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Dominant Night for Werribee At VFL Awards

A dominant night for the club at Monday night’s VFL Awards was capped off with star midfielder Dom Brew winning his first J.J. Liston Trophy. 

Brew became the second Werribee player in three years to win the league’s top honour, after the inside midfielder was rewarded with the Liston as the runaway winner at the conclusion of Round 17.

The 27-year-old polled 31 votes to finish nine clear of Gold Coast Suns half back Rory Atkins (22), with his tally being just one short of fellow Werribee star Michael Frost’s record 32 votes in 1998. Further, his winning margin of nine votes the largest since Shane Valenti’s 10-vote win in 2011.

He polled votes in 14 of 18 matches, including seven best-on-ground performances, to become the seventh Werribee player to win the J.J. Liston Trophy and continue the Tigers’ recent stranglehold on the award after Tom Gribble’s victories in 2019 and 2022.

Brew’s career best season saw the midfielder average 28.3 disposals and lead the VFL in clearances and inside 50s.

Additionally, in the absence of captain Nick Coughlan, Brew has led Werribee to wins over AFL-affiliated sides Geelong and Brisbane through the finals to book a second straight Grand Final appearance for the first time in the club history.

This saw Brew named as the captain of the Team of the Year, just a few months after being named skipper of Victoria, as the Big V returned to state of origin footy against the SANFL earlier this year. This is Brew’s second appearance in the Team of the Year, having been included in 2023 the year of  his inaugural Bruce Montgomery Trophy win.

Brew was joined by three other Werribee players in the Team of the Year, with the minor premiers boasting a competition-high four selections plus Jimmy Allan named Coach of the year.

Jack Henderson also made his second appearance in the Team of the Year, and first since 2019 after an extremely consistent season in our midfield. Averaging 22.1 disposals, a career-high 5.6 clearances and regularly finding the goals for a home-and-away season tally of 12 majors saw Henderson named on the interchange alongside defender Riley Bice.

Bice, in his debut season for Werribee, earnt a list spot after a best-and-fairest for Albury in the Ovens & Murray in 2023. The exciting half-back averaged 21.1 disposals and seven marks per game, while also ranking top five in the competition in effective kicks and running bounces.

Bice was also named as one of five finalists for the Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal won by Werribee’s Sam Clohesy in 2023. However, Richmond’s Sam Davidson edged out Bice as the competition's best young player for the 2024 season.

Widely regarded as the best key defender in the competition, Nathan Cooper earnt his first career selection, when he was named full back in the Team of the Year. Despite an injury in Round 14 ruling Cooper out for the remainder of the home-and-away season, the full-back met the nine-game minimum requirement, finishing the season with averages of 5.2 marks, 6.4 spoils, and 5.2 intercepts per game.

In his first season in charge Jimmy Allan was named as the VFL Coach of the Year.

Despite losing nine players from the 2023 Grand Final side, alongside coach Michael Barlow and football manager Mark Micallef, Jimmy Allan led Werribee to a 15-3 record which saw Werribee win their first minor premiership in 19 years. A former player across 2005 and 2006, Allan returned to the club after a decorated career playing and coaching in the SANFL. Last season he was an assistant coach with North Adelaide, before taking the top job at Werribee for the 2024 season.

See the full list of award winners HERE.

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2024 VFL Grand Final - Werribee vs Southport

Werribee will meet Southport in the 2024 Smithy’s VFL Grand Final at IKON Park.

Werribee returns to the grand final for the second straight season, with the first bounce at 3:10pm this Sunday.

The Tigers began their finals campaign with a qualifying final win over Geelong. On Saturday in the do or die preliminary final they overcame an 11-point deficit at three-quarter time to overrun Brisbane by 20 points.

This marks the first time in club history that Werribee has reached back-to-back VFL Grand Finals, another accolade to add to clinching the first minor premiership in 19 years.

Southport advanced through to the Grand Final from outside the top four. This week will be the third consecutive week of travel to Melbourne, after a semi final win over Geelong and a 10-point preliminary final win over Footscray.

The two sides have faced each other twice this season with one win a piece and the two matches both being decided by under a kick. Werribee came out on top in Round 2 away at Southport, with Angus Hicks kicking the winner in his club debut. Southport evened the score with a narrow win at Avalon Airport Oval in the return meeting.

