Werribee is excited to announce its first signings of the new year with talented youngsters Mace Cousins and Ryan Eyers joining the Big W.

The two defenders, who spent the past two seasons together at Geelong’s VFL side, will make the move to Melbourne’s Avalon Airport Oval for the 2025 campaign. 

The Geelong are the 11th and 12th confirmed new signings to the squad that won last year’s VFL premiership. 

Mace Cousins brings exciting potential after being named Geelong’s Best First-Year Player in 2023. The 22-year-old arrives at Werribee with 12 games of VFL football where the dashing defender averaged over 13 disposals and five marks per game.

A graduate of the Western Jets, Cousins is the second player out of Darley to join Werribee this off-season, following promising key forward Brady Wright. 

Cousins has shown his ability to impact the game both offensively and defensively as a part of that back six. In his first full season of senior footy with Darley Cousins ranked top ten in the league for both intercept possessions and intercept marks, with his strong local form earning him a spot in the BFNL Interleague squad and ultimately securing a VFL position with the Cats.

Teammates for the previous two seasons, Eyers had nine games for the Cats across 2023 and 2024. The 21-year-old key defender joined Geelong’s VFL list after a best-and-fairest winning season with the Murray Bushrangers.

Eyers’ signing also carries on Werribee’s famously strong connection with the Ovens and Murray Football League, with the defender playing for Corowa-Rutherglen and winning their 2024 club best-and-fairest, being named in the best in 13 of his 16 matches.

Werribee has kicked off 2025 with plenty of activity both on and off the field. Building on the re-signings announced earlier this week, the club has made several key appointments, naming a new Head of Athletic Performance and Head Physiotherapist, as the high-performance team for the upcoming VFL season takes shape.

The club has appointed Sean Potter, an experienced strength and conditioning coach, as the new Head of Athletic Performance. 

Potter arrives to Avalon Airport Oval from the Western Bulldogs, where he held the role of VFL Head of Physical Performance from November 2022.

Bringing over a decade of high-performance expertise across multiple sports, Potter’s impressive resume includes roles as Strength and Conditioning Coach at the Northern Blues, work with the Melbourne Storm in the NRL, and contributions to several elite talent programs including the Maribyrnong Sports Academy at Maribyrnong Secondary College, the Tasmania Devils Talent Pathways Program, the Calder Cannons Football Club, and Assumption College.

“I’m excited to take over the Head of Athletic Performance role and build upon the success from last year,” Potter said.

Reflecting on the first two weeks of the 2025 program, he added, “The playing group has really impressed me, and I am looking forward to seeing them perform on gameday.”

Potter succeeds Gaetano Faranda, who made the move west before Christmas to join the West Perth Football Club in the WAFL as their Head of Strength and Conditioning.

Potter is joined in Werribee’s high-performance team by new Head Physiotherapist, Tom Bevan-Shannon.

Bevan-Shannon, like Potter, brings valuable experience across multiple sporting codes. Most recently, he served as Head Physiotherapist for the Melbourne Rebels women’s rugby team, and prior to that, he worked as Rehab Physiotherapist for the Coburg Football Club in the VFL, giving him a strong understanding of the league.

Bevan-Shannon takes over from Shea Mulkearns, who held the role for two seasons before moving on to a new position within an AFL-aligned program. This transition continues Werribee’s proud tradition of developing talent both on and off the field.