For the second consecutive season, the Werribee Football Club has had two players selected on draft night, continuing to prove themselves as a standout development program amongst the VFL.

Riley Bice and Aidan Johnson have realised their AFL dreams after being selected by Sydney and Melbourne in the 2024 AFL National Draft respectively. 

Half-back Bice was the first of the Werribee duo selected, chosen with pick 41—the opening selection of the third round—by this year’s Grand Finalists, the Sydney Swans. 2024 was Bice’s first season at Werribee, earning a spot on the VFL list after winning the Albury Tigers’ best-and-fairest the year prior in the Ovens & Murray Football Netball League.

After previously playing a combination of midfield and forward in his footballing journey, Bice started the campaign playing off the half-back flank, and went on to play all 21 games. He earned selection in the VFL Team of the Year, and then on a club level won best first year player and finished fourth in the best-and-fairest in the premiership campaign.

Sydney Swans Head of List Strategy & Player Personnel, Chris Keane, praised Bice’s attributes following his selection, stating; "He's a rebounding half back flanker who possesses really good speed and endurance and that combination can be really hard to find.

"He's already played at VFL level so it's a bit of a different scenario to under 18 kids who don't have that exposure so we expect Riley to adapt pretty quickly."

Aidan Johnson was the surprise selection of the national draft, taken with pick 68 by the Melbourne Demons.

After joining Werribee midway through the 2021 season, Johnson entered 2024 with just one VFL game to his name, having battled injury struggles over his first three years on the list.

However, a breakout season not only saw Johnson add 20 games and a premiership to his tally, but also caught the attention of AFL recruiters, earning his selection in this year’s draft.

Melbourne's National Recruiting Manager, Jase Taylor, expressed his enthusiasm about the opportunity for Johnson; “We're really rapt to be able to give Aidan an opportunity.”

“We're really pleased with the way he's progressed this year, and we feel like he's got AFL talent.

“He plays with a real aggressive edge, he's got speed, he can get back on the ball at ground level and he's just going to make things happen.”

After three seasons of battling injuries, Werribee CEO Mark Penaluna praised Johnson for his resilience despite the setbacks; “It was one after the other … we had to keep reminding him of the old saying that patience is a virtue,’’ Penaluna said.

“We found that his running technique wasn’t helping. He had to amend that. There were times when he was down but by Christ the end result is fantastic for him and a true credit not just to ‘Johnno’ but all our physios and trainers and teammates who helped him get through.’’