Werribee are set to unveil their 17th debutant of the 2025 season, with wingman Liam Kershaw named to make his club debut in Saturday’s Round 13 clash against Williamstown at DSV Stadium.

In a year where the reigning premiers have blooded plenty of youth, helped in part by the loss of five premiership players to the AFL, Kershaw’s inclusion marks the club’s highest number of debutants in a season since 2018, Werribee’s first year as a standalone side following the end of its North Melbourne affiliation.

The Kershaw name is a familiar one at Melbourne Avalon Airport Oval, with Liam’s father Matt having served as an assistant coach at the club for five seasons under John Lamont and Mark ‘Choco’ Williams.

Kershaw joined Werribee following a breakout 2024 campaign with the Geelong Falcons, where the 194cm wingman averaged 17 disposals and six marks per game. His strong form earned selection in the Young Guns program, a showcase of the state’s best under-18 talent.

He has continued to impress at local level in 2025, playing nine games with St Joseph’s in the Geelong Football Netball League, the club he made his senior debut for in 2023 as a 17-year-old. After being named as an emergency at VFL level on several occasions, Kershaw now earns his opportunity off the back of a 23-disposal, nine-mark performance in last weekend’s win over 2024 grand finalists South Barwon.

While Saturday marks Kershaw’s club debut, he does have prior VFL experience, having played for Geelong in Round 17 last year against Footscray after a strong run with the Falcons.

Speaking on Kershaw’s opportunity, Football Manager Kyle Hartigan said, “We're really excited for the football club having Liam debut after putting together a number of consistent performances."

Kershaw is the sole inclusion for this week’s clash, replacing the injured Ryan Eyers, who will miss his first game of the season.

Werribee will be looking to bounce back after a narrow two-point loss to Geelong last weekend, where a five-goal final quarter wasn’t quite enough to overturn the deficit. Sitting at five wins and six losses, a win would even the ledger and keep the Tigers in the hunt for a Wildcard spot.