first game of the season and playing as a small forward, followed up by slotting the team’s second to see the Big W jump out to a 14-point lead after seven and half minutes. Carlton soon registered its first scores, two behinds, and after an uneventful next 10 minutes Shaun Mannagh kicked Werribee’s third to give the hosts a 20-point buffer.

After finishing the first quarter with three straight behinds Werribee’s inaccuracy continued early in the second term with two minor scores inside the first five minutes. With the Big W missing out on the chance to go further ahead, Carlton got itself back into the game with the next five scoring shots, three of which were goals, to lead by a point, 15 minutes into the second. However, Werribee quickly wrestled back the momentum as Jack Henderson nailed a long-range set shot and Bior Malual converted after marking 15 metres out to see Werribee go into the main break up by 10.

The hosts started the second half positively with Hudson Garoni kicking truly after four and a half minutes, before a couple of rushed behinds took Werribee’s score to 6.11 for the day. Back-to-back majors for Carlton in the space of four minutes pegged the margin back, but the Big W once again responded when challenged with Henderson and Mannagh each bagging their second goals to help restore a three-goal advantage. The back and forth continued with Carlton adding three straight goals before Fogarty missed a shot after the siren.

Despite being down two rotations with Matt Hanson and Jesse Clark out of the game, Carlton’s one-point buffer was quickly erased in the last. After an early Josh Porter miss Garoni goaled before Porter made no mistake with his next chance just before the nine-minute mark. The next eight minutes passed with just a single Werribee behind but with basic skill errors starting to creep in again Carlton fired back with majors to Dow and Cripps. With scores level at 73-all Werribee should have regained the lead through Malual 21 minutes in and from there the Blues seized their opportunity. They took just over a minute to kick their third major of the term before two late goals sealed the result.  

KEY PLAYERS

Tom Gribble : 40 disposals (23 handballs), 18 handball receives, 6 clearances, 7 inside 50s, 6 score involvements, 3 rebound 50s.
Kye Declase: 28 disposals (20 kicks), 14 handball receives, 7 marks, 7 inside 50s, 8 score involvements.
Jack Henderson: 28 disposals (15 contested possessions), 6 clearances, 5 tackles, 6 score involvements, 2 goals.
Ollie Hanrahan: 26 disposals, 15 handball receives, 7 marks, 4 tackles, 6 score involvements.
Shaun Mannagh:  23 disposals (16 kicks), 12 contested possessions, 6 clearances, 5 inside 50s, 5 tackles, 2 goals.
Michael Sodomaco:18 disposals (13 kicks), at 83% efficiency, 10 handball receives, 5 rebound 50s, 3 clearances, 1 goal.
Sam Conway: 10 disposals, 4 marks (3 contested) 24 hit-outs, 5 clearances.

VIEW MATCH GALLERY

WATCH MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

NEXT MATCH

Round 6
Werribee vs Gold Coast
Sunday May 1, 11.05pm
Metricon Stadium complex, Queensland

Werribee fell short of a drought-breaking premiership on Sunday going down to the Gold Coast Suns by 19-points in the 2023 Smithy’s VFL Grand Final at IKON Park.

Chasing a second VFA/VFL premiership, 30 years on from the club’s lone grand final triumph in 1993 it wasn’t to be for Werribee as their 17-game unbeaten run came to an end at the hands of the Suns.

The Big W matched it with their more fancied opponents for long periods but failed to capitalise on opportunities while Gold Coast just had a little bit more class and firepower with 20 AFL-listed players in their side.

Werribee star Shaun Mannagh was the best player on the ground and duefuly received the Norm Goss Medal after an incredible performance that included six goals and 27 disposals.  

Werribee made two changes from its preliminary final team for the decider with Keegan Gray coming in for Matt Keast, while Connor Thar who kicked three goals to help the Tigers past the Lions, was a late out with Harry Grintell his replacement.

On the biggest stage of the year, it took Werribee several minutes to settle into the game with the Suns kicking the opening two goals through Chris Burgess and Mabior Chol.It would be Mannagh who kick started Werribee's day, converting a set shot from 40 metres at the 11-minute mark before getting the crowd on their feet with a volley out of the air to level things up just moments later.

Bior Malual produced some highlights in the opening term with a flashy sidestep on the wing, and a tackle on the line to deny a certain goal. Blows were traded late, with a Hudson Garoni mark and goal keeping Werribee in touch as the Suns went into the first break with a seven-point buffer.

Following an early Gold Coast behind to start the second it was all Werribee for the next 13 minutes. After a couple of minor scores a Mannagh check-side gave Werribee its first major of the quarter before a Jack Henderson bomb from the 50 gave the Big W the lead halfway through the term.

Gold Coast responded with a strong 10 minutes of their own kicking four straight goals before Mannagh again stepped up, with his fourth goal reducing the margin to 10 points and wrestling some momentum back for the Big W ahead of the main break.

Werribee went to the half with 53 more possessions and 10 more inside 50s with Mannagh, Matt Hanson, Sam Clohesy and Kye Declase the team's best performers in the opening 60 minutes of play.

The Suns dominated play in the third, again kicking four consecutive goals to push the margin out to a game-high 38 points. With Werribee’s backs against the wall, it took a special effort from Kye Declase, spinning out of one tackle and stepping by another before firing through a much needed major to end a scoreless 25-minute period.

Harry Grintell then found himself on the end of Tom Gribbble handball and slotted home to reduce the margin to 26, while a Sam Day miss after the siren made the difference 27 points with a quarter to play.

Werribee’s famous victory over the Suns in Round 9 had them facing a 29-point deficit to start the last, so it wasn’t unfamiliar territory for the Big W with it all to play for in the final stanza. And after Michael Barlow’s last address of the year the Big W came out firing.

Mannagh registered his fifth goal in the opening three minutes with a brilliant running effort from a centre square stoppage.Not long after Grintell snapped around the body for his second of and it was back to a 15-point game. But as they’d done all day the Suns again responded, a quick fire three goals pushed their advantage back to 31 points through 15 minutes.

