Werribee is in to its first VFL grand final in almost two decades after defeating the Brisbane by 30 points in a home Preliminary Final at Avalon Airport Oval.

The Big W’s incredible run of consecutive wins is now at 17 games thanks to the 14.10 (94) to 9.10 (64) result against the Lions and they’ll now face minor premier Gold Coast in the decider after the Suns overcame Box Hill by 15 points at Heritage Bank Stadium.

Kye Declase produced another stellar finals display with a game-high 32 disposals and a sealing goal, with Dom Brew outstanding once more with 25 touches, 10 clearances and nine tackles, while Sam Clohesy again impressed across halfback collecting a career-best 25 disposals and 13 marks.

Up forward Hudson Garoni bounced back from a disappointing Qualifying Final and bagged four goals to take his tally to 44 this season with Connor Thar snagging three in his first VFL outing since May 8.

Captain Nick Coughlan lead the effort in defence with 19 possessions and 7 marks alongside another strong showing from Nathan Cooper with a team-high eight intercepts.

Werribee got off to another good start in front of an even bigger crowd than the one that turned out two weeks prior.

Snapped goals from Nick Hayes and Shaun Mannagh inside the opening eight minutes gave the home team an early lead and when Garoni fired his first after staying down in a marking contest the hosts had a 17-point buffer with seven and half minutes still to play in the first quarter.

An early Brisbane goal was the only score for more than 14 minutes to start the second term but the Big W would eventually respond with Garoni kicking truly from 30 metres out.

A third major for the Lions cut the margin to just five points but Werribee answered back emphatically, closing out the half with three unanswered goals. The first via Thar, back in the side for his first game since Round 8, with Garoni’s third and Josh Porter’s first coming soon after to give the hosts a 23-point advantage at the main break.  

The Lions dominated the first 15 minutes of the third quarter but were unable to take advantage on the scoreboard kicking five consecutive behinds before eventually adding a goal.

Unlike Brisbane, Werribee would make the most of its chances when they finally came in the second half of the term, kicking four of the next five goals through Hayes, Thar, Garoni and Noah Lever to increase its lead to 32 points ahead of the last.

Some nervousness set in across Avalon Airport Oval when Brisbane fired through the first three goals of the final quarter inside eight minutes, reducing the margin to 16 points. However, with Hayes moving behind the ball, the experienced utility and Coughlan gathered some key intercepts to help the Big W see off any further inroads from the Lions.

Porter then provided an important steadier at the at the 20-minute mark before one more Brisbane goal, but that was followed by majors to Declase and Thar who iced the game in the final stages.

Werribee’s ability to score on the counter-attack was on full display against the Lions with 10 of their 14 goals coming off turnovers brought on by some outstanding pressure as the hosts out-tackled the visitors 65-43.

Werribee now takes its place in a first grand final since 2005. The Tigers suffered a nine-point defeat to Sandringham that day in what was only their second decider since the club's lone VFA/VFL premiership 30 years ago when they comfortably defeated Port Melbourne in the final match of the 1993 season.

Werribee: 3.2 7.3 11.5 14.10 (94)
Brisbane: 1.3 3.4 5.9 9.10 (64)

GOALS
Werribee: H. Garoni 4, C. Thar 3, N. Hayes 2, J. Porter 2, S. Mannagh, K. Declase, N. Lever.
Brisbane: T. Abberley, B. Coleman, K. Dunkley, D. Fort, R. Mathieson, D. McDowell-White, J. Prior, H. Sharp, H. Smith.

BEST
Werribee: S. Clohesy, D. Brew, N. Cooper, K. Declase, H. Garoni, N. Hayes.

