Werribee got its 2022 VFL season off to a winning start with a hard-fought victory under lights at Frankston on Saturday night in the inaugural clash for the SkyBus Cup.

The Big W trailed by as much as 11 points early in the second half but five straight goals from the 15-minute mark of the third quarter gave the visitors the ascendancy before claiming a 26-point victory at the final siren.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Werribee rolled out eight first gamers at SkyBus Stadium and it was one of those in Tom McCaffrey who opened Werribee’s scoring in 2022 with a goal six minutes into the contest after Frankston had controlled the early stages. Werribee settled into the match from there and dominated possession for the next eight minutes, but it was the home side, against the run of play, who would kick the game’s second. Three more Werribee behinds failed to see the visitors capitalise before former Hawthorn player Ollie Hanrahan finally gave Werribee some further reward late, when he snapped a classy goal with his back against the boundary.

The second quarter continued to see more highly contested football and after Frankston failed to make the most of three scoring opportunities Werribee’s first inside 50 resulted in a goal to Logan Wagener to give the Big W a 12-point buffer. The next seven minutes were scoreless before Frankston kicked its first of the term at the 18-minute mark. That was meet by a Werribee reply with Jack Henderson goaling four minutes later, but the home side maintained the upper hand around the footy and two goals in the final four minutes of the half saw the Dolphins enter the main break with a three-point advantage.  

In the third it was Frankston who started the stronger of the two sides, but they again failed to make the most of their attacking opportunities while Werribee’s first furore forward would result in Kye Declase converting a set shot following a calm and controlled build out of defence. Frankston won the next centre clearance and back-to-back goals would see the hosts with an 11-point lead 10 minutes in, but the momentum would soon swing back in Werribee’s favour. McCaffrey goaled twice in the space of a minute and with Josh Porter making his presence felt in the middle of the ground two more majors followed from Shaun Mannagh and Declase. Another Mannagh goal on the stroke of three-quarter time saw Werribee with 21-point lead going into the last.

The frantic pace and relentless pressure of the first three terms started to show when the fourth quarter got underway but despite the play opening up, scoring remained hard to come by. Two more of Werribee’s first gamers hit the scoreboard in the last with Sam Paea opening his account three minutes in before Reuben William goaled at the halfway mark. With Nathan Cooper remaining stout in defence and Tom Gribble and Henderson both finishing off strong nights in midfield Werribee was able to safely secure its first four points of the season.

FINAL SCORE

Werribee: 2.6 4.6 10.9 12.11 (83)
Frankston: 1.3 4.9 6.12 7.15 (57)

GOALS

Werribee: T. McCaffrey 3, K. Declase 2, S. Mannagh 2, O. Hanrahan, J. Henderson, L. Wagener, S. Paea, R. William.
Frankston: J. Stern 2, W. Walker 2, T. Mynott, R. Stoddart, W. Fordham

BEST

Werribee: N. Cooper, T. Gribble, S. Mannagh, K. Declase, J. Henderson, J. Porter
Frankston:

KEY PLAYERS

Tom Gribble : 34 disposals (23 kicks), 24 contested possessions, 9 inside 50s, 4 rebound 50s, 6 tackles.
Jack Henderson: 24 disposals, 13 groundball gets, 7 clearances, 7 tackles, 2 score assists.
Kye Declase: 23 disposals (18 kicks), 7 marks, 5 rebound 50s, 4 inside 50s, 6 score involvements, 2 goals.
Shaun Mannagh: 23 disposals, 6 inside 50s, 5 clearances, 7 tackles, 7 score assists, 3 goals.
Ollie Hanrahan: 22 disposals. 4 clearances, 7 tackles, 6 score involvements, 1 goal.
Hudson Garoni: 16 disposals, 8 marks (3 contested) 15 hit-outs, 6 tackles, 5 score involvements.
Marty Brennan: 15 disposals (11 contested), 4 clearances, 3 tackles, 2 score assists.  

View the Match Gallery HERE

Watch match replay HERE

NEXT MATCH

Werribee vs Southport
Saturday, April 9, 7.05pm
Avalon Airport Oval