A further two premiership players have been locked in for 2025 with small forwards Zac Banch and Flynn Young re-signing for next season.

The two small forwards both entered 2024 with two VFL games to their names but broke into the side after standout performances at the local level to begin the season. Once they earned their spots, they did not look back, with Banch playing 15 games and Young 16, each playing important roles in Werribee’s first premiership in 31 years.

Zac Banch joined Werribee late in the pre-season after spending 2023 with Williamstown, where he played his first two VFL games. Another Ovens and Murray product, one of Werribee’s group of seven from the premiership side, Banch switched local sides to the Western Football Netball League’s Point Cook Centrals for 2024, and after three games named in the best players for the Sharks, he was selected for his Werribee debut in round eight against Collingwood. 

Assistant coach and former Werribee player Kyle Hartigan presented Banch with his guernsey on debut, commending the small forward’s perseverance. "You've done it the hard way, but ever since you’ve come to the footy club, your intensity has been top-notch, your skills too," Hartigan said. "We've been waiting for you to be ready to go all year." Banch responded with an impressive two-goal debut, solidifying his place in the side to play every game for the remainder of the year. 

Banch was one of just four players to earn Werribee’s Totally Workwear Player of the Round on two occasions in 2024, when he kicked three goals against Sydney away in Round 14 and backed it up just two weeks later with a bag of four against Coburg. The small forward also stepped up in the finals series, securing a place among the best players in the Qualifying Final, where his pressure was a standout, and then kicking an early long-range goal in the Grand Final. Reflecting post-game Banch said, "Kicking the second goal was pretty sweet."

Speaking on Banch’s re-signing, Football Manager Ash Collins said “Zac joined us late in the pre-season, but did not miss a beat.” He continued, “We look forward to see the level he can get to with a full pre-season with us under his belt”. 

Flynn Young entered his third season with the club in 2024, having played games in both the 2022 and 2023 campaigns. Like Banch, Young started the year representing his local side, Newtown & Chilwell, however, Young would not stay at that level for long, kicking 21 goals from three full matches to start the GFNL season, which saw him leading the league goalkicking.

As a result, the forward was recalled for Werribee’s Round 6 clash against Carlton, one of six changes after the club suffered back-to-back losses. Young hit the scoreboard with two goals, to go with his six marks and 15 disposals in his return game, a performance which would then see the forward solidify his place in the team, going on to play every match for the remainder of the season.

Playing as a half-forward Young averaged over 13 disposals and five marks per game, and continually bobbed up to kick important goals at crucial times. Young kicked Werribee’s first major on two occasions during the finals series: first with a piece of individual brilliance against the Cats and then with a goal from outside 50 in the Grand Final against Southport. 

After the Grand Final, Young said “Everyone wrote us off, we had some good players leave, we showed a lot of character to stay in it today and to win is just unreal.”