It was a Saturday night to forget for Werribee, falling to Casey by 76 points at Whitten Oval.

In Werribee’s first nationally televised game of the season, Casey proved too strong, piling on 11 second-half goals to just two to run out 16.15.111 to 5.5.35 winners.

Emerson Jeka became Werribee’s 18th debutant of 2025 and made an impressive start in his first full game of the season. The key position player finished with 22 disposals and seven marks, including a 10-disposal opening quarter.

Jaelen Pavlidis also stood out, earning the Totally Workwear Hoppers Crossing Player of the Match in his 50th VFL appearance. The defender had 11 disposals and four marks before his night was cut short after a head clash.

Harry Grintell continued his goal-kicking form from last week’s clash with GWS, opening Werribee’s account with the first goal of the game inside five minutes. Casey responded with two of their own before Louis Pinnuck found young key forward Brady Wright inside 50. Wright converted to make it two goals apiece, but Casey edged ahead to take a narrow four-point lead into quarter time.

Wright added his second in the second term after earning a free kick inside 50, but Casey extended their advantage with three goals to take a 16-point buffer into the main break.

The third quarter opened with Casey piling on two quick goals before Jay Dahlhaus responded with a set shot for Werribee. From there, the Demons took control, adding four unanswered goals to stretch their lead to 50 points at the final change.

The final term followed a similar pattern, with Casey adding another five goals. Werribee’s lone highlight came at the 27-minute mark when a Daly Andrews snap found Hudson Garoni inside 50. Garoni converted to keep his streak of games with a goal alive, extending it to 36 straight matches.

Werribee now turns its focus to Sunday’s Round 17 clash with 12th-placed Coburg after an eight-day break.

ROUND 16 PHOTO GALLERY - Click here

FINAL SCORE:
Werribee: 2.0 3.1 4.3 5.5 (35)
Casey: 2.4 5.5 11.11 16.15 (111)

GOAL SCORERS:
Werribee: B. Wright (2), J. Dahlhaus, H. Garoni, H. Grintell
Casey: M. Hardie (4), R. Mentha (3), J. Billings (2), H. Sharp (2), P. Ireland, L. Kentfield, B. Laurie, W. Verrall, N. Yze

BEST PLAYERS:
Werribee: Jaelen Pavlidis, Harry Grintell, Emerson Jeka, Foster Gardiner, Dominic Brew, Sam Conway
Casey: Blake Howes, Mitchell Hardie, Will Verrall, Jack Billings, Jed Adams, Harry Sharp

Werribee will feature in the primetime television slot for the first time in 2025, taking on the Casey Demons under lights in Saturday night football.

The two sides, sitting side by side on the VFL ladder heading into Round 16, will face off from 7:10pm at Whitten Oval.

The reigning premiers, currently 14th, will be aiming to avoid a fifth consecutive loss after falling to the GWS Giants by 19 points last weekend. It was another tight result for Werribee, following back-to-back defeats to Williamstown and Geelong in which they surrendered final-quarter leads.

Casey sit just above in 13th and are also desperate to rebound, looking to avoid a third straight loss. The Demons are coming off a heartbreaking three-point defeat to Coburg, where the Lions overturned a 33-point second-quarter deficit. In that game, Werribee pre-season Melbourne signing Jack Henderson collected 16 disposals for Casey in his eighth outing this year.

Werribee members are reminded this remains a home game for the club, with entry free for members. Gates open at Whitten Oval from 6:00pm.

The first bounce is set for 7:10pm, with the game marking Werribee’s first free-to-air TV appearance of the season. Fans can watch live and free on the Seven Network via 7mate in Victoria and nationally on 7plus Sport from 7:00pm. The match will also stream on the AFL app and AFL.com.au.

MATCH DETAILS - ROUND 16
Werribee vs Casey
Saturday, July 12, 7:10 pm
Whitten Oval, Werribee

A pair of standout interleague performances headline this week’s Local Player Report, with 12 Werribee players putting together strong showings across their local competitions as the VFL side fell to the Giants.

Read on to see how the 12 players fared across nine local leagues in the 14th edition of the Weekly Player Report.

Geelong Football Netball League:

Ben Kellett - South Barwon
Ben Kellett produced one of his strongest performances of the year in South Barwon’s 84-point win over Geelong West. The big man dominated in the ruck with 37 hitouts and 11 clearances, and his follow-up work around stoppages was a feature, leading to 21 disposals and seven marks around the ground.

Liam Kershaw - St. Joseph’s
Liam Kershaw also enjoyed a dominant win, starring off half-back in St Joseph’s 203-point smashing of North Shore. After moving from the wing, Kershaw delivered a season-high 24 disposals and was named in the best for his side, adding 10 marks, four of them intercepts, and providing plenty of attacking drive in an excellent display.

Ballarat Football Netball League:

Isaac Nixon - U23 Interleague
After three consecutive bags of three goals in recent weeks, Isaac Nixon carried on with his outstanding form in front of the big sticks in Ballarat’s dominant interleague win over Hampden FL, 22.15 (147) to 9.9 (63). The forward finished with four majors and impressed with his strong marking on the lead, as the first-year player edges closer to VFL football through being a dangerous presence inside 50.

Rye Penny - U23 Interleague
Normally a defender, Rye Penny was deployed alongside Isaac Nixon in Ballarat’s forward line for their dominant 84-point interleague win. Penny played a strong game, finishing with 18 disposals and kicking a classy goal on the run. His aerial presence, as usual, was a standout in his game up forward, and he could have finished with more but left a couple of set shots out there.

