In their third practice match of the pre-season, Werribee fell to Williamstown on Friday night at Deakin University.

After trailing by 21 points at the main break, the young Werribee side went down 1.2 (8) to 10.16 (76). The squad featured 27 players, including 22 new faces for the 2025 season, as Werribee continues to rotate its list leading up to Round 1.

The game saw the return of Dom Brew in The Big W for his first hit-out since training with the Western Bulldogs over the pre-season.

Premiership player Harry Grintell also returned and recruit Jake Lohmann, who brings VFL experience, pulled on the Werribee jumper for the first time.

Werribee and Williamstown were level at quarter-time with one goal each, as new recruit Cam Wild from Port Melbourne, pounced on a loose ball to finish truly for Werribee’s first-quarter goal.

Werribee’s defence held up well in the first half, restricting Williamstown to just three goals. Ryan Eyers, who has impressed throughout the pre-season since joining from Geelong, was a standout down back before being rested for the second half.

More rotations came after half-time, but Williamstown broke away with a seven-goal second half.

Senior coach Jimmy Allan praised the young side, bringing out positives from the day despite the margin, “Despite the scoreline, there is no doubt that it was a positive night for the footy club. We were able to expose 22 players who are new into our program to VFL and the experience they gained from testing themselves against a really strong Williamstown outfit is invaluable.”

Allan added, “The majority of our senior regulars who had the week off, will play this week and they can’t wait to crack in on Saturday.”

Werribee now turns its attention to the final practice match against Footscray at Whitten Oval on Saturday, with the Smithy’s VFL season just 12 days away.

MATCH GALLERY – VIEW HERE

Next Match – Practice Match 4
Werribee vs Footscray
Saturday March 15, 3:00PM
Whitten Oval, Footscray