Michael Sodomaco is extending his VFL career into a 12th season. 

The current Werribee captain arrived at Avalon Airport Oval in 2011 straight out of the Geelong Falcons and is now set to add to his 104 matches with the club a year after celebrating his 100-game milestone.

Sodomaco, 30, has played some of the most consistent football of his career over recent seasons and was again one of the club’s best rebounders in 2021 with his dash and decision making out of defence.

He played seven of the club’s nine games this year, missing one match for the birth of his and partner Sarah’s first child Rosie before being a late out in Round 16, the club’s final game of the season.

After a year interrupted by COVID lockdowns Sodomaco said he was looking forward to another season in black and gold.

“I’m excited to recommit, it’s been a weird sort of year but I’m keen to go around again,” he said.

“In a normal season you get to this time of year, finals wrap up and you’re ready to put your feet up for a few weeks before preseason comes around again but playing seven games across the past two seasons there’s certainly not that feeling, you just want to get stuck into it again.

“I had a really solid preseason that put me in good stead for this year, but I’m sure this next one will be a bit of a different challenge now that Rosie is here and I’ll be balancing work, family and footy, but I’m still loving my time at the club and I’m not ready to say goodbye just yet.

“I’ve been at Werribee so long now it feels like my local club, I love the guys we’ve got at the club and I still enjoy rolling into training each night which I think is important.”

Sodomaco averaged a career high 21.7 disposals per game in 2021 while running at 81% efficiency.  He is also Werribee’s longest serving captain having held the position since the start of the 2015 season.

Werribee Football Manager Mark Micallef said it was fantastic to have Sodomaco committed for another season.

“We are delighted to lock-in Sods for another year, he is our longest serving captain and continues to grow as a leader while living the club’s values of community, driven, care,” Micallef said.

“He’s going to continue to provide key leadership for us and play an important role in our defence, and after enjoying a strong season we’re looking forward to seeing him continue that form for another year.”

With Michael Barlow's debut season as coach of Werribee disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, the first-year mentor is now firmly focused on building on 2021 in year two of his tenure at Avalon Airport Oval.  

With the VFL home-and-away season ending two weeks ago, Werribee’s year came to a close after just nine games but, despite the stop-start nature of the season, Barlow will take away plenty from his initial campaign in charge.

“The learning experience of the year has been tremendous for me, I’ve got an understanding of what we’ve done well and what we can stick with, as well as what we can improve and adjust,” he said.  

“I’ve got a greater appreciation for what we’ve got at this club. I’m surrounded by a terrific team of coaches, football staff and volunteers and am thankful for the support from CEO Mark Penaluna and the board led by (president) Martin Carter.   

“We’ve got an incredible playing group, who even with the uncertainty of the season never wavered in their commitment, from not knowing when they’d be training again or when and who we might be playing.  

“Mark Micallef our football manger is six months into the job now and there’s a lot of confidence around what we’ve got and the framework that’s in place to succeed next year, so I’m really excited to begin preparing for 2022.”  

Barlow’s first season at the helm for Werribee ended in five wins and four losses and a ninth-place finish on the ladder.  

Werribee’s first victory came in Round 3, as the Big W defeated reigning VFL premiers Richmond by 80-points in captain Michael Sodomaco’s 100^th game. The team’s five wins were by an average margin of 67 points while three of the club’s four losses were by 11 points or less.   

Werribee CEO Mark Penaluna said he was proud of what Barlow was able to achieve in a challenging season.   

“Mick did a great job in his first year, he came into the position late last December and then had to deal with all the challenges thrown up by the pandemic,” he said.  

“Most of the group began the season having not played in 18 months, but there were some good signs and the team won three games in a row before the season was first put on hold at the end of May.  

“Mick was able to keep players motivated in a landscape that was for ever changing, we’re very confident in his ability and look forward to seeing him get the best out of the group going forward.” 

As part of the Werribee Football Club’s community partnerships two students from SEDA College in Hawthorn are currently combining study and work placement at Avalon Airport Oval.

Tasked with jobs such as readying equipment for training sessions and match days, the students learn about all elements of the club and discover which part of the sporting industry they love most.

Werribee Football Club Community Development Manager, Hamish MacInnes, recently spoke to the Star Weekly about the program.

You can read the full article on the Star Weekly website HERE.
Read the full digitial edition of the Wyndham Star Weekly HERE.

With football restarting across country Victorian, 13 Werribee-listed players returned to the field at local level over the past weekend. 

The majority of those took to fields across the Geelong Football League while two others were able to suit up for their clubs in the Hampden and Ovens and Murray leagues.

GEELONG FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Werribee captain Michael Sodomaco and promising defender Jesse Clark enjoyed a win in their debut match for St Joseph’s against Bell Park.  After being a late out for Werribee in the team’s last match against the Northern Bullants, Sodomaco got through unscathed in his first outing in a month.  Meanwhile, Clark impressed with his intercept marking and disposal efficiency in the seven-point win.

On the losing side for Bell Park were Keegan Gray and Aiden Domic. Gray finished among the best players for the Dragons having a big influence early with the home side holding a 17-point lead at halftime, while Domic also played his part before the Joey’s fought back and held on to claim the points.

In the other close match of the round Jay Dahlhaus, Max Augerionos and Darcy Chirgwin were all influential in seeing St Mary’s secure an 11-point win over Colac.  Dahlhaus kicked three goals for the second straight week and more pleasingly tackled and pressured well.

Joining Dahlhaus in the best was Augerinos who gathered 28 possessions, half of those contested, while also goaling to put the Saints ahead with five minutes to play.  Chirgwin played his part up forward getting involved in several scoring passages and ran out the game well with limited forward rotations.

The biggest winner for the round was Geelong West who downed North Shore by 102 points at West Oval.  
Emmanuel Ajang continued his great season with 28 disposals and a goal with his run and carry through the middle of the ground and burst from stoppages particularly impressive.  

Phillip Moi Moi also finished in the best players for the Giants after a dynamic game in which he kicked two majors and took a huge hanger.  He again excited with his speed and could have had an even bigger game had he been a little cleaner at ground level.

Additionally, Tyler Watts was solid for Geelong West as a key back in the first half before spending more time in the ruck later in the match. Watts didn’t get out marked and dominated the hit-outs when rucking.  Lachie Taylor lined up on the wing for the Giants but was well held by the Seagulls after playing some good football in previous rounds.

OVENS AND MURRAY FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Hudson Garoni played his second match of the season for home club Wodonga Bulldogs and once again was his team’s best courtesy of a six-goal haul against Lavington.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to get the hosts over the line with the Panthers claiming a nine-point win.  The key forward kicked seven goals in a best on ground in June in his only other appearances for the Bulldogs.

HAMPDEN FOOTBALL LEAGUE