A quick reply came via Sam Paea and then Keagan Gray nailed a set shot from the arc to bring Werribee within 19 points at the 22-minute mark. Two more Gold Coast goals would all but confirm the result with the ball living in Werribee’s forward half for the final stages of match.

However, repeat stoppages made things all too difficult, before Matt Hanson capped a brilliant performance with a consolation goal after the final siren, bringing the curtain down on a magnificent season for Werribee but a win short of the ultimate prize.

Werribee:3.1 6.5 8.5 14.9 (93)
Gold Coast: 4.2 8.3 12.8 17.10 (112)

GOALS
Werribee:S. Mannagh 6, H. Grintell 2, S. Paea, J. Henderson, M. Hanson, K. Gray, K. Declase.
Gold Coast:M. Chol 4, B. McLaughlin 3, C. Burgess 3, A. Sexton 2, S. Day 2, J. Sharp, L. Lombard, C. Lake.

BEST
Werribee: S. Mannagh, M. Hanson, S. Clohesy, L. Pinncuk, T. Gribble, K. Declase.

GRAND FINAL IMAGE GALLERY 1 - VIEW HERE

GRAND FINAL IMAGE GALLERY 2 - VIEW HERE

PLAYER STATS
Matt Hanson: 31 disposals (20 K, 11 HB), 13 handball receives, 6 marks, 10 clearances, 7 score involvements, 1 goal, 10 tackles.
Tom Gribble: 28 disposals (15 K, 13 HB), 16 contested possessions, 8 clearances, 5 score involvements, 7 tackles.
Shaun Mannagh: 28 disposals (20 , 8 HB), 6 marks, 4 clearances, 6 inside 50s, 7 score, 1 goals, 4 tackles.
Kye Declase: 27 disposals (18 K, 9 HB), 8 marks, 5 clearances, 7 inside 50s, 3 rebound 50s, 10 score involvements, 1 goal.
Sam Clohesy: 21 disposals (14 K, 7 HB) at 81% efficiency, 7 marks, 6 rebound 50s.
Keegan Gray: 20 disposals (8 K, 12 HB), 6 marks, 5 cleanaces, 5 inside 50s, 5 score involvements, 1 goal 3 tackles.
Nick Coughlan: 19 disposals (16 K, 2 HB) at 89% efficiency, 5 marks (3 intercept), 7 rebound 50s.
Louis Pinnuck: 17 disposals (13 K, 4 HB), 7 marks (2 intercept), 4 inside 50s, 2 rebound 50s.

Report by Gerald Lynch

The Werribee Football Club is proud to continue its support of the Werribee Hospital Foundation with a donation for specialist medical equipment.

A recent $5,000 contribution by the club will go towards purchasing a GlideScope for use in the Paediatrics and Special Care Nursery at Werribee Mercy Hospital.

Werribee CEO Mark Penaluna said the club was thrilled to help fund an important hospital asset.

“The club is committed to supporting local groups and organisations and it’s fantastic to be able to give a donation to the Werribee Hospital Foundation,” he said.

“We hope this piece of equipment benefits the Werribee Mercy Hospital and its patients, people of the city Wyndham.”

The GlideScope is a video laryngoscope that can provide clear vison of the airway to help intubate a patient to assist their breathing in critical situations.

Werribee Hospital Foundation CEO Leanne Down said the GlideScope would be a welcome addition for the hospital.

“Our mission at the Foundation is to continue to support our growing community of Wyndham with the public health care services needed in our area,” she said.

“It is wonderful coming together with other likeminded organisations in our region to make a real impact for our community.

“The Werribee Hospital Foundation is grateful for the partnership with Mark and the Werribee Football Club and is extremely thankful for the generous donation.”

Werribee suffered a narrow loss to Brisbane in Round 20 going down to the Lions by 12 points in tightly contested match at Moreton Bay.

The loss leaves Werribee at 8-8 on the season but the Big W are still a chance to play finals if they can win their final two games. 

FINAL SCORE
Werribee: 1.4 4.7 7.9 9.12 (66)
Brisbane: 2.2 5.2 10.4 12.6 (78)

GOALS
Werribee: N. Hayes 3, N. Gribble 2, H. Garoni, M. Hanson, K. Declase, J. Porter.
Brisbane: T. Fullarton 2, H. Smith 2, M. Cox, T. Triffett, W. Buzza, B. Coleman, K. Lane, C. McFadyen.

BEST
Werribee: N. Hayes, N. Coughlan, T. Gribble, D. Brew, K. Declase, S. Conway.
Brisbane:

HOW IT HAPPENED
Not for the first time this season it was a player returning to the side who would have an early influence and against Brisbane that was Nick Hayes. After missing the previous week against Footscray the experienced forward got Werribee the first goal of the game after being rewarded for a strong tackle inside 50 after six minutes of play. After a quiet couple of weeks Shaun Mannagh was also prominent in the opening term along with Kye Declase, but despite dominating for long periods of time Werribee trailed by four points at quarter-time after failing to make the most of plenty of forward 50 entries.

Hayes and Werribee were again first on the board in the second term after Nick Coughlan picked out the number seven with a long pass inside two minutes. Brisbane didn’t take long to reply but Noah Gribble would restore a two-point advantage for Werribee just before the 10-minute as the young midfielder converted from 45 metres. With back-to-back goals the Lions pushed the margin to nine points with just over six minutes left, however Hayes’ third goal, which came via a free kick 30 metres out, helped cut the deficit. While a point down on the scoreboard Werribee went to the main break +45 in disposals, +8 in clearances, +12 inside 50s and led the tackle count 36 to 18.

After Werribee looked to have ended the first half with the momentum, with the final three scoring shots, it was instead the Lions who jumped out of the blocks in the third quarter with three goals in the space of five minutes seeing the hosts out to a game high 20-point lead. But Werribee was able to respond through Declase and then Noah Gribble who again kicked truly from the set shot to register his second major of the game after 13 and a half minutes. Matt Hanson lowered the margin to seven points with four minutes to go in the term however the Lions once again had an answer, adding a late major to make the difference 13 points with one to play.

