Werribee will play its first home game of the year on Saturday with the Big W hosting Geelong at Avalon Airport Oval in Round 4 of the Smithy's VFL season.

Having collected a first win of 2023 with victory over Southport last weekend Werribee will be keen for a repeat of last season's result against the Cats when they comfortably triumphed in Round 13.

After beating Carlton in the opening match of this year's campaign Geelong have lost their last two, suffering heavy defeats away to Gold Coast and at home to Box Hill. 

TEAM NEWS

A couple of additions to the side to take on the Cats with former captain Michael Sodomaco to play his first game of 2023. The club’s longest serving player will make his 118^th VFL appearance, adding experience to a relatively young backline.

Joining Sodomaco is exciting small forward Jay Dahlhaus who enjoyed a break-out year in 2022 with 18 goals in 14 matches while also providing frantic forward pressure.

The pair come into the side for Sam Azzi (injured) and Michael Selsby who both appeared in the opening two games of the season.   

GAME DAY DETAILS

Gates open from 11am with members receiving free entry. If you are a member and haven't yet received your membership card please inform the gate attendant. Entry for non-members is $10 for adults and concession $5. Kids under 16 are free.

MATCH DETAILS - ROUND 4
Werribee vs Geelong
Saturday April 15, 1:05pm
Avalon Airport Oval, Werribee

Round 4 Match Centre

Watch live at afl.com.au

Werribee in on the winners list in 2023 after a stirring 23-point victory away to last year’s runner up Southport on Saturday.

The visitors had winners all over the ground with Shaun Mannagh (40 disposals and four goals), Bior Malual (28 disposals and 11 marks) and Kye Declase (27 disposals and two goals) simply outstanding across four quarters at Fankhauser Reserve.

In Queensland for the second time in three weeks after an opening round loss to Brisbane, the Big W started positively kicking three of the first four goals of the match to lead by 14 points 21 minutes into the opening quarter.

Hudson Garoni and Josh Porter - in his first game of the season, stretched Werribee’s lead to 22 points at the nine-minute mark of the second term but the hosts would hit back cutting the visitors’ advantage to seven points at halftime.

Along with Declase (16 disposals) and Tom Gribble (15 disposals), debutant Bailey Henderson (12 disposals) was amongst Werribee’s top ball winners at the main break.

In the third quarter the Big W’s tall timber continued to dominate at times with Garoni, Porter and Jack Boyd marking strongly or brining the ball to the ground for Werribee’s smaller players. However, Mannagh‘s solitary goal, a long range effort from the top of the 50 metre arc, was the only major of the term for the visitors who took a nine-point lead into the last.

Reward on the scoreboard came thick and fast in the final quarter with Connor Thar goaling after just two minutes before three majors followed in the space of as many minutes. Thar’s third of the afternoon, a brilliant finish from deep in the pocket, marked a fantastic return to VFL football for the crafty small after an injury riddled 2022.

It wouldn’t be all smooth sailing to the finish line for Werribee with Southport not conceding defeat. With the visitors up by 34 points after 10 and a half minutes the Sharks then had seven consecutive scoring shots, but their inaccuracy would prove their downfall. Mannagh would eventually ice the game booting his fourth goal of the day as the final siren sounded.  

FINAL SCORE
Werribee: 3.5 6.7 7.13 12.14 (86)
Southport: 2.2 5.5 6.10 8.15 (63)

GOALS
Werribee: S. Mannagh 4, C. Thar 3, K. Declase 2, H. Garoni, H. Grintell, J. Porter.
Southport: F. Thurlow 4, J. Lockhart, Z. Foot, C. Offermans, T. Fields

BEST
Werribee: S. Mannagh, K. Declase, B. Malual, C. Thar, K. Annand, J. Henderson.
Southport:

