Football Manager Ash Collins spoke highly of the new appointments, saying, “The experience Sean and Tom bring is a great fit with the strong foundation laid by GT and Shea. We’re grateful for what they’ve built and are excited to have Sean and Tom step in to lead the strength-and-conditioning team moving forward.”

With Werribee’s list taking shape for the upcoming season, there’s exciting news on the ruck front with premiership big man Sam Conway and returning face Darcy Bennett re-signing for 2025. 

In addition to the re-signing of the two key ruckmen, the club is excited to welcome back former Werribee ruckman and AFL cult figure, Peter Street, to strengthen its coaching staff for the upcoming season.

Standing as the equal-tallest AFL player in history, Street played 78 games for Geelong and the Western Bulldogs from 2001 to 2008, and during the Bulldogs affiliation with Werribee, played 22 games with Werribee. 

Sam Conway enjoyed a career-best season in 2024 after missing the entirety of the season prior with a lower leg injury. The ruckman reclaimed the number one ruck mantle to play 16 games, a personal best tally at VFL level.

Making his return after his long layoff, Conway started 2024 as the team’s sole ruckman, squaring off against his brother at the opening bounce of the season, and was named among the best players in each of his first two games since the end of 2022.

A midseason stint with Uni Blacks in the VAFA followed Werribee’s disappointing ANZAC Day loss to Williamstown, but Conway returned in Round 13 with a dominant 32-hitout, 11-disposal performance. This started a run of three consecutive games being named in the best and saw Conway play out of the remainder of the season.

After two impressive finals, including Conway amassing a career–high 56 hitouts against Brisbane in the preliminary final, he faced the challenge of taking on Southport captain and VFL Team of the Year squad member Brayden Crossley in the Grand Final. In the second half, as Werribee rallied to a come-from-behind victory to break their 31-year premiership draught, Conway successfully curbed Crossley’s influence; “He’s probably the best ruckman in the league so I wasn’t going to win as many hitouts as usual” Conway said post-match, “Jimmy said I just had to quell his impact and I think I did that OK. He still got a fair few out, but I just had to compete and try my best.”

Reflecting on Conway’s importance, Football Manager Ash Collins said, “We're pumped to have Sticks back on board. Down by 3 goals at halftime in the Grand Final, he set the tone for the second half with his first contest after the break. He is really important to our mix in contests and stoppages."

Darcy Bennett returned to Werribee for his second stint ahead of the 2024 season, having previously spent three years on the list from 2019 to 2021. In 2019, the ruckman played eight games, averaging 20 hitouts per match, which attracted him AFL interest and put him on the radar of AFL clubs.

Bennett's last state league appearance was in the SANFL, where he joined Werribee teammate Jack Henderson at Sturt during Victoria's COVID lockdown in 2020 and played seven games for the Double Blues.

After a two-year break from football, Bennett impressed during the 2024 pre-season. However, his momentum was halted by a hamstring injury in the final practice match against the Bulldogs—a game where he had already kicked two goals by half-time. The setback sidelined the ruckman for the first half of the season. Bennett did manage to make his way back onto the field, playing six local-level games with Banyule in the Northern Football Netball League.

“Darcy is an untapped gem,” Collins said. “We’re excited to get some continuity into his body and training loads. He set himself up well last year, and we can’t wait for him to do it again.”

As pre-season training returns for the 2025 season, Werribee's playing list continues to take shape, with the club thrilled to announce that premiership forward Angus Hicks has re-signed for the upcoming VFL season.

The 25-year-old forward joined Werribee last season from Richmond’s VFL program and made an immediate impact, both on and off the field.

Before making his club debut, Hicks was inducted into the leadership group for the 2024 season, having made the switch to Werribee after serving as Richmond’s vice-captain in 2023; “I was in the leadership group at Richmond but I wasn’t expecting that”, Hicks said prior to the season.

“It’s pretty humbling that everyone decided they wanted me in the group. There are so many great leaders.”

Although his pre-season preparations were interrupted by injury, Hicks made his Werribee debut in Round 2. In a thrilling encounter against Southport, he kicked the winning goal, converting a clutch set-shot after winning a holding-the-ball free kick inside 50, and securing a three-point victory for Werribee.

A best-on-ground performance against Williamstown on ANZAC Day kickstarted a standout stretch of form between Rounds 5 and 8, where he averaged 20 disposals and over two goals goals per game.

As Hicks played his 14th game of the season in Round 18 against Port Melbourne, he also marked his 50th VFL game, a milestone seven years in the making for the forward.

Despite suffering an injury in the dying stages of Werribee’s Round 19 loss that threatened to sideline him for the finals, Hicks worked his way back to recover in time for the Grand Final, and was the sole inclusion for the premiership decider. The experienced forward played a pivotal role in the team’s draught-breaking victory, being the third-highest rated player on the ground after half-time as Werribee mounted their second half comeback.

Finishing his first year at the club as a premiership player, Hicks capped off the Grand Final winning season with career-highs in goals and disposals, booting 14 goals and averaging 16 touches in his 16 games for 2024.

Football Manager Ash Collins spoke on the significance of Hicks’ leadership and experience for the 2025 campaign, stating; “Having one of our leaders like Angus back with the group is huge. He's really experienced at this level, and with the likes of Nick Hayes, Nathan Cooper, and Nick Coughlan departing, he'll play an important role in leading our team in 2025."

The Werribee Football Club is proud to confirm our long-standing partnership with Melbourne Avalon Airport will continue until at least the end of 2027.

Having recently become known as Melbourne Avalon Airport, the facility offers travellers a convenient and time-efficient service through pocket-friendly airfares. As its slogan says, it’s flying made easy.

With significant growth over the past decade, the airport has become the first choice destination for many local Geelong and Wyndham residents, for both domestic and international travel.

Having commenced its support of the club in 2011, Werribee’s traditional Chirnside Park home has since become known as Avalon Airport Oval.

This recent rebrand means the venue will be known as Melbourne Avalon Airport Oval from 2025.

Werribee FC CEO Mark Penaluna says “Melbourne Avalon Airport continue to be a wonderful partner of the Werribee Football Club.”

“It’s always been clear to us that both our club and the airport are very much aligned in terms of being at the forefront of the local community and nurturing excellence in all areas of our organisations.”

“We can’t thank Ari and the rest of the Melbourne Avalon Airport team enough for their ongoing support of the club, and we’re excited to be able to continue the success of our partnership.”

Ari Suss, Acting CEO of Melbourne Avalon Airport, is thrilled to continue the partnership.

“This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to supporting local communities, nurturing talent, and fostering growth in the region,” he says.

“We are invested in the success of the region and we are proud to contribute to the Werribee Tigers’ success. Together, we are building a lasting legacy of excellence both on and off the field.”

In 2025, We’re Going Again … Are You? Purchase your Werribee FC membership HERE.