After a couple of early behinds by Brisbane, Ollie Hanrahan almost soccered home a miracle goal from deep in the pocket, only for the ball to be met on the line by a Lions defender. Werribee’s task was made harder six minutes in when Brisbane goaled but the visitors weren’t giving up and Hudson Garoni would provide a much-needed major at the nine-minute mark, after laying a desperate tackle at the top of the goal square. Werribee held the Lions scoreless for almost 20 minutes but couldn’t generate the looks it needed in attack until Josh Porter marked a Tom Gribble kick, close to goal with four minutes left in the game. Porter made no mistake with his conversion to reduce the margin to six points before one final Brisbane major confirmed the result.

KEY PLAYERS
Tom Gribble: 35 disposals (19 K) at 83% efficiency, 15 handball receives, 5 marks, 8 clearances, 4 inside 50s, 11 score involvements.
Nick Coughlan: 29 disposals (25 K), 13 intercept possessions, 8 marks (2 CM, 5 IM), 8 rebound 50s, 4 inside 50s, 5 score involvements.
Matt Hanson: 27 disposals (19 K), 10 groundball gets,  6 marks, 3 tackles, 3 clearances, 3 inside 50s, 6 score involvements, 1 goal.
Nick Hayes: 22 disposals (17 K), 10 contested possessions, 9 marks (3 CM), 5 tackles, 6 score involvements, 3 goals.
Shaun Mannagh: 20 disposals (15 K), 6 marks, 8 tackles, 5 inside 50s, 5 score involvements.
Jack Henderson: 18 disposals (11 K), 5 marks, 3 tackles, 3 clearances, 3 inside 50s, 5 score involvements. 
Matt Keast: 16 disposals (19 K), 10 marks, 3 tackles, 4 inside 50s, 5 score involvements.
Josh Porter: 11 disposals, 7 marks (2 CM), 10 hit-outs, 2 tackles, 1 goal.

NEXT MATCH
Round 21
Werribee vs Essendon
Sunday August 14, 12:05pm
Windy Hill, Essendon

Werribee is in to its first VFL grand final in almost two decades after defeating the Brisbane by 30 points in a home Preliminary Final at Avalon Airport Oval.

The Big W’s incredible run of consecutive wins is now at 17 games thanks to the 14.10 (94) to 9.10 (64) result against the Lions and they’ll now face minor premier Gold Coast in the decider after the Suns overcame Box Hill by 15 points at Heritage Bank Stadium.

Kye Declase produced another stellar finals display with a game-high 32 disposals and a sealing goal, with Dom Brew outstanding once more with 25 touches, 10 clearances and nine tackles, while Sam Clohesy again impressed across halfback collecting a career-best 25 disposals and 13 marks.

Up forward Hudson Garoni bounced back from a disappointing Qualifying Final and bagged four goals to take his tally to 44 this season with Connor Thar snagging three in his first VFL outing since May 8.

Captain Nick Coughlan lead the effort in defence with 19 possessions and 7 marks alongside another strong showing from Nathan Cooper with a team-high eight intercepts.

Werribee got off to another good start in front of an even bigger crowd than the one that turned out two weeks prior.

Snapped goals from Nick Hayes and Shaun Mannagh inside the opening eight minutes gave the home team an early lead and when Garoni fired his first after staying down in a marking contest the hosts had a 17-point buffer with seven and half minutes still to play in the first quarter.

An early Brisbane goal was the only score for more than 14 minutes to start the second term but the Big W would eventually respond with Garoni kicking truly from 30 metres out.

A third major for the Lions cut the margin to just five points but Werribee answered back emphatically, closing out the half with three unanswered goals. The first via Thar, back in the side for his first game since Round 8, with Garoni’s third and Josh Porter’s first coming soon after to give the hosts a 23-point advantage at the main break.  

The Lions dominated the first 15 minutes of the third quarter but were unable to take advantage on the scoreboard kicking five consecutive behinds before eventually adding a goal.

Unlike Brisbane, Werribee would make the most of its chances when they finally came in the second half of the term, kicking four of the next five goals through Hayes, Thar, Garoni and Noah Lever to increase its lead to 32 points ahead of the last.

Some nervousness set in across Avalon Airport Oval when Brisbane fired through the first three goals of the final quarter inside eight minutes, reducing the margin to 16 points. However, with Hayes moving behind the ball, the experienced utility and Coughlan gathered some key intercepts to help the Big W see off any further inroads from the Lions.

Porter then provided an important steadier at the at the 20-minute mark before one more Brisbane goal, but that was followed by majors to Declase and Thar who iced the game in the final stages.

Werribee’s ability to score on the counter-attack was on full display against the Lions with 10 of their 14 goals coming off turnovers brought on by some outstanding pressure as the hosts out-tackled the visitors 65-43.

Werribee now takes its place in a first grand final since 2005. The Tigers suffered a nine-point defeat to Sandringham that day in what was only their second decider since the club's lone VFA/VFL premiership 30 years ago when they comfortably defeated Port Melbourne in the final match of the 1993 season.

Werribee: 3.2 7.3 11.5 14.10 (94)
Brisbane: 1.3 3.4 5.9 9.10 (64)

GOALS
Werribee: H. Garoni 4, C. Thar 3, N. Hayes 2, J. Porter 2, S. Mannagh, K. Declase, N. Lever.
Brisbane: T. Abberley, B. Coleman, K. Dunkley, D. Fort, R. Mathieson, D. McDowell-White, J. Prior, H. Sharp, H. Smith.

BEST
Werribee: S. Clohesy, D. Brew, N. Cooper, K. Declase, H. Garoni, N. Hayes.

