Footscray snatch victory in the final minute at Melbourne Avalon Airport Oval on Saturday.

It was a special day for the club that ended in disappointment. Werribee unfurled the 2024 premiership flag involving key figures from the 1993 and 2024 premierships. Bruce Montgomery, Frank Lesiputty, Jack Henderson, Nick Coughlan joined President Martin Carter and CEO Mark Penaluna for the pre-game ceremony.

But the celebrations were ultimately spoiled in front of a strong home crowd, as Footscray slotted a goal in the 32nd minute of the final term to snatch a four-point win, 11.12 (78) to 11.8 (74).

Ryan Eyers continued his impressive start in Werribee colours, earning Totally Workwear Player of the Match honours for his strong defensive performance. Senior coach Jimmy Allan said post-match: “Ryan was fantastic again against the Bulldogs. In his short time here, he has shown that he can be trusted to just do his job. His primary focus is to beat his opponent and, again on Saturday, he was able to do it more often than not.”

Dom Brew put together another impressive midfield performance, stuffing the stat sheet with 32 disposals, 20 contested possessions and 16 tackles. Up forward, Hudson Garoni extended his goalkicking streak to 26 games, booting three early majors to give Werribee a fast start.

Footscray burst out of the blocks with the first two goals of the game, before Garoni’s strong contested marking and finishing helped steady Werribee. Tylar Watts then converted a set shot after the first-quarter siren to trim the deficit to five points.

Werribee responded with a dominant second quarter, piling on five unanswered goals. Garoni kicked things off with his third, then found Flynn Young inside 50, who made no mistake with a classy snap.

Cooper Whyte was in the right spot as he continually does to snap a goal, before Dom Brew found Jackson Grundy inside 50, with the North Warrnambool product slotting home the set shot to boot his first goal in Werribee colours in his third game for the club.

Noah Tullio was next to hit the scoreboard, taking full advantage of a 50-metre penalty to kick his first goal at Melbourne Avalon Airport Oval and push Werribee to a 27-point lead at half-time.

Footscray responded with a dominant third quarter, mirroring Werribee’s second-term effort by kicking five unanswered goals to take a three-point lead into the final term.

The last quarter was a tense, goal-for-goal battle, with both sides threatening to take home the HealthWest Cup.

Footscray struck first to push the margin into double digits, before first-year forward Brady Wright clunked a strong one-handed mark and calmly slotted the set shot to bring the margin back to four points.

After a ten-minute arm wrestle, Jake Lohmann read the ball off the pack superbly to snap truly and give Werribee the lead for the first time in the final term.

Bulldogs captain Dan Orgill snapped a goal from a near-impossible angle to reclaim the lead, before winger Myles McCluggage bobbed up with an intercept mark inside 50 and calmly slotted the set shot - his first VFL goal - to put Werribee back in front at the 29-minute mark.

But it wasn’t to be as Footscray found a stoppage goal in the 32nd minute to snatch a dramatic four-point win and spoil Werribee’s premiership flag celebration in a thrilling finish at Melbourne Avalon Airport Oval.

ROUND 3 PHOTO GALLERY - CLICK HERE

FINAL SCORE:
Werribee: 3.1 8.4 8.6 11.8 (74)
Footscray: 3.6 3.7 8.9 11.12 (78)

GOAL SCORERS:
Werribee: H. Garoni (3), J. Grundy, J. Lohmann, M. McCluggage, N. Tullio, T. Watts, C. Whyte, B. Wright, F. Young
Footscray: W. Lewis (3), J. Kellett (2), J. Croft, C. Hargraves, C. Hynes, L. Muratore, D. Orgill, A. Scott

Following our recent 2024 VFL Premiership success, the Werribee Football Club is excited to announce that our full suite of membership packages are now available for 2025.

2024 will forever be remembered for the drought-breaking Premiership, and in 2025... WE’RE GOING AGAIN. ARE YOU?

Sign up as a member for 2025 via this link.

Following our recent 2024 VFL Premiership success, the Werribee Football Club is excited to announce that our full suite of membership packages are now available for 2025.

2024 will forever be remembered for the drought-breaking Premiership, and in 2025... WE’RE GOING AGAIN. ARE YOU?

Sign up as a member for 2025 via this link.

Werribee secured its first four points of 2025 with a dominant second-half performance, running out 23-point winners over Essendon on Saturday.

Trailing by seven at halftime at the NEC Hangar, Werribee stormed out after the break, piling on seven goals in the third quarter to take control and claim an 11.12 (78) to 7.13 (55) win.

Bior Malual carried his opening round form into this match, booting the game’s first major. Hudson Garoni extended his goal-kicking streak to 25 consecutive games before Essendon responded with three unanswered goals to take a three-point lead into quarter-time.

The second quarter was a deadlock until the 24th minute when Brady Wright, who kicked three goals last week on debut, got on the score sheet again with the first goal of the term. Essendon hit back quickly to take a seven-point lead into the main break.

Harry Grintell was a standout in his new half-back role, racking up 16 disposals and seven marks in the first half, while Malual showed no signs of slowing down with 13 touches by halftime.

The game turned in the third quarter as Werribee stormed ahead with six unanswered goals and seven in total for the term, opening up a 33-point lead at the final break.

Flynn Young continued his strong start to the season, igniting the scoring with Werribee’s first two goals of the quarter.

Tylar Watts and Noah Tullio registered their first goals in Werribee colors.

Watts, playing his fifth game for the club, took an intercept mark 15 meters out before calmly converting.

Tullio, an 18-year-old small forward, played his junior footy for Werribee Districts. Speaking with Star Weekly prior to the season, Tullio said, “To play here was a no-brainer. I was training around the corner. Some of the boys are travelling for two hours, and I’m five minutes down the road”.

