Werribee Football Club's annual auction fundraiser is back and happening online for the second time following a hugely successful virtual edition last year.  

The annual fundraiser takes place for the 30th time in 2021, with items in the auction open for bidding from 6pm Saturday 31 July up until 7pm Sunday 15 August.

CLICK HERE: MORE DETAILS + AUCTION ITEMS

Items available for bidding include:
- An Exclusive Fishing Charter with Merv Hughes
- A Lunch with Dale Morris
- A Landscaping and Gardening package courtesy of Creative Gardens
- A cheese making experience for 8 people thanks to Cheeselinks
- An Afternoon Tea with Julia Gillard
- Vouchers to spend at local Wyndham restaurants and businesses
- Gym memberships, advertising packages, memorabilia, merchandise and more!

We are also still accepting donations; if you would like to donate to the auction, or have any enquiries, send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Werribee made a successful return to field from another two-week hiatus with a come from behind victory over the Northern Bullants in Round 16.  The Big W trailed all day at Preston City Oval before coming home with a wet sail, piling on eight final quarter goals to win by 30 points and break a run of two consecutive losses.

Werribee: 1.0 5.7 6.12 14.17 (101)
Northern Bullants: 5.7 8.8 9.10 10.11 (71)

GOALS
Werribee: H. Garoni 3, S. Mannagh 2, W. Buzza 2, C. Thae 2, T. Gribble 1, L. Wagener 1, M. Hanson 1, N. Hayes 1, R. Pendlebury 1
Northern Bullants: P. Ahern 4, J. Velissaris 1, G. Strachan 1, L. Mackie 1, W. Murphy 1, B. Silvagni 1

BEST
Werribee: T. Gribble, M. Hanson, H. Garoni, D. Brew, M. Spencer, B. Malual
Northern Bullants: T. Jones, J. Velissaris, G. Strachan, B. Silvagni, T. Wilson, P. Ahern

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Big W went into the match without key backs Nick Coughlan and Nathan Cooper and then had skipper Michael Sodomaco withdraw just moments before the bounce due to hamstring tightness. His replacement was Aidan Johnson who after just completing a running session was handed a surprise debut. With a decent breeze favouring the city end of the ground, the home team made the most of their decision to kick in that direction as they opened up a 31-point lead at quarter time after dominating the opening stanza following some early back and forth. Having been held scoreless for the more than 30 minutes, Werribee final got on the board when Logan Wagener, playing in his first match for the club since debuting at Box Hill in Round 4, snapped truly shortly before the break.

Despite the early deficit it was far from panic stations for Werribee and they made the perfect start to the second term with Hudson Garoni goaling after the first minute. But two misses followed and when the Bullants quickly added back-to-back goals the margin was back out to 35 points, 12 minutes in. Garoni would be the one to reply for Werribee with consecutive goals himself before another run of behinds by the visitors had the scoreboard reading 4.7 to 7.8. Nick Hayes added ou fifth major deep in the quarter but it wouldn’t be the final score as tempers flared after a late injury to a Bullants player with the hosts converting from a free kick with the final possesion of the half.

With Matt Lobbe dominating in the ruck, Matt Hanson, Tom Gribble and Dom Brew continued to win plenty of the footy in the centre square and around the ground in the third quarter but scoring was hard to come by. After four straight behinds for Werribee, Wylie Buzza calmly slotted what would be our loan major for the quarter, after 18 minutes of play. The goal reduced the margin to 10 points, but it didn’t stay there for long with the Bullants finding a quick reply through Jean-Luc Velissaris. Defenders Max Spencer, Lou Pinnuck and Ariek Lual did an outstanding job to limit the Bullants to a single behind over the final 10 minutes, winning back possession on multiple occasions, while Bior Malual's dash off halfback came without reward late as the Big W went into the last, 16 points down.