PRELIMINARY FINAL IMAGE GALLERY - VIEW HERE

PLAYER STATS
Kye Declase: 32 disposals (20 K, 12HB), 17 handball receives, 8 marks (1 contested), 4 clearances, 7 inside 50s, 3 rebound 50s, 10 score involvements, 1 goal.
Sam Clohesy: 25 disposals (17 K, 8 HB), 13 marks (3 intercept, 2 contested), 3 inside 50s, 3 rebound 50s, 2 tackles.
Dom Brew: 25 disposals (12 K, 13 HB), 16 contested possessions, 10 clearances, 4 inside 50s, 4 score involvements, 9 tackles.
Tom Gribble: 19 disposals (8 K, 11 HB), 3 marks, 3 tackles, 3 inside 50s, 3 rebound 50s, 7 score involvements.
Nick Coughlan: 19 disposals (18 K, 1 HB), 7 marks (4 intercept, 3 contested), 8 rebound 50s, 2 inside 50s.
Nick Hayes: 15 disposals (12 K, 3 HB), 7 marks (3 intercept), 8 score involvements, 2 goals.
Nathan Cooper: 12 disposals (4 K, 8 HB), 8 intercept possessions (2 marks), 2 rebound 50s.
Connor Thar: 12 disposals (10 K, 2 HB), 2 marks, 2 tackles, 3 inside 50s, 5 score involvements, 3 goals.
Hudson Garoni: 8 disposals (5 K, 3 HB), 4 marks, 4 score involvements, 4 goals.

NEXT GAME
Grand Final
Werribee vs Gold Coast
Sunday 24th September, 3:10pm
IKON Park, Carlton

Werribee will take on Brisbane in a preliminary final this weekend for a place in the 2023 Smithy's VFL Grand Final.

The Big W host the Lions at 12pm on Saturday in the club’s first preliminary final since a run of three from 2011 to 2013. It will be the second encounter between the teams this year having met in the opening round with Werribee going down by a single point at the Lions' Brighton Homes Arena.

The Lions progressed to their second straight preliminary final with a 40-point Semi-Final win over Williamstown this past weekend. The Lions finished the home and away season fourth before going down to Gold Coast in their Qualifying Final two weeks ago.

TEAM NEWS
Werribee welcomes back Michael Sodomaco and Connor Thar for Saturday's Preliminary Final against the Lions. 

Veteran defender Sodomaco returns after he missed the Qualifying Final against Box Hill with hamstring tightness, while small forward Thar has found his way back into the team and will play his first VFL game since May 14.

After lining up in five of Werribee's opening six games Thar suffered a syndesmosis injury in the first quarter of the Round 8 clash with Footscray at Avalon Airport Oval. The pair come into the side in place of Harry Grintell and Keegan Gray.

TICKETING DETAILS
For all VFL finals matches patrons are advised to pre-purchase tickets ahead of the day. Admission prices are adults $15, concession/pensioners $10, and children under 15 free. Tickets can be pre-purchased HERE.

Tickets can be purchased at the gate, subject to ground capacity. Payment method for tickets purchased at the gate is via EFTPOS only.

PRELIMINARY FINAL
Werribee vs Brisbane
Saturday 16th September, 12:00pm
Avalon Airport Oval, Werribee

Finals Week 3 - Match Centre

Watch live at afl.com.au

Werribee booked a preliminary final berth with a 20-point qualifying final victory over Box Hill in the first week of Smithy's VFL Finals Series.

Saturday’s encounter against the Hawks was the first of the season between the two sides with the Big W entering on a 15-match winning streak, and the visitors having won five of their last six matches.

In front of a big crowd at Avalon Airport Oval and champion midfielder Matt Hanson's 100th game, the hosts led from start to finish registering a 16th straight win 11.14 (80) to 8.12 (60). They will now face either Brisbane of Williamstown in two weeks' time for a spot in the grand final.

It was a hot start for Werribee with some elite pressure and the first three goals of the game courtesy of set shot conversions from Shaun Mannagh, Kye Declase and Lucas Rocci helping the home side take some early ground.

Box Hill fought back late, reducing the margin to 12 points, meanwhile Werribee ended the term with a staggering 30 tackles.

The Hawks had the better of the chances in the second and went into half-time leading the inside 50s 23-21, but inaccuracy in front of goal kept them at arm’s length as the sides wrestled through a scrappy quarter.

Josh Porter kicked an early goal for the Big W before a late Keegan Gray major gave the hosts some breathing space with a 37-21 buffer.  

Werribee was first on the board in the third quarter with Sam Paea snapping truly nine minutes in and soon after became provider for Jack Henderson to goal from an acute angel to push the margin out to a game-high 27 points.

That advantage didn’t last long with the Hawks responded with three straight in little time, before Declase gave the home team a much-needed steadier at the 30-minute mark via a strong grab at the top of the square.

The early stages of the final quarter would see a push from Box Hill but with the Big W’s defence held firm, ultimately tallying a game-high 22 intercepts, they would eventually wear the Hawks down.

With the game entering time on, back-to-back goals to Harry Grintell and Declase put the margin at 26 points before Noah Lever sealed the game late.

