Werribee has lured another country football star to Avalon Airport Oval signing midfielder Marty Brennan from Ovens and Murray club Lavington.  

Brennan joins former premiership teammates Shaun Mannagh and Aidan Johnson at the club while also reuniting with Werribee defensive coach James Saker who he played two seasons under.  

At 25 years of age, Brennan is another mature body for Werribee’s midfield as well as having the ability to hit the scoreboard. 

After several unsuccessful attempts to entice him to the VFL previously, Werribee football manager Mark Micallef said it was great to have Brennan sign for 2022.  

“Marty is a hard inside midfielder that just works, he is a real competitive beast, Micallef said. 

“We love the way he links up through the midfield, he can play inside and outside, and we think he can help take our group to another level inside the contest.”  

After travelling back and forth on the Hume Highway to attend preseason training prior to Christmas, Brennan has now relocated to Geelong and is looking forward to the season ahead. 

“It should be good fun, I can’t wait to get settled in and have some fun at the same time,” he said. 

“Now is probably the perfect time for me to have a crack at the VFL, I’ve matured now and you’re always going to regret not having a go at a higher level, so I thought I’d give it a shot. 

“It makes it very easy to fit into a club when you know a few guys already, there are guys here that I played with and against in the Ovens and Murray. 

“James Saker was the coach for my first two years at Lavington and was the one that got me there and now he’s here which is great.” 

Vinko George ‘Chad’ Ravlich, April 4, 1929 – November 30, 2021.

The Werribee Football Club advises of the passing of Chad Ravlich in November of last year in Shoalhaven, New South Wales. Chad was 92.

Chad was a Life Member of the club but he was much more than that and his contribution laid the foundations on which the club now sits. Chad gave over a quarter of a century of his life to the club in a myriad of roles but officially as a committee man and as Treasurer, a position he held for more than a decade.

Former President Greg Welsh remember how dedicated Chad was to the club

“The Werribee Football Club was Chad's life for 25 years, he was always at the club, working tirelessly to keep the club afloat during some very difficult times. He started his volunteer duties with the juniors then joined the senior body as treasurer. He was basically a full-time volunteer; he was never paid a cent. He worked very closely with then Secretary Ray Smith and later, John Pyne.”

Current President Martin Carter joined the board during Chad’s time and remembers a humble and hard-working man.

“He put in countless hours; he was the glue that held the novel together. I remember we had to ring him around 11pm during a board meeting to check some contractual details and he arrived at 11.30pm to address the Board in his pyjamas, a sight to behold, but true testament to his commitment to our club. It's these unsung heroes that are the very backbone of clubs such as ours.”

For a bloke who never played football Chad left his mark at Chirnside Park.

We pass on our condolences to his family and many friends.

Vale Chad Ravlich.

Werribee has ended 2021 with a bang beating out a number of potential suitors for the prized signature of ex-Hawk Oliver Hanrahan.

Hanrahan a rookie draft selection by Hawthorn in 2017 played 28 matches in the AFL across five seasons, including 12 in his final year with the Hawks.

Despite predominately playing as a small forward at the top level, Hanrahan will add more quality to the Werribee midfield alongside Matt Hanson, Tom Gribble and Dom Brew.

After visiting the club’s facility last Tuesday and committing that night, Werribee football manager Mark Micallef said Hanrahan’s signature was the perfect way to cap off the year.

“We’re very excited to add Oliver Hanrahan,” he said.

“Ollie is an accomplished AFL footballer and will add a great dynamic to our midfield as well as our forward-line structures with his speed, ability to run and create, and hit the scoreboard.

“With our midfield group of Hanson, Gribble, Brew, Henderson, Maishman and now adding Ollie to that and with some good young players coming through like Emmanuel Ajang and Noah Gribble we think we have quite a unique mix.”

Harahan, 23, said he was delighted with the opportunity to continue his football career with Werribee.

“Werribee really stood out to me as a club,” he said.

“I came here and checked out the facility, met some really good people, Mick Barlow as head coach, I’m really looking forward to working with him with his experience.

“I just really liked the opportunity Werribee had in front of me and I’m very keen to get down to the club in the New Year, meet everyone and get to work.”

After wrapping up four weeks of preseason training prior to Christmas the club is now close to finalising its list for the 2021 campaign.

Stay tuned for our remaining signing announcements in the coming weeks.  

Werribee has added another mid-season draftee but this time a familiar face in Kye Declase who is back at the club for 2022.

Picked by Melbourne with the 15th selection in June’s Mid-Season Draft, the classy 195cm winger returns to Avalon Airport Oval with more strings to his bow and a point to prove after finishing 2021 with the AFL premiers.   

Having joined Werribee in 2018 the 25-year-old is set to embark on his fifth season at the club.   

“Werribee helped me get to AFL level, so it was an easy decision to come back to the club that got me there,” Declase said.    

“I definitely feel I come back as a better player after being in a full-time environment where you’re working on your strengths and weaknesses…I’ve learnt a lot.   

“The physicality and the quickness of the AFL game is very different to VFL and just training at that level has put me in good stead to play good VFL footy and perform at my best.   

“As a team, the goal is to succeed on the field and bring home some silverware at the end of the year, and for me personally I want to play good footy and get back on an AFL list.”   

Werribee football manager Mark Micallef said regaining Declase had provided a significant boost to the list ahead of next season.   

“We’re really excited to have Kye back at the club, obviously he was picked up by Melbourne in the mid-season draft this past season and gained some really good experience,” he said.   

“As a player Kye is extremely athletic and can get up and down the ground really well, and then with his size he can go forward and take a strong overhead mark.  

“He’s a great character and was keen to come back to Werribee where he knows what the group’s ambitions are and we look forward to his contribution in 2022.”