With one final role of the dice the goals came thick and fast for Werribee in the fourth quarter with Matt Hanson starting the procession. Shaun Mannagh was next on the board and when Connor Thar finished off the outside of his right boot from close range moments later, Werribee had the lead for the first time, nine minutes into the final term. Three more majors came over another five-minute period via Ryan Pendlebury, who followed up his own hack forward with a classy running goal, and then Buzza and Mannagh again, which all but guaranteed the Big W the points. The result and Werribee's fifth win of the season was confirmed by young debutant Noah Gribble who was mobbed by teammates after kicking the final goal of the game. Gribble, the younger brother of standout midfielder Tom, finished with 11 disposals and two tackles in his first taste of VFL footy.

KEY PLAYERS
Tom Gribble: 35 disposals at 83% efficiency, 9 clearances, 9 tackles, 6 inside 50s, 6 rebound 50s, 4 score assists.
Matt Hanson: 31 disposals at 81% efficiency, 16 handball receives, 8 clearances, 6 inside 50s, 5 tackles, 1 goal.
Dom Brew: 21 disposals, 15 contested possessions, 10 tackles, 8 clearances, 7 inside 50s
Hudson Garoni: 18 disposals (15 kicks), 10 marks (4 contested), 4 tackles, score 3.6
Matt Lobbe: 16 disposals, 7 marks (1 contested), 49 hit-outs, 5 clearances, 4 tackles, 3 rebound 50s
Wylie Buzza: 15 disposals, 11 contested possesions, 6 marks (3 contested) 9 hit-outs, 4 tackles, 2 goals

NEXT MATCH
Werribee vs Geelong
Date & Time TBC
Avalon Airport Oval

Each year the Werribee Football Club welcomes a new crop of young men, most of them joining us straight out of the NAB League or after relocating from the country for a crack at state-league footy.

New stipulation that VFL clubs must field six players under the age of 22 each week also means that lists, now more than ever, are likely to include a great number of players that fit that age bracket.

With more than one-third of the Werribee playing list for 2021 made up of personnel 22 and under the club has introduced a player development program for predominately its first to third year players. 

The program is designed to bring players up to speed with life at VFL level from a preparation and performance viewpoint while also support individuals with endeavours outside of football.

Football Development Manager Hamish MacInnes said whether players are with Werribee for one season or the majority of their football careers it was important that the club support them both on and off the field.

“It’s providing our younger players with all the learning and understanding to help them not just in their football preparation and performance preparation but also to be able to go away and create good personal habits, mental health strategies and professional habits,” he said.

Development program sessions have taken place both at the club and over zoom this season and have included on-field craft sessions, education in strength and conditioning and nutrition, along with personal and professional development workshops.

“Essentially, we’re aiming to provide our younger players with really good support networks in terms of upskilling them with everything from their on-field craft to recovery, strength and conditioning and nutrition for on-field performance while also focusing on their personal and professional development whether that be work or university," MacInnes said.

"In setting up this program we're hopefully giving them the best opportunities to be the best footballers they can be at this level and hopefully beyond that, as well as providing them with an opportunity to leave our program a better equipped person than when they came in.”

MacInnes said the program tried to mimic those that are provided by AFL clubs across the country.

“You see it at the elite level where clubs want to provide more resources for your younger players to really give them the best opportunity to excel,” he said.

“If you look at the senior players on our list like Sodomaco, Gribble, Hanson and those guys, they know what there are doing and it’s low maintenance with them, we can trust that the time they have away from the club they are doing everything that they need to get themselves ready to play.

“Even in the case of someone like Jake Ricardi who entered the AFL from Werribee and who potentially goes on to have a really successful AFL career, it eventually comes to an end and when it does you’ve got the rest of your life ahead of you."

With the club having quality resources at its disposal in terms of fulltime, part-time and volunteer staff, MacInnes said the program also sets Werribee apart from others at the second-tier level.

“We have an incredible group of volunteers and staff in the football department who have a huge amount of experience and knowledge in all areas so it’s important to utilise what we have to offer,” he said.

“And with the time these guys commit to the club we look at it from the point that we owe these players something.  

"Other people their age who are at uni have got time to go out and do internships in their field, but these guys commit their extra time to the club so the least we can do is give back with a platform to help them develop as players and as people.”