Ticketing: For the 2024 Smithy’s VFL Grand Final admission prices will be adults $20, concession/pensioners $15 and children under 15 free. Tickets can be purchased via this link. Patrons purchasing at the gate are advised the payment method is card only.

Broadcast: The 2024 Smithy’s VFL Grand Final will be broadcast live and free on the Seven Network via Channel 7 in Victoria and 7plus nationally. The match will also be streamed live and free on AFL.com.au and the AFL Live Official App.

MATCH DETAILS – GRAND FINAL
Werribee vs Southport
Sunday, September 22, 3:10pm
IKON Park, Carlton

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Jesse Clark to Bring Up 50th Game in Prelim Final

Defender Jesse Clark is set to reach his 50 games milestone when he runs out in Saturday’s Preliminary Final clash against the Brisbane Lions at Avalon Airport Oval.

Playing career best football this 2024 season, Clark’s 19th appearance of the season will be his 50th career game in Werribee’s biggest clash of the year with a Grand Final spot on the line.

Clark joined Werribee for the 2020 VFL season after an outstanding 2019 in the NAB League with the Geelong Falcons, where he won the club best and fairest  and served as co-captain, in a leadership group that included his current Werribee teammate Jay Dahlhaus. Unfortunately the COVID-19 pandemic meant that Clark missed out on hitting the playing field in his debut season, with the VFL season being cancelled.

When VFL football returned in 2021, Clark made an immediate impact, earning his debut in Werribee’s Round 1 clash with Collingwood. Club life member and former coach Simon Atkins presented him with his guernsey, and Clark took to the field debuting alongside fellow future 50-gamers Nathan Cooper, Nick Hayes, and close friend Jay Dahlhaus.

Coach Michael Barlow got an impressive 13 disposals and seven marks from Clark on debut, and the defender never looked back, being selected for all nine games of the 2021 season, before that campaign too was shut down because of COVID-19.

Speaking midway through his debut campaign, Jesse shared his love for the club: “I’ve absolutely loved it." He added, “Werribee were so warm and welcoming right from the get-go, which made it a really easy decision.”

Clark’s debut season was capped by the defender being awarded best first year player for the club, and polling in the top ten of the best-and-fairest.

The defender began the 2022 season in Werribee’s Round 1 side once again, however an ACL injury suffered in round five against Carlton, and full knee reconstruction ruled him out for the remainder of the season.

The club re-signed Clark for the 2023 season, with Football Manager Mark Micallef commending him as an “outstanding young leader.”

Clark returned for Werribee’s Round 1 clash with Brisbane to kick off the 2023 season, a season where he was named to head up the development group leadership team. An honour he spoke highly of; “I was lucky enough to get voted in as the leader of the development group, and basically it’s built a bit of a platform for me in terms of taking my leadership to the next level”.

Having managed just 13 games since being recruited to Werribee, Clark played 18 games in the Grand Final year, and reflecting back on the season, stated that “Last season I was pretty happy to be back out playing” and added, that “it was awesome given the season prior I ruptured my ACL and had a knee reconstruction”.

Clark was inducted into the leadership group ahead of this season, and has come out playing career-best football this season, averaging 15 disposals and seven marks. In Round 13, Clark brought up new career highs with a 26 disposal and 14 mark game against Williamstown, and kicked his first career goal one round later in his 42nd game.

By Sienna Smilevski (@siennadigitals)

MATCH DETAILS – PRELIMINARY FINAL
Werribee vs Brisbane
Saturday, September 14, 11:00am
Avalon Airport Oval, Werribee

Purchase your tickets to the game via this link.

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First Preliminary Final: Werribee vs Brisbane (Home)

Werribee will take on the Brisbane Lions in a preliminary final for the second consecutive season to book a spot in the 2024 Smithy’s VFL Grand Final.

Werribee will host the preliminary final at Avalon Airport Oval on Saturday, with the first bounce at 11:00am.

The two sides have not met this season, making Saturday’s clash their first encounter since last year’s preliminary final, where Werribee advanced to their first Grand Final since 2005 with a 30-point win.

Werribee secured a home preliminary final with a 21-point victory over Geelong in the qualifying final, after finishing on top of the ladder for their first minor premiership in 19 years. The Tigers head into the clash fresh, having had the semi-final weekend off.

Brisbane, after a narrow loss to Footscray in the first week of finals, bounced back with a 17-point win over Williamstown in a high-scoring contest on Saturday. The Lions return to Melbourne for the second time in three weeks for this weekend’s match.