Bellarine Football Netball League:

Luke Preece - Drysdale
Luke Preece impressed both defensively and offensively in Drysdale’s 40-point win over Newcomb, showing a great balance between locking down his opponent and pushing forward to join the attack. The defender finished with 20 disposals at an efficient 85% and four marks, and continues to be a leader for Drysdale down back.

Western Football Netball League:

Wil Kliszewski - Yarraville Seddon
In just his second game back from injury, Wil Kliszewski returned to the goalkickers list and was named in the best in Yarraville Seddon’s 96-point win over Albion. The key forward kicked two goals from 10 disposals and continues to stand out with his marking, taking three contested from his five grabs. He also chipped in with 10 hitouts in a solid return.

Northern Football Netball League:

Cam Wild - Hurstbridge
Cam Wild kept up his good form while Hurstbridge went down to North Heidelberg by one point in a thriller. The midfielder was solid around the contest with 18 disposals, including nine contested possessions, and five clearances. His strength in the contest and ability to use his body effectively were highlights.

Essendon District Football League:

Hayden Gill - Deer Park
Hayden Gill’s impressive form on return from his concussion on VFL debut continued in Deer Park’s 12-point win over Maribyrnong Park. The young ruckman was great around the ground as well as elite in the contest, finding 23 disposals and six clearances to go with 38 hitouts as he played a pivotal role in getting the Lions over the line.

Reuben Rode - Greenvale
After a string of outstanding form, Reuben Rode had a quieter game due to the added attention of a tag in Greenvale’s eight-point win over Pascoe Vale. Despite the heavy focus from his opponent, he was able to push forward and kick a timely goal while also contributing three clearances around the contest as Greenvale came out on top.

Ovens & Murray Football Netball League:

Jedd Longmire - Corowa-Rutherglen
Jedd Longmire was one of Corowa-Rutherglen’s better contributors in their 27-point loss to Yarrawonga. He was strong at the stoppage with 18 disposals, 10 contested, and seven tackles, and was particularly praised for his ability to work through traffic and his strong tackling pressure.

Ray Murphy - Corowa-Rutherglen
Ray Murphy cracked in hard through the midfield and, like Jedd, was highlighted for his tackling pressure. He didn’t have as many disposals compared to his usual standards but still finished with nine touches and six tackles in the loss, showing his trademark toughness around the contest.

It was another close loss for Werribee, with the reigning premiers going down to a strong GWS outfit by 19 points to make it four defeats in a row.

Back at Melbourne Avalon Airport Oval for their first home game in three weeks, the Giants took control from the second quarter and held on to run out 11.12 (78) to 8.11 (59) winners.

Bior Malual, who has claimed the Totally Workwear Player of the Match in two of the past three weeks, continued his outstanding 2025 form with another best-on-ground display. He looked a class above with 21 disposals at 85% efficiency, eight marks and his sixth goal of the season.

Louis Pinnuck gave Werribee’s backline a significant boost in his return from injury, finishing with 31 disposals, 13 marks and seven intercepts in a typical Pinnuck performance. Similarly, the ever-reliable Dom Brew topped the possession count with 32 disposals, along with 11 tackles and seven clearances.

Harry Grintell kicked off the game in style for the home side, snapping his first goal of the season in the opening three minutes. Despite dominating the first quarter and leading inside 50s 13–8, Werribee’s wayward kicking meant the lead was just two points at the first break, 1.5 (11) to 1.3 (9).

The Giants hit the front early in the second term and quickly doubled their advantage within the opening two minutes. Hudson Garoni responded slotting a set shot to extend his streak to 32 consecutive games with a goal. It proved to be the final major of the quarter, as both sides tightened up defensively and GWS carried a four-point lead into half-time.

Harry Grintell opened the second half just as he did the first, doubling his season goal tally to give Werribee the lead two minutes in.

The top-four Giants responded with three quick goals through AFL-listed players Gothard, Wehr and Keefe, before Angus Hicks, set up brilliantly by Grintell, snapped truly to halt the run.

It was goal for goal to close out the third term, with Bior Malual showcasing his class inside 50, selling some candy and slotting a composed finish to cut the margin to 10 points at the final break.

The Giants struck first in the last quarter, but Harry Maguire, continuing his impressive debut season at Werribee, drilled a set shot to keep the hosts in touch. However, consecutive goals from GWS soon after put the game out of reach.

Brady Wright and Jake Lohmann added late consolation goals, but the Giants ran out 19-point winners, handing Werribee a fourth straight defeat, as they turn their focus to Casey at Whitten Oval this Saturday night.

ROUND 15 PHOTO GALLERY - Click here

FINAL SCORE:
Werribee: 1.5 2.7 5.9 8.11 (59)
GWS Giants: 1.3 3.5 7.7. 11.12 (78)

GOAL SCORERS:
Werribee: H. Grintell (2), H. Garoni, A. Hicks, J. Lohmann, H. Maguire, B. Malual, B. Wright
GWS Giants: P. Gothard (2), L. Keefe (2), L. Montgomery (2), J. Wehr (2), J. Lugsdin, T. McMullin, A. Swinnerton

BEST PLAYERS:
Werribee: Bior Malual, Harry Grintell, Dominic Brew, Louis Pinnuck, Jake Smith, Sam Azzi
GWS Giants: Jacob Wehr, Toby McMullin, Stephen Coniglio, Louie Montgomery, Nicholas Madden, Lachlan Keeffe