PRELIMINARY FINAL IMAGE GALLERY - VIEW HERE

PLAYER STATS
Kye Declase: 32 disposals (20 K, 12HB), 17 handball receives, 8 marks (1 contested), 4 clearances, 7 inside 50s, 3 rebound 50s, 10 score involvements, 1 goal.
Sam Clohesy: 25 disposals (17 K, 8 HB), 13 marks (3 intercept, 2 contested), 3 inside 50s, 3 rebound 50s, 2 tackles.
Dom Brew: 25 disposals (12 K, 13 HB), 16 contested possessions, 10 clearances, 4 inside 50s, 4 score involvements, 9 tackles.
Tom Gribble: 19 disposals (8 K, 11 HB), 3 marks, 3 tackles, 3 inside 50s, 3 rebound 50s, 7 score involvements.
Nick Coughlan: 19 disposals (18 K, 1 HB), 7 marks (4 intercept, 3 contested), 8 rebound 50s, 2 inside 50s.
Nick Hayes: 15 disposals (12 K, 3 HB), 7 marks (3 intercept), 8 score involvements, 2 goals.
Nathan Cooper: 12 disposals (4 K, 8 HB), 8 intercept possessions (2 marks), 2 rebound 50s.
Connor Thar: 12 disposals (10 K, 2 HB), 2 marks, 2 tackles, 3 inside 50s, 5 score involvements, 3 goals.
Hudson Garoni: 8 disposals (5 K, 3 HB), 4 marks, 4 score involvements, 4 goals.

NEXT GAME
Grand Final
Werribee vs Gold Coast
Sunday 24th September, 3:10pm
IKON Park, Carlton

Werribee will have a connection to several involved in Saturday’s AFL Grand Final most notably with former player Ben Brown set to line up in attack for Melbourne. 

Brown was drafted into the AFL from Werribee after joining the club for the 2013 season when he relocated to Victoria from Tasmania to pursue his goal of playing in the AFL. 

He played 18 games for Werribee in 2013 and impressed with 28 goals which led to North Melbourne selecting the 200cm forward with pick 47 in that year’s national draft.  

After spending the first seven seasons of his AFL career with the Roos, Brown joined Melbourne for the 2021 campaign. 

Despite only managing three games through the first 16 rounds of the season Brown has become an integral part of the Demons’ forward line since, playing every game after earning a recall in Round 17. 

Saturday’s decider will be his first on the biggest stage.  

Unlike Brown, former Werribee coach Mark “Choco” Williams will be involved in the final match of the season for the third time, all of those as senior coach or as a member of the coaching staff.  

Williams who is now Head of Development for Melbourne, coached Werribee in 2019 and remained at Avalon Airport Oval for the cancelled 2020 VFL season before departing last December to take on his role with the Demons. 

He of course coached Port Adelaide to premiership glory and the club’s first ever AFL flag in 2004 and was also at the helm for the Power during a losing effort against Geelong in 2007.   

Although not playing in the grand final, Kye Decalse is another former Werribee player now at the Dees. 

The most recent Werribee player to graduate to the AFL, Declase joined Melbourne at the start of June when the utility was acquired with pick 15 in the Mid-Season Rookie Draft.  

He played 35 games in three seasons wearing the Big W. 

The connections to the grand final teams don’t end there with the Western Bulldogs previously aligned with Werribee from 2000-2007 following the amalgamation of the AFL reserves and the VFL. 

Werribee CEO Mark Penaluna said it was fantastic to see former Werribee people involved in the biggest game of the year.   

“It’s fantastic to see Werribee represented in the AFL Grand Final with Ben and Mark who will be heavily involved on the day, but also with Kye as a member of the Melbourne playing group,” he said. 

“All three made significant contributions to the Werribee Football Club during their time with us and we’re really proud of what they have already achieved and will potentially be a part of at Melbourne.  

“We wish everyone involved from both teams the best of luck and hope it’s a memorable grand final.” 

Werribee made it two practice match wins from as many outings with an 84-43 result against Footscray at Whitten Oval on Friday night.

The match saw most of Werribee’s more experienced players line up for the first time in the preseason after a young side took to the field against Carlton a week earlier.

Taking on a Footscray side with 11 Western Bulldogs listed players there were a lot of positives for Werribee including the team’s defensive pressure across the whole ground.

Werribee started slowly, conceding the first goal inside the opening two minutes and also struggled to finish off their own early scoring opportunities but would later dominate for long periods.

The Big W's first goal finally came after 15 minutes, and they would kick five unanswered to jump out to a 35-9 lead 10 minutes into the second quarter before the hosts hit back with two goals to end the half.

The third term was Werribee’s most dominant, with five majors kicked from five different goal scorers while conceding just two behinds to lead 69-23 at the last change.

Footscray doubled their goal tally in the final stanza adding three majors to Werribee’s two, but the Big W left with plenty of confidence from their showing ahead of two final practice matches.

Werribee: 3.3 5.6 10.9 12.12 (84)
Footscray: 1.2 3.3 3.5 6.7 (43)

Werribee Goals: Hayes 4, Porter 2, Deng, Lual, Maishman, Mannagh, Wagener.

Top Performers

Nick Hayes – Kicked four goals straight in the intraclub match on our preseason camp and nailed another 4.0 against Footscray. Marked the ball well inside 50 and further up the ground.

Tom McCaffrey – The former Casey Demon played in the midfield, on the wing and half-forward but looked most damaging as an inside midfielder where he showcased his burst of speed and the ability to use the ball once out of congestion.

Tom Gribble – A typical showing from one of the VFL’s best midfielders. Got his hands on the ball often and displayed his ability to win 50-50 balls. Also provided great leadership and direction for the midfield.

Nathan Cooper– Played on Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and keep the former number 1 draft pick's impact to a minimum for much of the night. Continues to improve his rebound and ability to create out of the back half.

Jay Dahlhaus – The small forward only played the first half but had a significant impact through the first two quarters with his attack and pressure on the ball being elite. Didn’t register a goal but was involved in several goal scoring plays.

Akol Deng – Playing just his second season of football the former basketballer continues to take big strides. His repeats efforts in both marking and ruck contests is outstanding and was swamped by teammates when he marked and goaled in the third term.

Sam Conway – Spent most of the night in the ruck and fared well against quality AFL opposition in the form of Jordan Sweet. Showed a good temperament and his ability to mark the ball overhead was also a feature.

Ariek Lual – Come on in the second half and played forward, back and pinch-hit it the ruck. Showed more great signs up forward following on from a strong performance there in the intraclub match.

Werribee returned to the winners list at Avalon Airport Oval on Saturday rebounding from a loss in Round 14 with a 47-point triumph over North Melbourne.

