Another encounter against a top four opponent is on the cards for Werribee in the latest round of the VFL season with a match-up against reigning premier Casey.

After last week’s memorable come-from-behind victory over the Gold Coast the Big W will be keen to prove they deserve their own place in the top four having moved along to 5-2 with four straight wins.

Casey (6-2) enter Saturday’s game having overcome North Melbourne by 15 points in Round 9, as they returned from the bye. Prior to their week off they fell to the Gold Coast by 20 points.

TEAM NEWS
There is one change to the Werribee team this week to face Casey with Matt Keast returning to the side in place of Jesse Clark who was injured against the Gold Coast.

GAME DAY DETAILS
Gates open from 12pm with entry costing $10 for adults and concession $5. Kids under 16 are free. Werribee members receive free entry and opposition members half price entry. If you are a Werribee member and haven't yet received your membership card please inform the gate attendant.

ROUND 10
Werribee vs Casey
Saturday 27th May, 2:05pm
Avalon Airport Oval, Werribee

Round 10 Match Centre

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A remarkable second half turnaround has seen Werribee record its fifth win of the season and has the team on the brink of the top four, with a game still in hand.

Facing an undefeated Gold Coast on Saturday, the Big W trailed by 42 points at halftime before clinching a stunning victory by two points in the Round 9 clash at Avalon Airport Oval.

The return of four-time Bruce Montgomery Trophy winner Matt Hanson was huge for the home team as he tallied 32 disposals and two goals in his first game since Round 21, last year.

Alongside Hanson’s brilliant performance, two-time Liston Trophy winner Tom Gribble delivered his best game of the season while fellow midfielders Dom Brew, Shaun Mannagh, Kye Declase and Jack Henderson, captain Nick Coughlan and forward Hudson Garoni were all involved in the big moments.

The match was an arm wrestle early with Werribee holding a slight advantage at quarter time. It took almost 12 minutes for the game's first goal to be kicked by Shaun Mannagh. The rest of the term was back and forth with a late Sam Paea mark and goal giving the Big W a two-point buffer.

The second quarter was completely different from a Werribee perspective with the hosts totally outplayed by the Suns who piled on eight goals to one. Michael Sodomaco’s third goal of 2023 was the only significant highlight for the Big W as they went into halftime with plenty to ponder.

Debutant Jack Riding gave Werribee first blood four and half minutes into the third term, before back-to-back goals to Hanson and Garoni cut the deficit to 25 points. But the margin would remain that at three-quarter time with Garoni’s second major cancelling out the Suns’ only goal.

In the last it took more than seven minutes for a goal to be scored with both teams adding a single behind before Jack Boyd registered the all-important first for Werribee. It would be the start of a dominant 10-minute period for the Big W with their second and third goals kicked with little time coming off the clock.

First a free kick against the Suns for deliberately rushing a behind was converted by Mannagh and then Boyd received a second free kick in the goal square for umpire descent by the Suns players, following the rushed behind decision. Those two scores made the difference just 11 points and Hanson would cut it even further with a goal from 50 putting the home team within a kick.

With Werribee continuing to force turnovers and win every loose ball and one-one-one contest, the chance to go ahead fell to Sam Paea and he made no mistake with his long-range set shot.

With 18 minutes still to be played, Paea’s goal was met with a Gold Coast response at the 24-minute mark before a frantic next seven minutes would end with Werribee reclaiming the lead in the dying stages. They did so when a Suns defender hit the ball into Boyd’s path who found Coughlan inside 50 with the captain dishing the ball over to Garoni streaming into goal.

It would be the final score of the game as the siren sounded with the ball in dispute on the far wing with Werribee securing one of their best wins in recent memory to take their unbeaten run to four games. The Big W’s final quarter dominance showed with 51 per cent time in possession compared to the Suns’ 34 per cent, the highest total and biggest differential of the game.

The home team’s 17 tackles, many of which resulted in Werribee free kicks, was also almost more than what they tallied in the previous two terms combined.  

FINAL SCORE
Werribee: 3.2 4.4 8.4 14.7 (91)
Gold Coast: 3.1 11.4 13.11 (89)

GOALS
Werribee: H. Garoni 3, S. Paea 2, S. Mannagh 2, H. Hanson 2, J. Boyd 2, M. Sodomaco, J. Riding, J. Henderson.
Gold Coast: J. Tsitas 3, M. Chol 3, A. Sexton, N. Moyle, C. Harrington, C. Constable, C Burgess, S. Brock, J. Anderson.

BEST
Werribee: T. Gribble, M. Hanson, K. Declase, S. Mannagh, J. Boyd, D. Brew.

PLAYER STATS
Tom Gribble: 41 disposals (14 K, 27 HB), 15 contested possessions, 4 clearances, 8 inside 50s, 7 score involvements, 3 tackles.
Matt Hanson: 32 disposals (22 K, 10 HB), 16 handball receives, 6 clearances, 5 inside 50s, 5 score involvements, 3 tackles, 2 goals.
Kye Declase: 30 disposals (14 K, 17 HB), 6 marks, 17 handball receives, 5 score involvements, 2 assists.
Dom Brew: 30 disposals (14 K, 16 HB), 18 contested possessions, 9 clearances, 7 inside 50s, 5 tackles.
Shaun Mannagh: 29 disposals, (19 K, 10 HB), 4 clearances, 5 score involvements, 8 tackles, 2 goals.
Nick Coughlan: 19 disposals (14 K, 5 HB), 8 marks (4 intercept, 3 contested), 10 rebound 50s, 5 score involvements.
Jack Boyd: 18 disposals (8 K, 10 HB), 6 marks (1 contested), 9 hit-outs, 3 clearances, 6 score involvements, 3 tackles, 2 goals.
Hudson Garoni: 13 disposals (10 K, 3 HB), 6 marks (1 contested), 7 score involvements, 3 goals.

