Werribee will officially open its 2026 Smithy’s VFL campaign this Sunday with an interstate clash against the Gold Coast Suns.

The match will see Werribee travel to Queensland to take on the Suns at People First Stadium, with the first bounce scheduled for 11:00am local time, or 12:00pm AEDT for supporters watching from home.

Sunday’s clash marks the beginning of a new era for Werribee under senior coach Dan Lowther, following his appointment during the off-season. The former Geelong AFLW coach takes charge of his first official match after a busy pre-season at Melbourne Avalon Airport Oval.

Werribee enters the season opener after three practice matches across the past month. The Tigers began their preparations with a strong 67-point win over Frankston at the VFL Standalone Carnival, before backing that up with a 20-point victory against Tasmania in Bundoora.

The final hitout came last Saturday morning at Whitten Oval, where Werribee produced an impressive opening quarter against a Footscray side featuring ten AFL-listed players before the Bulldogs finished strongly to claim the win.

The two clubs have developed a strong rivalry since the Suns joined the VFL competition, with their four meetings evenly split at two wins apiece. Those contests have been tight encounters, decided by an average margin of just 10 points, including back-to-back two-point thrillers and the 2023 Grand Final.

Gold Coast enters the weekend with its AFL side in strong early-season form, having opened its campaign with wins over Geelong and West Coast.

Sunday’s game will be broadcast live on Kayo as part of the new Smithy’s VFL broadcast deal.

Following the interstate trip, Werribee will return to Victoria in Round 2 to face Sandringham at Trevor Barker Beach Oval before hosting Geelong in the club’s first home game of the year at Melbourne Avalon Airport Oval on Saturday, April 4th. Make sure you have your membership for that game - LINK HERE.

MATCH DETAILS:
Gold Coast Suns vs Werribee
Sunday, March 22, 11:00am (QLD) / 12:00pm AEDT
People First Stadium, Gold Coast

Round 1 Match Centre

As well as Kayo, the game also streamed live and free on the AFL app and AFL.com.au. Click here to watch the game live.