The result improved Werribee’s record to 7-5 and the team now sits inside the top eight for the first time this season (8^th) following the completion of Round 15.

FINAL SCORE
Werribee: 4.5 7.8 10.11 15.15 (105)
North Melbourne: 3.1 5.4 6.3 9.4 (58)

GOALS
Werribee: J. Dahlhaus 3, K. Declase 3, L. Wagener 3, H. Garoni 2, T. Gribble, N. Hayes, M. Hanson, S. Mannagh.
North Melbourne: E. Ford 3, M. Mitchell-Russell 2, J. Edwards, J. Gutherie, T. Howard, M. Walker. 

BEST
Werribee: K. Gray, L. Wagener, D. Brew, T. Gribble, K. Declase, J. Dahlhaus.
North Melbourne:

HOW IT HAPPENED
Werribee made five changes ahead Saturday’s clash with the Kangaroos and a further two on the day of the game as Ollie Hanrahan (illness) and Michael Sodomaco (calf) withdrew late, paving the way for Daniel Sharrock and Logan Wagener to return.

Along with co-captain Tom Gribble late inclusion Wagener had a significant impact early. After Shaun Mannagh and Kye Declase kicked the first two goals of the game Wagener bagged the next two majors to see the Big W out to a 22-point lead at the 25-minute mark of the opening term.

However, despite Werribee’s first quarter quarter dominance the hosts found themselves a point down six minutes into the second term after the Roos closed out the opening stanza with two late goals before booting the first two majors of the second.

Gribble was the man to get Werribee back on track with the 2019 Liston Trophy winner kicking his side’s first goal in the second quarter via a free kick after 13 minutes. That was followed by Jay Dahlhaus’s first of the afternoon while Declase stretched the margin further converting from 50 after the halftime siren. Leading by 19 points at the main break the Big W also ended the half +69 in possessions.

North Melbourne scored the opening goal of the second half inside the first 90 seconds of the third and over the next 10 minutes pushed hard to further reduce Werribee’s advantage. Thankfully Lou Pinnuck and Nick Coughlan stood in the way with the pair able to cut off many of the Roos’ attacking efforts.

Having added just two rushed behinds in half a quarter Werribee’s first goal of the third came at the 18-minute mark courtesy of a Dahlhaus snap and the hosts soon had three in a row as Nick Hayes an Hudson Garoni nailed majors in the final five minutes to give the Big W a 32-point buffer.

A couple of North Melbourne goals in the first half of the last quarter cut Werribee’s lead slightly but the Big W again had no problem responding with the hosts putting the game beyond doubt with four of the final five majors.

Keegan Gray’s ball use was important over four quarters as he tallied 25 disposals at 80% efficiency while Werribee’s other co-captain Dom Brew did a brilliant job negating key Roos midfielder Harry Jones. Werribee dominated in the contest finishing +31 in contested possessions, while leading the clearances 42-24, as well as the tackle count 85-63.

KEY PLAYERS
Tom Gribble: 41 disposals (19 kicks), 18 contested possessions, 7 marks, 11 tackles, 13 clearances, 5 inside 50s, 11 score involvements, 1 goal.
Keegan Gray: 25 disposals (15 kicks) at 80% efficiency, 6 marks, 5 inside 50s, 4 rebound 50s, 4 score involvements.
Noah Gribble: 24 disposals (19 kicks), 9 marks, 2 tackles, 4 score involvements.
Kye Declase: 19 disposals (13 kicks), 5 marks, 2 tackles, 3 inside 50s, 9 score involvements, 3 goals.
Lou Pinnuck: 19 disposals: (13 kicks), 10 marks (5 intercept), 2 tackles, 8 rebound 50s.
Logan Wagener: 19 disposals, 9 handball receives, 4 tackles, 7 score involvements, 3 goals.
Dom Brew: 18 disposals, 15 tackles, 5 clearances, 3 inside 50s, 3 rebound 50s, 5 score involvements.
Hudson Garoni: 17 disposals (13 kicks), 10 marks (2 contested), 4 hit-outs, 5 inside 50s, 7 score involvements, 2 goals.
Nick Coughlan: 16 disposals (13 kicks) at 88% efficiency, 7 marks (2 contested, 4 intercept), 3 rebound 50s, 5 score involvements.

VIEW MATCH GALLERY

NEXT MATCH
Round 16
Werribee vs Coburg
Saturday July 9, 2:05pm
Avalon Airport Oval, Werribee

Werribee continued its rich vein of form in Round 17, defeating the Northern Bullants by 141 points to claim its 12th win of the VFL season.

On a wet afternoon at Avalon Airport Oval the hosts dominated from the outset, extending their lead at every break to record their biggest win of the season with a 23.23 (171) to 2.5 (17) result.

With Gold Coast and Brisbane having the week off the win elevated Werribee to second on the ladder with the Big W now only trailing the top placed Suns by percentage.

Jack Henderson and Matt Keast were Werribee’s leading ball winners on the day with 31 and 30 disposals respectively, with Keast also limiting Bullants star Jean-Luc Velissaris to just 18 touches.

Meanwhile Hudson Garoni, one of 15 individual goal scorers for Werribee, completing his best return since Round 5, kicking five majors.

It was all one-way traffic in the first quarter with goals to Bior Malual, Garoni and Kye Declase giving Werribee a 21-point buffer before the visitors had even gone inside 50.

Three more majors by the home team while restricting the Bullants to just three forward entries and a scoreless opening term saw the Big W with a 43-point quarter time lead.

Things wouldn’t be as easy for Werribee to start the second stanza with the visitors limiting the Big W to just a single behind in the first 11 minutes of play.

However, the hosts would eventually break the shackles with Declase, Garoni and Tom Gribble nailing majors in the space of three minutes.

The Bullants got their first goal at the 18-minute mark, before back-to-back majors from Dom Brew and Henderson to end the half, lifted the margin to 70 points at the main break.

It took little time for Werribee to open the scoring in the second half with Garoni marking on the lead and then converting his set shot inside the first minute.

Further goals followed from Shaun Mannagh and Sam Paea before a running finish deep in the pocket from Sam Clohesy brought up triple figures for Werribee.

