A further two premiership players have been locked in for 2025 with small forwards Zac Banch and Flynn Young re-signing for next season.

The two small forwards both entered 2024 with two VFL games to their names but broke into the side after standout performances at the local level to begin the season. Once they earned their spots, they did not look back, with Banch playing 15 games and Young 16, each playing important roles in Werribee’s first premiership in 31 years.

Zac Banch joined Werribee late in the pre-season after spending 2023 with Williamstown, where he played his first two VFL games. Another Ovens and Murray product, one of Werribee’s group of seven from the premiership side, Banch switched local sides to the Western Football Netball League’s Point Cook Centrals for 2024, and after three games named in the best players for the Sharks, he was selected for his Werribee debut in round eight against Collingwood. 

Assistant coach and former Werribee player Kyle Hartigan presented Banch with his guernsey on debut, commending the small forward’s perseverance. "You've done it the hard way, but ever since you’ve come to the footy club, your intensity has been top-notch, your skills too," Hartigan said. "We've been waiting for you to be ready to go all year." Banch responded with an impressive two-goal debut, solidifying his place in the side to play every game for the remainder of the year. 

Banch was one of just four players to earn Werribee’s Totally Workwear Player of the Round on two occasions in 2024, when he kicked three goals against Sydney away in Round 14 and backed it up just two weeks later with a bag of four against Coburg. The small forward also stepped up in the finals series, securing a place among the best players in the Qualifying Final, where his pressure was a standout, and then kicking an early long-range goal in the Grand Final. Reflecting post-game Banch said, "Kicking the second goal was pretty sweet."

Speaking on Banch’s re-signing, Football Manager Ash Collins said “Zac joined us late in the pre-season, but did not miss a beat.” He continued, “We look forward to see the level he can get to with a full pre-season with us under his belt”. 

Flynn Young entered his third season with the club in 2024, having played games in both the 2022 and 2023 campaigns. Like Banch, Young started the year representing his local side, Newtown & Chilwell, however, Young would not stay at that level for long, kicking 21 goals from three full matches to start the GFNL season, which saw him leading the league goalkicking.

As a result, the forward was recalled for Werribee’s Round 6 clash against Carlton, one of six changes after the club suffered back-to-back losses. Young hit the scoreboard with two goals, to go with his six marks and 15 disposals in his return game, a performance which would then see the forward solidify his place in the team, going on to play every match for the remainder of the season.

Playing as a half-forward Young averaged over 13 disposals and five marks per game, and continually bobbed up to kick important goals at crucial times. Young kicked Werribee’s first major on two occasions during the finals series: first with a piece of individual brilliance against the Cats and then with a goal from outside 50 in the Grand Final against Southport. 

After the Grand Final, Young said “Everyone wrote us off, we had some good players leave, we showed a lot of character to stay in it today and to win is just unreal.”

Werribee has secured two more premiership players for 2025, with breakout key position pillars Aidan Johnson and Sam Azzi re-signing for the upcoming season.

Both players, products of the Ovens and Murray Football League, broke into the team this year after overcoming injury setbacks last season, to play important roles in the premiership-winning campaign.

Defender Sam Azzi and forward Aidan Johnson joined Werribee from North Albury and Lavington, respectively. Johnson, recruited midway through 2021, followed in the footsteps of former Lavington teammate and 2023 Werribee draftee Shaun Mannagh, saying, “Shaun Mannagh went off to Werribee, and I soon followed him a year later.” Azzi, recruited ahead of the 2023 season, also had a connection with Werribee through premiership captain Dom Brew, from his North Albury days. Brew, the J.J. Liston Trophy winner, shared his strong bond with the pair, stating, “I’ve got a soft spot for Sammy and Johnno; they’re both from back home.”

He continued his praise during his J.J. Liston speech, adding, “To see them take the next step, they’re playing their own way and doing a bloody good job." 

Johnson entered the 2024 season with only one game to his name, having made his debut under extraordinary circumstances. The key forward was called up as a late inclusion for Michael Sodomaco after completing a running session that morning ahead of the 2021 match against the Northern Bullants. With a strong pre-season, including a standout performance in a practice match against Geelong, Johnson was selected in Werribee’s Round 1 clash. After he missed the traditional jumper presentation before his debut, Dom Brew, ahead of the matchup with the Cats, presented him with his guernsey, acknowledging Johnson’s perseverance: “You’ve had a hard couple of years, and you finally get some reward.” Johnson made the most of his opportunity, kicking his first career goal and gathering 14 disposals.

Johnson went on to feature in every game up until sustaining a bicep injury in Round 13 against Sydney. Remarkably, he returned after just one week and hit a rich vein of form, kicking eight goals across the next three matches. His breakout season concluded in a seventh-place finish in the best and fairest count and a premiership medal. Reflecting on his journey, Johnson said, “This year I got my body right. I dropped about 13kg. I felt on top of the world, and it has all come together.” 

As Brew spoke highly of Johnson throughout the year, Johnson shared his admiration for Brew, saying, “Dom Brew has just been massive. We work together as well, so we do a lot together. I was in a pretty dark place with all of these injuries, not thinking I was going to get back, but he helped me work through that.”

Sam Azzi, after joining the club in 2023 came into this season with three Werribee games next to his name, having battled injuries and making five local appearances for the ‘Hoppers’ in his debut campaign. The key defender started the season at local level, but after three consecutive standout performances playing for Yarraville Seddon this year, he broke into the VFL side in Round 14 against Sydney. Azzi quickly impressed, and only two matches later, with injuries to Nathan Cooper and Nick Coughlan was given the task of taking on the opposition’s number one key forward weekly.  

The defender delivered a career-best performance late in the home-and-away season in Werribee’s Round 19 clash against Southport, where he clocked up 16 spoils, the second-highest tally in a VFL game for the season.

As Nathan Cooper returned for the finals series, they formed a key defensive partnership as Werribee went on a premiership-winning finals run.