Hudson Garoni, Cooper Whyte, and Jay Dahlhaus also hit the scoreboard in a commanding quarter.

Essendon fought back with the first two goals of the last quarter, but a clutch goal from Jake Smith - threading the needle with a tight set shot—sealed the win, pushing the margin back to 25 points late in the game.

Werribee ran out 23-point winners to claim its first victory of the season.

Midfielder Dom Brew delivered a best-on-ground performance, with Jimmy Allan praising his impact; ‘Dom got back to doing what he does best. He quelled the influence of a very dangerous stoppage player and then won plenty of the ball himself. Not many players can do that.”

Down back Ryan Eyers impressed for the second week running while Jaelen Pavlidis was equally strong, finishing with 16 disposals and eight marks.

Sam Conway made his season debut and battled well against 300-game AFL ruckman Todd Goldstein, recording 26 hitouts and seven clearances. Louis Pinnuck rounded out Werribee’s best with a dominant 32-disposal, 18-mark performance.

ROUND 2 PHOTO GALLERY - CLICK HERE

FINAL SCORE:
Werribee: 2.3 3.5 10.11 11.12 (78)
Essendon: 3.0 4.6 5.8 7.13 (55)

GOAL SCORERS:
Werribee: H. Garoni (2), F. Young (2), B. Malual, J. Smith, N. Tullio, T. Watts, C. Whyte, B. Wright
Essendon: J. Eckersley (3), J. Busuttil, A. Day-Wicks, K. Gerreyn, V. Vissentini

Following our recent 2024 VFL Premiership success, the Werribee Football Club is excited to announce that our full suite of membership packages are now available for 2025.

2024 will forever be remembered for the drought-breaking Premiership, and in 2025... WE’RE GOING AGAIN. ARE YOU?

Sign up as a member for 2025 via this link.

Werribee will unfurl its premiership flag before its Round 3 clash against Footscray.

The match is Werribee’s first home game since the premiership triumph, returning to Melbourne Avalon Airport Oval to face Western suburbs rival Footscray in the annual Health West Cup on Saturday, April 5.

BE THERE FOR ROUND 3 >>> Get your tickets now

Club President Martin Carter, joined by key figures from Werribee's 1993 and 2024 triumphs - Bruce Montgomery, Frank Lesiputty, Nick Coughlan, and Jack Henderson - and CEO Mark Penaluna, will participate in the flag unfurling ceremony at 12:45pm, ahead of the first bounce at 1:05pm.

Speaking after the 2024 Grand Final victory on the historical night, Carter said “It’s a 31-year overnight success. It has been a long time coming for the people of Werribee, anyone that’s had anything to do with it, whether it be small or big in their eyes, they’re part of it.

“This is for the Werribee Football Club and the Werribee community.”

Werribee’s first premiership came in 1993 under playing coach Donald McDonald. The club finished second on the ladder but needed a Jack Aziz match-winning goal in the Preliminary Final to make the decider. A dominant performance grand final day saw a 42-point Werribee victory over Port Melbourne.

The 2024 premiership ended a 31-year drought. After falling short in 2023, despite a club-record 17-game winning streak, Werribee under first-year coach Jimmy Allan defeated Southport in an all-standalone Grand Final. Trailing by 19 points in the third quarter, Werribee stormed home to secure a thrilling six-point victory.

Get to know those involved in the flag unfurling and their impact on the club…

Bruce Montgomery:
Bruce Montgomery is a Werribee Football Club Legend with a lasting legacy as a player and administrator. Playing 80 games and kicking 43 goals from 1969-1977, Bruce later served as Vice President (1991) and President (1992-1996). He formed the Golden Tigers and Top 20 Coteries and was the driving force behind the Tigers Clubhouse, shaping the club’s future. In recognition of his legacy, the club’s Best & Fairest Trophy is named in his honour.

Frank Lesiputty:
Frank Lesiputty will represent the 1993 Premiership side on Saturday. He played 72 games and kicked 32 goals in the famous number 23. To be part of the 1993 Grand Final victory he famously had seven injections in his shoulder following a dislocation in the preliminary final against Springvale. Frank was named in the Golden Tiger Team of the Decade (1992-2001) and among the club’s 50 Greats of 50 Years. Frank continues to attend Werribee games and is a very passionate and loyal supporter.

Nick Coughlan:
The first member of the 2024 playing group to be acknowledged on Saturday is 2023/24 club captain Nick Coughlan. Nick called time on his 106 game VFL career at the end of last season having played 80 games for Werribee since joining in 2018. A two-time VFL Team of the Year defender Coughlan played a key role in Werribee’s rise to the 2023 Grand Final and continued to lead the group in 2024. Although he was injured on the day, Coughlan was called on stage by coach Jimmy Allan to lift the cup following the Premiership victory.

Jack Henderson:
Rounding out the quartet the reigning Norm Goss Medallist from the 2024 Premiership day. Henderson, who recently realised his AFL dream by debuting for the Melbourne Football Club, played a pivotal role in Werribee's success. Jack featured in all 21 games of the 2024 season, earned a second VFL Team of the Year selection, and became a Werribee Football Club Life Member after reaching 100 games.

Relive that victory at Melbourne Avalon Airport Oval on Saturday with the unfurling of the flag. Buy your membership online now via this link.

MATCH DETAILS – ROUND 3
Werribee vs Footscray
Saturday, April 5, 1:05PM
Melbourne Avalon Airport Oval
Werribee

Round 3 Match Centre

Watch live at afl.com.au

Following our recent 2024 VFL Premiership success, the Werribee Football Club is excited to announce that our full suite of membership packages are now available for 2025.

2024 will forever be remembered for the drought-breaking Premiership, and in 2025... WE’RE GOING AGAIN. ARE YOU?

Sign up as a member for 2025 via this link.