Louis Pinnuck and Jack Boyd soon got in on the action with Clohesy’s second and a late Nick Hayes goal giving the hosts their best quarter of the match.

Lucas Rocci was first on the board in the final term slotting home a free kick just two minutes in with Garoni adding Werribee’s next two goals, the key forward’s fifth coming via a soccer assist from Malual.

The home team’s final major came courtesy of Wardell Lual with the defender booting the Big W’s 23rd goal at the 24-minute mark of the last.

Werribee: 6.7 11.10 19.7 23.23 (161)
Northern Bullants: 0.0 1.0 1.2 2.5 (17)

GOALS
Werribee: H. Garoni 5, K. Declase 2, S. Clohesy 2, J. Henderson 2, B. Malual, S. Mannagh, S. Paea, N. Hayes, J. Boyd, T. Gribble, L. Rocci, D. Brew, N. Lever, W. Lual, L. Pinnuck.
Northern Bullants: J. Barling, S. El-Hawli. 

BEST
Werribee: J. Henderson, K. Annand, H. Garoni, D. Brew, B. Malual, M. Keast.

KEY PLAYERS
Jack Henderson: 31 disposals (20 K, 11 HB), 12 marks, 5 tackles, 2 clearances, 7 inside 50s, 15 score involvements, 2 goals.
Matt Keast: 30 disposals (16 K, 12 HB), 7 marks, 11 handball receives, 7 tackles, 6 clearances, 6 inside 50s, 8 score involvements.
Tom Gribble: 28 disposals (15 K, 14 HB), 12 contested possessions, 5 clearances, 4 inside 50s, 10 score involvements, 1 goal.
Dom Brew: 26 disposals (17 K, 9 HB), 18 contested possessions, 5 tackles, 13 clearances, 6 inside 50s, 9 score involvements, 1 goal.
Kye Declase: 24 disposals (13 K, 11 HB), 13 contested possessions, 4 tackles, 3 clearances, 5 inside 50s, 10 score involvements, 2 goals.
Nick Coughlan: 16 disposals (15 K, 1 HB), 10 intercept possessions, 9 marks (6 intercept), 3 tackles, 6 rebound 50s.
Hudson Garoni: 16 disposals (11 K, 5 HB), 5 marks (1 contested), 2 clearances, 11 score involvements, 5 goals.
Bior Malual: 16 disposals (13 K, 3 HB), 11 marks (2 intercept), 4 inside 50s, 8 score involvements, 2 goals.
Kobe Annand: 12 disposals (8 K, 4 HB), 3 marks (1 contested), 39 hit-outs, 9 tackles, 2 clearances, 7 score involvements.

ROUND 17 IMAGE GALLERY - VIEW HERE

NEXT GAME
Round 18
Werribee vs Frankston
Saturday 22th July, 1:05pm
Avalon Airport Oval, Werribee

Werribee in on the winners list in 2023 after a stirring 23-point victory away to last year’s runner up Southport on Saturday.

The visitors had winners all over the ground with Shaun Mannagh (40 disposals and four goals), Bior Malual (28 disposals and 11 marks) and Kye Declase (27 disposals and two goals) simply outstanding across four quarters at Fankhauser Reserve.

In Queensland for the second time in three weeks after an opening round loss to Brisbane, the Big W started positively kicking three of the first four goals of the match to lead by 14 points 21 minutes into the opening quarter.

Hudson Garoni and Josh Porter - in his first game of the season, stretched Werribee’s lead to 22 points at the nine-minute mark of the second term but the hosts would hit back cutting the visitors’ advantage to seven points at halftime.

Along with Declase (16 disposals) and Tom Gribble (15 disposals), debutant Bailey Henderson (12 disposals) was amongst Werribee’s top ball winners at the main break.

In the third quarter the Big W’s tall timber continued to dominate at times with Garoni, Porter and Jack Boyd marking strongly or brining the ball to the ground for Werribee’s smaller players. However, Mannagh‘s solitary goal, a long range effort from the top of the 50 metre arc, was the only major of the term for the visitors who took a nine-point lead into the last.

Reward on the scoreboard came thick and fast in the final quarter with Connor Thar goaling after just two minutes before three majors followed in the space of as many minutes. Thar’s third of the afternoon, a brilliant finish from deep in the pocket, marked a fantastic return to VFL football for the crafty small after an injury riddled 2022.

It wouldn’t be all smooth sailing to the finish line for Werribee with Southport not conceding defeat. With the visitors up by 34 points after 10 and a half minutes the Sharks then had seven consecutive scoring shots, but their inaccuracy would prove their downfall. Mannagh would eventually ice the game booting his fourth goal of the day as the final siren sounded.  

FINAL SCORE
Werribee: 3.5 6.7 7.13 12.14 (86)
Southport: 2.2 5.5 6.10 8.15 (63)

GOALS
Werribee: S. Mannagh 4, C. Thar 3, K. Declase 2, H. Garoni, H. Grintell, J. Porter.
Southport: F. Thurlow 4, J. Lockhart, Z. Foot, C. Offermans, T. Fields

BEST
Werribee: S. Mannagh, K. Declase, B. Malual, C. Thar, K. Annand, J. Henderson.
Southport:

ROUND 3 IMAGE GALLERY - VIEW HERE

PLAYER STATS
Shaun Mannagh: 40 disposals (22K, 18 HB), 18 handball receives, 13 contested possessions, 6 inside 50s, 5 clearances, 3 rebound 50s, 3 tackles, 4 goals.
Bior Malual: 28 disposals (23 K, 5 HB), 11 marks, 5 rebound 50s, 2 inside 50s.
Kye Declase: 27 disposals (19K, 8 HB), 10 handball receives, 9 marks (2 contested), 7 inside 50s, 3 tackles, 2 goals.
Louis Pinnuck: 23 disposals (22 K, 1 HB), 8 marks, 13 rebound 50s, 2 inside 50s.
Jack Henderson: 22 disposals (10 K, 12 HB), 12 contested possessions, 4 marks, 6 clearances, 4 inside 50s, 7 tackles
Dom Brew: 20 disposals (10 K, 10 HB), 14 contested possessions, 4 clearances, 5 tackles.
Connor Thar: 19 disposals (13 K, 6 HB), 10 contested possessions, 5 marks, 4 clearances, 4 inside 50s, 3 goals.
Kobe Annand: 14 disposals (3 K, 11 HB), 10 contested possessions, 28 hit-outs, 3 clearances, 5 tackles.
Jack Boyd: 14 disposals (7 K, & HB), 7 marks (1 contested), 4 tackles, 3 inside 50s, 4 score assists.  

