Werribee Holds Off Carlton In IKON Park Thriller
27 June 2026
Written by Jordan Baxter
Werribee held on in a thrilling finish against Carlton, with a late Brady Wright goal sealing a hard fought 7 point victory.
The 9.12 (66) to 8.11 (59) win was Werribee's fifth in a row and sees the side move into second place on the ladder for the first time this season.
Sam Donegan was outstanding in the greasy conditions, finishing with 23 disposals, four tackles, multiple goal assists and a brilliant spinning move to set up the match winning goal.
Up forward, Wright was once again a dominant presence, booting four goals including the match winner while also taking a game high nine marks.
Ryan Eyers was a brick wall in defence, nullifying Carlton's aerial threats with 11 disposals, four marks and a number of crucial spoils in the final quarter.
After a slow start to the opening term, Wright picked up where he left off, kicking the opening goal of the match from a 25 metre set shot at the 12 minute mark.
Moments later, Wright was awarded a free kick from a ruck contest in the forward pocket and continued his stellar set shot accuracy, booting his second major of the day.
Quick thinking from Anthony Depasquale saw him throw the ball onto his boot from the forward pocket, finding Jordan Busuttil out the back, who converted to make it three consecutive goals for Werribee.
In a scrappy opening quarter, Werribee held Carlton goalless to take a three goal lead into the first break.
Carlton responded in the second term through former Werribee premiership players Sam Paea and Flynn Young, reducing the margin to six points.
Donegan then laced out Depasquale at the top of the goal square, where he took a strong contested mark before converting.
Wright found space once again, with Xavier Ivisic spotting him up in the pocket before the key forward calmly slotted his third goal of the afternoon.
Carlton enjoyed the better of the second quarter but could only manage 2.3, while Werribee made the most of its chances with two straight goals to take a 15 point lead into half time.
Will Elliott was pushed out in a marking contest inside 50 early in the third quarter and made no mistake from the resulting free kick to give Werribee the perfect start to the second half.
The arm wrestle continued throughout the third term, with neither side able to gain any real ascendancy in the slippery conditions. Werribee held a 10 point advantage heading into the final quarter.
Carlton opened the last term with two quick goals to hit the front for the first time in the match.
Busuttil then launched a long kick inside 50, where Depasquale marked at the back of the pack before playing on and running into an open goal to restore Werribee's lead.
Less than a minute later, Thomas Simpson intercepted a Carlton handball inside 50, shrugged a tackle and watched the ball bounce through for the first VFL goal of his career in just his seventh game.
After Werribee stretched the margin to 13 points, Carlton responded with two goals in quick succession to close within a point with only minutes remaining.
With the game on the line, Donegan stepped up again, intercepting a Carlton defensive kick before spinning through a tackle and hitting Wright on the lead inside the forward pocket.
When it mattered most, Wright's set shot accuracy held firm as he split the middle with his fourth goal of the day, sealing a memorable seven point victory for Werribee.
Werribee will now turn its attention to a home clash against Southport at Melbourne Avalon Airport Oval on Saturday, July 4, with the first bounce at 11:05am.
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FINAL SCORE:
Werribee: 3.3 5.3 6.7 9.12 (66)
Carlton: 0.3 2.6 4.9 8.11 (59)
GOALS:
Werribee: B. Wright (4), A. Depasquale (2), J. Busuttil, W. Elliott, T. Simpson
Carlton: A. Moir (2), S. Paea (2), F. Young (2), L. Farrar, C. Lord