Werribee Locks in Home Preliminary Final
02 September 2024
Werribee booked a second preliminary final berth in two years with a 21-point qualifying final victory over Geelong in the first week of Smithy's VFL Finals Series in front of a huge crowd at Avalon Airport Oval.
A hot start ignited by Werribee’s small forwards saw Werribee kick the first three goals of the game to establish a 17-point lead at quarter-time. From there, Werribee never looked back, finishing with an 8.9.57 to Geelong's 5.6.36.
Fresh from clinching the club's first minor premiership in 19 years, Werribee now has the week off and will await the winner of the Brisbane and Williamstown semi-final.
Jack Henderson continued his outstanding form and was a class above once again on the weekend, gathering 22 disposals, six clearances, six tackles all while going at a near 80% disposal efficiency.
Dom Brew and Riley Bice also showed no signs of slowing down in finals, with the stand-in captain picking up 33 disposals and nine tackles, and Bice accumulating a career-high 35 disposals to go with nine marks and seven rebound 50s.
Bior Malual was outstanding, impacting both ends of the ground with multiple goals and 17 disposals.
Nathan Cooper, in his first game back since suffering a syndesmosis injury in round 14, was tasked with shutting down 200-game AFL veteran Gary Rohan. Cooper showed why he’s considered one of the best key defender in the competition, limiting Rohan to just six disposals while collecting 14 disposals, seven marks, and five intercept possessions himself.
Fellow defenders Louis Pinnuck (22 disposals and 10 marks), Jesse Clark (21 disposals and nine marks) and Sam Azzi (nine spoils) were also instrumental in holding Geelong, who averaged over 85 points per game during the home-and-away season, to just five goals.
After a tightly contested opening 15 minutes where neither side could gain the upper hand, Flynn Young broke the deadlock with a classy finish to score the first goal of the day. Following this, Zac Banch's electric pressure led to two quick goals: one after catching Jyhe Clark holding the ball, and another when Banch intercepted a Marcus Herbert handball in the forward pocket, setting up Jay Dahlhaus.
This saw Werribee take a 17-point lead into quarter-time.
Geelong struck first in the second quarter, but Werribee quickly responded with two consecutive goals, taking a 29-point lead into half-time. Hudson Garoni, after finishing third in the Frosty Miller Medal, kicked his first goal of the game, extending his streak of kicking a goal in every game this season. Garoni then set up Malual for his first goal, converting a set shot for Werribee’s fifth late in the second term.
A hard fought third quarter saw just the two goals kicked. Geelong, through Kaelen Bradtke kicked the first and looked to take momentum into the last quarter, before a timely snapping goal from Jay Dahlhauas, his second of the day, just before three-quarter time steadied the Tigers and extended their lead to 27 points heading into the final quarter.
The early stages of the last quarter was goal-for-goal, with Malual converting his second set shot of the day, which saw the wingman kick multiple goals for the first time of the season. With the game entering time-on, Harry Grintell, who used the wind perfectly, sealed the game with a classy goal as Werribee ran out as 21-point winners.
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FINAL SCORE:
Werribee: 3.1 5.7 6.8 8.9 (57)
Geelong: 0.2 1.2 2.5 5.6 (36)
GOALS:
Werribee: J. Dahlhaus (2), B. Malual (2), Z. Banch, H. Garoni, H. Grintell, F. Young
Geelong: J. Clark (2), K. Bradtke, T. Clohesy, P. Foster
BEST PLAYERS:
Werribee: J. Henderson, D. Brew, N. Cooper, Z. Banch, L. Pinnuck, C. Thar