NEXT MATCH 
Round 4
Werribee vs Geelong
Saturday 15th April, 1:05pm
Avalon Airport Oval

Werribee has ended 2021 with a bang beating out a number of potential suitors for the prized signature of ex-Hawk Oliver Hanrahan.

Hanrahan a rookie draft selection by Hawthorn in 2017 played 28 matches in the AFL across five seasons, including 12 in his final year with the Hawks.

Despite predominately playing as a small forward at the top level, Hanrahan will add more quality to the Werribee midfield alongside Matt Hanson, Tom Gribble and Dom Brew.

After visiting the club’s facility last Tuesday and committing that night, Werribee football manager Mark Micallef said Hanrahan’s signature was the perfect way to cap off the year.

“We’re very excited to add Oliver Hanrahan,” he said.

“Ollie is an accomplished AFL footballer and will add a great dynamic to our midfield as well as our forward-line structures with his speed, ability to run and create, and hit the scoreboard.

“With our midfield group of Hanson, Gribble, Brew, Henderson, Maishman and now adding Ollie to that and with some good young players coming through like Emmanuel Ajang and Noah Gribble we think we have quite a unique mix.”

Harahan, 23, said he was delighted with the opportunity to continue his football career with Werribee.

“Werribee really stood out to me as a club,” he said.

“I came here and checked out the facility, met some really good people, Mick Barlow as head coach, I’m really looking forward to working with him with his experience.

“I just really liked the opportunity Werribee had in front of me and I’m very keen to get down to the club in the New Year, meet everyone and get to work.”

After wrapping up four weeks of preseason training prior to Christmas the club is now close to finalising its list for the 2021 campaign.

Stay tuned for our remaining signing announcements in the coming weeks.  

Werribee has clawed its way to a third win of the 2023 Smithy’s VFL season with a come from behind triumph over Essendon in Round 7.

In mostly wet and windy conditions at the ‘Hangar’ Werribee produced a four-goal to one final quarter to claim victory by 18 points and move into the top eight for the first time this season.

Werribee lost star midfielder Tom Gribble on the morning of the match through illness, with developing forward Cam McLeod making his Werribee debut against his former club.

Despite the absence of the Gribble the league’s reigning J.J Liston medallist, Werribee’s remaining midfielders stepped up with Shaun Mannagh, Dom Brew and Jack Henderson leading the charge.

However, it was second-year forward Sam Paea who took the spotlight booting a career-high four goals in a breakout performance at VFL level.

Paea kicked his first goal on the stroke of halftime and would kick Werribee’s only major of the third quarter before nailing two in the final term to get the Big W home.

Werribee was held scoreless in the opening quarter with the visitors limited by a strong breeze, only going inside going inside 50 on five occasions while the Bombers kicked 3.4 from 13 entries.

Kicking with the wind Werribee’s first score came just two minutes into the second stanza with Connor Thar converting the free kick he won from deep in the pocket, and a five-goal term would see the Big W turn a 22-point quarter-time deficit into a 12-point advantage at the main break.

Kye Declase collected 20 of his 31 disposals in the opening half with Bailey Henderson, Kobe Annand and Josh Porter the other goal kickers for Werribee alongside Thar and Paea.

With both sides unable to score at the pavilion end of the ground in the opening two quarters Werribee became the first team to do so with a behind early in the third before Paea goaled eight minutes into term following some brilliant defensive pressure from Bailey Henderson.

Essendon was quick to reply to Paea’s second major and would end the quarter with consecutive goals to take a three-point lead in to the last.  

It took almost 11 minutes for the first goal to be kicked in the final quarter and it came from an unlikely type with Werribee captain Nick Coughlan nailing his first of the season from just inside 50.

The Bombers regained the lead a minute and a half later but back-to-back Paea goals midway through the term would set the visitors on the path to victory.

Bior Malual then made Essendon pay for a costly turnover exiting defence to all but lock up the four points for Werribee.

The Big W finished with close to 60 inside 50s for the third straight game while taking the honours in other key statistical categories enjoying 10 per cent more time in possession, while leading contested possessions (149-137), clearances (39-33) and tackles (96-75).

FINAL SCORE
Werribee: 0.0 5.4 6.7 10.11 (71)
Essendon: 3.4 3.4 7.4 8.5 (53)

GOALS
Werribee: S. Paea 4, K. Annand, N. Coughlan, B. Henderson, B. Malual, J. Porter, C. Thar.
Essendon: K. Baldwin 2, Q. Narkle 2, T. Wanganeen 2, J. Brown, P. Voss.

BEST
Werribee: S. Paea, D. Brew, K. Declase, S. Mannagh, N. Coughlan, W. Lual.

ROUND 7 IMAGE GALLERY - VIEW HERE

PLAYER STATS
Kye Declase: 31 disposals (21 K, 10 HB), 17 handball receives, 10 marks (1 contested), 5 inside 50s, 3 clearances, 3 tackles.
Shaun Mannagh: 28 disposal (16 K, 12 HB), 11 contested possessions, 9 clearances, 9 inside 50s, 6 score involvements, 8 tackles.
Dom Brew: 24 disposals (14 K 10 HB), 14 contested possessions, 6 clearances, 4 inside 50s, 4 score involvements, 9 tackles.
Jack Henderson: 22 disposals (15 K 7 HB), 8 marks, 5 clearances, 4 inside 50s, 3 rebound 50s, 8 tackles.
Nick Coughlan: 20 disposals (16 K, 4 HB) at 80% efficiency, 6 marks (5 intercept), 9 rebound 50s, 4 score involvements, 1 goal.
Sam Paea: 14 disposals (10 K, 4 HB), 5 marks (2 contested), 5 score involvements, 4 goals.
Sam Clohesy: 14 disposals (9 K, 5 HB), 3 marks, 3 inside 50s, 2 rebound 50s, 2 clearances, 2 tackles.
Jesse Clark: 12 disposals (10 K, 2 HB), 4 marks (3 intercept), 3 rebound 50s, 2 tackles.

