Charlie Lazzaro's outstanding first season at Melbourne Avalon Airport Oval will continue beyond 2026, with the star midfielder signing a contract extension until the end of 2027.

After joining Werribee from Port Melbourne ahead of the 2026 season, Lazzaro has played every game to date and quickly established himself as one of the competition's premier midfielders.

The 24-year-old currently sits seventh in the VFL Coaches MVP Award standings and ranks among the league's top 10 for disposals, contested possessions, clearances, tackles and inside 50s.

Introduced into Werribee's leadership group before playing a game in the black and gold, Lazzaro made an immediate impact as one of nine Round 1 club debutants against Gold Coast. He collected a team-high 30 disposals, 12 contested possessions and seven clearances to help lead Werribee to a 15-point victory, earning Totally Workwear Hoppers Crossing Player of the Match honours in his club debut.

He backed that performance up the following week with 25 disposals, seven clearances and his first two goals for Werribee to again claim Player of the Match honours.

Through 14 rounds, with Werribee sitting second on the ladder following Saturday's seven-point win over Carlton, Lazzaro is averaging 25.9 disposals, 12.2 contested possessions, 6.7 clearances and 6.7 tackles per game.

Lazzaro arrived at Werribee as the club's most experienced AFL recruit, having played 39 games for North Melbourne between 2021 and 2024 after being selected with Pick 36 in the 2020 AFL National Draft. He has also played 65 VFL matches across his career.

Speaking on The Big W Podcast, Lazzaro said his decision to join Werribee was driven by a desire to be part of a successful program.

"Coming to Werribee, the whole idea behind me moving across was around winning and being able to play in a team that's a bit more competitive. I did mention to Kyle and Dan and some of the playing group, when I was making the decision to potentially come across, that winning is a massive factor of why I wanted to be there. I certainly haven't done a lot of that in my last seven years of football and haven't played finals for a really long time.

"Ultimately, coming across to a side that was going to be competitive and allow me to play a more free-flowing style of play and play more on instinct was something that would be able to help me, and off the back of that I have been able to have some individual success in stages... but it ultimately comes back to how well we're performing as a team, and everything is pointing in the right direction, which is exciting."

Werribee coach Dan Lowther praised Lazzaro's impact both on and off the field during his first season at the club.

"Since arriving at the club, Charlie has been a positive mentor to both our younger and more experienced players, both on and off the field. He's a genuine leader amongst the group, and his on-field performances have highlighted his capacity to play strong, contested footy as well as utilise his ability to cover the ground at speed across all four quarters."

Lowther said Lazzaro's commitment was a significant boost for the club.

"Charlie has many positive qualities, and we're all thrilled he feels Werribee is the place to be for a further year."