ROUND 9 IMAGE GALLERY - VIEW HERE

NEXT GAME
Round 10
Werribee vs Casey
Saturday 27th May, 2:05pm
Avalon Airport Oval, Werribee

The latest round of local footy saw a couple of dominant displays by a pair of bigmen while two exciting prospects showed good signs as they took to the field after overcoming preseason injuries.

GEELONG FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Matthew Keast - St Mary’s
Contributed well in an easy win over Bell Park. Impacted the game early and looked to be covering the ground better after being hindered by a cork the previous week. Had 22 disposals including 15 kicks, three tackles and a goal.

Cam Anderson - North Shore
Made his debut for the Seagulls and impressed with his speed using it to break the lines and create overlap in a loss to Lara. Tallied 16 disposals with 12 kicks.

Emmanuel Ajang - Geelong West
A strong showing with 27 touches and five tackles as the Giants went down to St Joseph’s in a close contest. Tidied up his handling from the week prior and used the ball well going at 85 per cent efficiency against the Joeys.

Flynn Young – Newtown & Chilwell
Did some good things in nine-point victory over Leopold with 10 disposals and five inside 50s as the Eagles maintained their advantage at the top of the ladder.

ESSENDON DISTRICT FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Josh Porter - Greenvale
Played a huge role in the Greenvale’s second win of the season, a 19-point triumph over last year’s runner up Aberfeldie. Spent 70 per cent of the game in the ruck and the rest forward gathering 27 disposals with 12 marks and 11 clearances as well as 42 hit-outs.

Darcy Cassar - Keilor
Had a good game lining up as a high half-forward for most of the day in a comfortable victory over Maribyrnong Park. Worked hard across four quarters and collected plenty of footy with 32 disposals and five inside 50s. Also added three tackles.

Cam McLeod - Avondale Heights
Struggled for opportunities in attack against a rampaging Airport West. Played the last quarter down back and finished the match with 17 disposals, 4 marks and 4 tackles in what was a heavy loss.

Lachlan Smart - Deer Park
Enjoyed a solid offensive game in a big win over Glenroy booting three goals from 14 possessions as the Lions kept the pressure on league leaders West Coburg with their fourth win of the season.

WESTERN REGION FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Akol Deng - Yarraville Seddon (Local Player of the Week)
Followed up a big game with an even better performance in Round 5 posting 25 disposals at 80 per cent efficiency alongside a whopping 58 hit-outs of which 22 were to advantage. Totalled nine clearances and added three contested marks and four tackles in the loss to Spotswood.

Aidan Johnson - Yarraville Seddon
After a brilliant return the previous week his luckless run with injury continued succumbing to another knee issue. Had five disposals before his day ended prematurely in the second quarter.

Sam Clifford - Hoppers Crossing
Started strongly against Point Cook Centrals and was influential in the Warriors holding a slight lead at halftime. Was closely checked in the second half and finished with 17 disposals, five rebound 50s and a goal in a 22-point loss.

VICTORIAN AMATUER FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION

Jack Boyd - Old Xaverians
Did some good work in the middle with 16 hit-outs and six clearances but found it harder to have an impact up forward due to some poor ball movement. Finished with 12 disposals and three tackles.

Zayne Galea - Williamstown CYMS
Had 19 disposals and eight marks, two of those contested, as CYs got their first win of the season after overcoming Monash Blues by 16 points at Fearon Reserve.

BALLARAT FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Jack Riding - North Ballarat
Some signs early that he was back from an injury layoff but didn’t take long to settle in to the match. Played a variety of roles and competed hard for 22 disposals with eight clearances and three tackles, in a 20-point defeat at East Point.

OVENS & MURRAY FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Sam Azzi - North Albury
Was struck down by a hamstring injury midway through the second term in the Hoppers’ clash with Lavington. Was solid defensively in the quarter and half he played.

Following a run of three straight wins in the last month, Werribee’s next challenge comes at home in the form of ladder leaders Gold Coast Suns in Round 9.

With victories over Williamstown, Essendon and Footscray the Big W now face their biggest test since the opening round of the season taking on an undefeated Suns outfit at midday on Saturday.

The Suns who triumphed over Werribee a year ago have made the perfect start to 2023, and enter the clash having survived a fast-finishing Southport last weekend to secure their seventh win.

TEAM NEWS
Three changes have been made by the Werribee coaching staff for the match against the Suns with the return of four-time Bruce Montgomery Trophy winner Matt Hanson headlining the inclusions.

Hanson will play his first match since breaking his hand against Essendon in Round 21 last year, before requiring a second surgery. Along with Hanson, Jack Boyd has made his way back into the side, while the club will have a first gamer for the third straight week with Jack Riding to make his VFL debut.

Going out of the side are forwards Connor Thar and Logan Morris who both picked up injuries last week against Footscray with Michael Selsby the other omission.  

GAME DAY ENTRY
Gates open from 10:30am. Werribee members receive free entry and opposition members half price entry. Non-member entry is $10 for adults and concession $5 with kids under 16, free. Round 9 entry will go towards The Salvation Army's Red Shield Appeal.

ROUND 9
Werribee vs Gold Coast
Saturday 20th May, 12:05pm
Avalon Airport Oval, Werribee

Round 9 Match Centre

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