ROUND 3 IMAGE GALLERY - VIEW HERE

PLAYER STATS
Shaun Mannagh: 40 disposals (22K, 18 HB), 18 handball receives, 13 contested possessions, 6 inside 50s, 5 clearances, 3 rebound 50s, 3 tackles, 4 goals.
Bior Malual: 28 disposals (23 K, 5 HB), 11 marks, 5 rebound 50s, 2 inside 50s.
Kye Declase: 27 disposals (19K, 8 HB), 10 handball receives, 9 marks (2 contested), 7 inside 50s, 3 tackles, 2 goals.
Louis Pinnuck: 23 disposals (22 K, 1 HB), 8 marks, 13 rebound 50s, 2 inside 50s.
Jack Henderson: 22 disposals (10 K, 12 HB), 12 contested possessions, 4 marks, 6 clearances, 4 inside 50s, 7 tackles
Dom Brew: 20 disposals (10 K, 10 HB), 14 contested possessions, 4 clearances, 5 tackles.
Connor Thar: 19 disposals (13 K, 6 HB), 10 contested possessions, 5 marks, 4 clearances, 4 inside 50s, 3 goals.
Kobe Annand: 14 disposals (3 K, 11 HB), 10 contested possessions, 28 hit-outs, 3 clearances, 5 tackles.
Jack Boyd: 14 disposals (7 K, & HB), 7 marks (1 contested), 4 tackles, 3 inside 50s, 4 score assists.  

NEXT MATCH 
Round 4
Werribee vs Geelong
Saturday 15th April, 1:05pm
Avalon Airport Oval

After a week off Werribee returns to the field ready to tackle another challenge up north, this time against 2022 grand finalists Southport on Easter Saturday.

The Big W will be out to bounce back from a one-point loss in Round 1 in Brisbane, and be aiming for a much better performance against Southport this year after going down to the Queensland standalone by 52 points when the two met last season.

Southport (1-1) got their season off to a good start with a big home win over Sandringham before suffering an eight-point loss to North Melbourne Reserves at Arden Street in Round 2.

TEAM NEWS

There are several changes from Round 1 against Brisbane with Bailey Henderson set to make his Werribee debut after arriving from Richmond in the off-season.

Veteran forward Josh Porter also comes into the side along with crafty small forward Connor Thar who will add to his three career games following a luckless 2022. 

The three changes come at the expense of Noah Lever, Sam Paea and Flynn Young.

MATCH DETAILS - ROUND 3
Werribee vs Southport Sharks
Saturday April 8, 12:05pm
Fankhauser Reserve, Southport

Round 3 Match Centre

Watch live at afl.com.au

The VFL season is now underway for Werribee, but there is plenty happening off the field as well with two new staff members commencing with the club. 

After some time away, popular figure Majok ‘Shaggy’ Ngong has returned in the role of Community Development Manager while Em Gardner has joined the club as the Operations Support Officer.

Ngong was Werribee’s first ever Multicultural Development Officer working for the club from 2013 to 2015 before joining AFL Victoria.

During his time away, Ngong said he always kept an eye on what the club was doing and since returning has hit the ground running with football promotion in the community.  

“There are so many great things happening at the club, overall, I am excited about the programs that we’ve lined up for 2023 and beyond,” he said.

“I love the fact that everyone at this club shares the same vision which is to support and grow the game of AFL in the city of Wyndham.

“There is no club in the VFL that celebrates and embraces diversity like the Werribee Football Club.”

Like Ngong, Gardner too is familiar with the club having completed work placement at Avalon Airport Oval over the course of the 2022 VFL season.

Having impressed with her work ethic and commitment she was offered a full-time position after completing her Bachelor of Business majoring in Sports and Event Management.

Gardner said she can’t wait to gain more experience within the football industry and develop skills within operations and administration in sport.

She will be heavily involved with membership, match day, events, sponsorship and more, and can’t wait for football to return to Werribee in the coming weeks.

“It has been great settling into the new role, the team at the club have been very welcoming although knowing everyone already definitely helped,” she said.

“I’ve enjoyed gaining a better understanding of all the different aspects that go on behind the scenes of the football club and look forward to learning even more.”