Werribee: 3.4 5.7 8.10 11.14 (80)
Box Hill: 1.4 2.9 5.11 8.12 (60)

GOALS
Werribee: K. Declase 3, K. Gray, N. Lever, H. Grintell, J. Henderson, S. Mannagh, S. Paea, J. Porter, L. Rocci.
Box Hill: B. Ryan 2, J. Thorpe 2, J. Koschitzke, S. Butler, F. Greene, C. Stephens.

BEST
Werribee: L. Pinnuck, N. Coughlan, D. Brew, K. Declase, B. Malual, N. Hayes.

QUALIFYING FINAL IMAGE GALLERY - VIEW HERE

PLAYER STATS
Nick Coughlan: 25 disposals (14 K, 11 HB) at 88% efficiency, 13 intercept possessions (3 marks), 9 rebound 50s, 2 inside 50s.
Matt Hanson: 21 disposals (13 K, 8 HB), 7 marks, 4 clearances, 5 score involvements, 5 tackles.
Louis Pinnuck: 19 disposals (13 K, 8 HB), 11 intercepts possessions (4 marks), 3 inside 50s, 5 rebound 50s, 5 score involvements, 5 tackles.
Kye Declase: 19 disposals (14 K, 5 HB), 7 marks (2 contested), 5 clearances, 5 inside 50s, 7 score involvements, 4 tackles, 3 goals.
Dom Brew: 19 disposals (12 K, 7 HB), 5 marks, 3 clearances, 3 inside 50s, 2 rebound 50s, 7 tackles.
Bior Malual: 17 disposals (13 K, 4 HB), 6 marks (2 contested), 3 rebound 50s, 2 inside 50s, 2 tackles.
Keegan Gray: 16 disposals (10 K, 6 HB), 5 marks, 2 clearances, 6 inside 50s, 5 score involvements, 3 tackles, 1 goal.
Noah Lever: 15 disposals (10 K, 5 HB), 10 contested possessions, 3 clearances, 4 score involvements, 5 tackles, 1 goal.
Josh Porter: 8 disposals (4 K, 4 HB) at 100% efficiency, 6 marks (1 contested), 9 hit-outs, 5 score involvements, 4 tackles, 1 goal.

NEXT GAME
Preliminary Final
Werribee vs Brisbane or Williamstown
Saturday 16th September. Time: TBA
Avalon Airport Oval, Werribee

Matt Hanson will become the third Werribee player in three years to reach 100 games when he runs out in Saturday’s Qualifying Final against Box Hill.

It will be just his sixth game this season due to hand and shoulder injuries, but when he takes to the field at 2:05pm he’ll join Michael Sodomaco and Tom Gribble as the club’s current centurions.

One of the club’s most decorated players with a record four Bruce Montgomery best and fairest trophies, Hanson’s journey to triple figures has been a long time coming after an incredible start to his career in black and gold.  

The now 28-year-old arrived at Werribee from South Launceston ahead of the 2015 season and had an instant impact. By the end of his third season he’d tallied 53 VFL games and had three best and fairests to his name.

However, over the next six years an unlucky run with injury and a global pandemic would all combine to slow the Hanson’s progress to the ton and Werribee Life Membership

Now that game 100 is finally here the champion midfielder couldn’t be happier.

“It’s been a long time coming and I’m really excited for Saturday,” Hanson said.

“I moved to Melbourne and Werribee in 2015 and thought I’d try my luck in the VFL. I’ve been lucky enough to be at a great club for nine years and I’m thankful for that and wouldn’t change a thing. I’m proud of what I’ve been able to achieve here.”

In five games this season Hanson has averaged 27.2 disposals per game the second-best mark of his career along with a career-high 6.2 marks and 4.2 tackles.

On the eve of the Tasmanian's milestone, Werribee captain Nick Coughlan was full of praise for his brilliant teammate.

“I remember my first game against Werribee, I was playing for Sandringham at the time, we had this guy up on the board Matt Hanson,” Coughlan said.

“The plan was to give him 100 hits this day, everybody that ran past him had to hit him. I think he had 33 (disposals) and three (goals) that day, so it didn’t work.

“Around the competition everyone admires what he does and between our four walls I’m not sure anyone is held in a higher regard.

“To be a four-time best and fairest winner and run out with him is a pleasure, and I think everyone stands taller when he’s out there…I know I certainly do.”