NEXT MATCH 
Round 8
Werribee vs Footscray
Sunday 15th May, 2:05pm
Avalon Airport Oval

Werribee bounced back from last week's loss to Southport by recording a hard-fought seven-point victory over Williamstown in Round 4.

The Big W led by 18 points at the first two breaks but that advantage was cut to nine points after three quarters before trailing 10 minutes into the final term.

However, Werribee's scoring inaccuracy would not come back to haunt them as a couple of final quarter goals was enough to see the visitors over the line.

FINAL SCORE
Werribee: 4.2 5.8 6.12 8.17 (65)
Williamstown: 1.2 3.2 6.3 9.4 (58)

GOALS
Werribee: N. Hayes 2, H. Garoni, T. Gribble, K. Declase, N. Gribble, O. Hanrahan, M. Sodomaco.
Williamstown: N. Gown 3, J Ottavi 2, J. Gallucci 2, T. Downie, C. Rich.

BEST
Werribee: M. Hanson, K. Gray, N. Hayes, T. Gribble, B. Malual, C. Ham.
Williamstown:

HOW IT HAPPENED

It was a dream start for Werribee with the first centre bounce clearance leading to an opening minute goal from Nick Hayes. The Big W’s second goal wouldn’t come for another 15 minutes when they regained the lead courtesy of a running finish from Michael Sodomaco as Williamstown showed they were up for a fight as they chased their first win of the season. Sodomaco’s goal was quicky followed up by Hayes' second major 18 minutes in and after a couple of late misses a Hudson Garoni conversion with a minute go gave Werribee an 18-point lead at the first change.

Much of the second quarter was dominated by Werribee as Tom Gribble and Matt Hanson took control in the centre of the ground. After two goals against Southport, Gribble bagged the first of the second. But the Big W failed to make the most of their chances from then on adding five straight behinds as they kicked in into a slight breeze. After Nathan Cooper and Lou Pinnuck had orchestrated a strong defensive effort, the Seagulls took some confidence into the main break with back-to-back goals in the final two-and-a-half minutes seeing the margin remain at 18 points.

The second half got underway with two quick Williamstown goals before Noah Gribble provided a much-needed steadier. Werribee again had opportunities to restore their advantage, but they again failed to convert in front of goal and when the Seagulls kicked their third of the quarter at the 22-minute mark the margin was back to 10 points. At that point the hosts had kicked five of the last six goals in the match to set for a thrilling fourth quarter.

It was Williamstown who continued to roll with their momentum and consecutive goals saw them take the lead nine minutes into the final term. Three minutes later Kye Declase was awarded a free kick at the top of the square and when he kicked truly Werribee had its first goal in more than 40 minutes. Soon after Ollie Hanrahan slotted from long range and the Big W were back in front. Noah Gown’s third goal reduced the margin to five points with five minutes to go, but some desperate defending in teh dying stages from Jesse Clark, Charlie Ham and Keegan Gray helped see Werribee home.

KEY PLAYERS

Tom Gribble : 30 disposals (18 kicks), 14 handball receives, 9 clearances, 5 inside 50s, 6 score involvements, 1 goal.
Matt Hanson:25 disposals (17 kicks), 7 marks (2 contested), 11 clearances, 11 score involvements, 3 tackles. 
Jack Henderson: 24 disposals at 88% efficiency (12 contested possesions), six clearances, 5 inside 50s, 7 score involvements.
Bior Malual: 23 disposals (17 kicks), 15 handball receives, 7 marks, 4 rebound 50s, 3 inside 50s, 7 score involvements. 
Keegan Gray: 22 disposals at 82% efficiency, 9 intercept possesions, 4 rebound 50s, 3 inside 50s.
Ollie Hanrahan: 22 disposals (13 kicks), 5 clearances, 7 score involvements, 1 goal.
Kye Declase: 17 disposals at 94% efficiency, 7 marks (2 contested), 4 inside 50s, 4 score involvements.

VIEW MATCH GALLERY

WATCH MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

Werribee is set to wrap up its trio of practice matches this weekend, with a trip to Moorabbin to face the Sandringham on Saturday afternoon.

Following a pair of wins over Frankston and Geelong, the Big W will be looking to make it three from three when it takes on the Zebras, St Kilda's affiliate side.

The game will provide the chance for Werribee to test itself against some AFL-listed opposition as the team prepares for what on paper appears to be a challenging opening few rounds of the Smithy's VFL season.

This final dress rehearsal will also allow Werribee's coaching staff to get a further look at the depth of the squad with a number of less experienced players to gain some valuable game time as several more senior players are rested.

Spectators wishing to attend the match will be able to enter RSEA Park for free with parking available in the main car park and surrounding streets.

In 2023, our goals are loftier, standards higher, and our people more driven than ever to make the season one to remember.

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PRACTICE MATCH 3
Werribee vs Sandringham
Saturday 18 March, 12:30pm
RSEA Park, Moorabbin

The most talented young footballers from across Australia will be in action at Werribee’s Avalon Airport Oval on Friday (April 22), as part of the 2022 NAB AFLW U18 Girls National Championships.

The NAB AFLW National Championships are the highest level of state and territory representative football, as part of the AFL’s Talent Pathway Program, and have been taking place across the country over the past month.

Friday’s triple-header begins at 10am with a clash between Western Australia and the Allies, comprising players from Tasmania, Northern Territory, New South Wales and ACT.

The match will be followed by a battle between undefeated sides Victoria Metro and South Australia, who have both recorded big wins across their opening two games of the Championships.

The final match of the day pits Victoria Country against Queensland, where both sides will be looking to register their first win of the competition.

MATCH SCHEDULE

10am - Allies vs Western Australia
12:15pm - Vic Metro v South Australia
2:30pm - Vic Country v Queensland