It will be the third consecutive preliminary finals appearance for the Brisbane Lions, who have lost to eventual Grand Finalists Werribee and the Casey Demons over the past two seasons.

Tickets go on sale at 12:00pm on Tuesday through www.intix.com.au/org/vfl. Please note that all finals tickets must be pre-purchased, and that gates and ticket sales are managed by the VFL for the finals series. For finals through to the Preliminary Finals, admission prices will be adults $15, concession/pensioners $10 and children under 15 free.

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Six Selected in VFL Team of the Year Squad

Werribee’s excellence on field for the 2024 Smithy’s VFL season has been highlighted with a competition-high six players across three lines being selected in the Team of the Year squad. 

Standout seasons saw Riley Bice, Dom Brew, Nathan Cooper, Hudson Garoni, Jack Henderson and Jack Riding all named and in contention to claim team of the year honours at VFL Awards Night.

The 40 players in contention were named on the Friday following week one of the final series.

Of the six nominees, four are aiming for their first Team of the Year selection. Dom Brew was named after his sixth VFL season last year, in which he also claimed his first Bruce Montgomery Trophy, while Jack Henderson earned the honour after his second season in 2019, following a 23-goal campaign as a small forward before transitioning to the midfield.

Dom Brew, aiming for back-to-back Team of the Year honours, delivered a career-best season in 2024. He led the VFL in both tackles and clearances, becoming the first player since Werribee's Jarrod Moore in 2013 to achieve this feat. The inside midfielder also averaged a team-high 28.4 disposals and ranked in the top five for inside 50s across the league.

Dom’s outstanding all-round season was also highlighted by the fact the vice-captain stood up to captain the side for 11 games during the home-and-away rounds, with captain Nick Coughlan battling several injury concerns during the season.

Jack Henderson took a step up this 2024 season villing the void left by the departures of Werribee’s stalwarts Tom Gribble, Matt Hanson and Shaun Mannagh in the midfield. Henderson had an extremely consistent season, averaging 22.1 disposals, a career-high 5.6 clearances and regularly finding the goals for a season tally of 12 majors.

Hudson Garoni, who earned his first Team of the Year nomination last season after a top-three finish in the ‘Frosty’ Miller Medal during our Grand Final run, secured another spot in the 40-man squad this year. Garoni, once again finishing third in the league goal kicking tally, this year with a career-high 45 goals. The key forward not only led the team in goals, he got his teammates involved too, finishing the home-and-away season number eight in the competition in score involvements.

At the opposite end of the field is Nathan Cooper, who celebrated his 50th game for Werribee in Round 10 against Collingwood and is now aiming for his first Team of the Year honour. Senior coach Jimmy Allan, speaking on K Rock Football’s ‘Beyond the Boundary’ ahead of Werribee's qualifying final against Geelong, praised Cooper as "the best key defender in the competition."

Despite suffering an injury in Round 14 against Sydney, Cooper met the nine-game minimum requirement for selection. At the midway point of the season, he ranked second in the league for spoils and 15th for intercept marks, and wrapped up the season with averages of 5.2 marks, 6.4 spoils, and 5.2 intercepts amongst his ten disposals per game.

First-year player Riley Bice has earned a spot in the squad following an outstanding season, having joined Werribee after winning Albury Tigers’ best-and-fairest in 2023. 

In his maiden VFL campaign with the club, the exciting half-back averaged 21.1 disposals and seven marks per game, while also ranking top five in the competition in effective kicks and running bounces.

Rounding out Werribee’s six nominees is Jack Riding, who after playing four games in his debut season last year had a breakout year, playing 17 games this home-and-away campaign. Initially starting the season in the backline, Riding moved to the forward line in Round 3 and quickly made an impact, delivering standout performances in Round 5 (17 disposals and 2 goals) and Round 6 (34 disposals, 10 inside 50s, and 4 goal assists). He showed no signs of slowing down up forward, leading the VFL in both goal- and score-assists at the midpoint of the season.

Against Port Melbourne in Round 18, Riding who had kicked three goals to three quarter time then injured his shoulder which saw him miss until Box Hill in Round 21, but returned to help Werribee clinch their first minor premiership in 19 years and ended the season averaging 19.3 disposals, 5.4 marks, 4.4 inside 50s and ranking third in the competition in goal assists.

The final team of 24 players will be named on Monday, September 16 at the 2024 VFL and VFLW Awards.

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