It’s the dawn of a new era on Saturday, as North Melbourne officially kicks off its single alignment with Werribee in Round 1 of VFL action.
Windy Hill plays host to the Tigers’ clash against Essendon, with a big contingent of Kangaroos’ listed-players set to be in action.
WHO: Essendon v Werribee
WHERE AND WHEN: Windy Hill, Saturday, April 9, 12pm AEST
COVERAGE: NMFC on Twitter | Werribee FC on Twitter | Match reports and highlights post-game on NMFC.com.au
TICKETS: Available at gate - Adults $10, Concession/Children under 15/Pensioners $5 (Half-price for NMFC members)
SUMMARY:
After falling in the first round of the finals last year, Werribee will look for further improvement under a single alignment with the Kangaroos.
Essendon, meanwhile, made it to a Preliminary Final in 2015, going down to Williamstown by 12 points.
The Bombers won two out of three practice matches.
THE MEN IN CHARGE:
Werribee - John Lamont
The name John Lamont will be familiar to North fans, having been a Development Coach at Arden Street between 2007-2013.
Lamont joined Werribee ahead of the 2014 season, and has led the Tigers to successive finals campaigns.
John Lamont has coached Werribee since 2014.
Essendon - Matthew Egan
The Bombers appointed Matthew Egan as their VFL coach at the end of 2015.
Egan enjoyed valuable experienced, standing in as Essendon’s senior coach following James Hird’s resignation last year.
A re-shuffle under new coach John Worsfold sees him heading up the Bombers’ VFL side and the club’s player development.
THE TEAMS:
Essendon
B Ferry Freezer A Francis
HB Heppell Grima McNiece
C Eades Polkinghorne Edwards
HF Coghlan Grimley Laverde
F Redman Langford Long
R Nyuon Hams Bird
Int Dobson Simpkin Thompson McKenna Heavyside Dornauf Peart Michael
23P El Moussall
Werribee
B Hibberd Wilson Macmillan
HB Sodomaco Hansen McKenzie
C Mullett Mountford Gibson
HF Wood Brown Turner
F Nahas Durdin Wagner
R Daw Dumont Garner
Int Sherlock Speight McKay Clarke Fordham Conway Meredith Hanson Laracy Ray Black McFarlane
23P Barrack
Squad to be trimmed following release of final AFL teams.
Sam Durdin is set for his third game back after a long-term lay-off through injury.
THE AFL CONTINGENT:
Werribee
From a North perspective, fans will be looking forward to seeing the club’s 2015 draftees in action.
Mitch Hibberd, Declan Mountford, Corey Wagner, Ryan Clarke and Ben McKay have all been named in the Werribee side.
In attack, the coaches will get another look at the Roos’ top 2014 pick, Sam Durdin, while the likes of Mason Wood, Kayne Turner and Will Fordham all boast significant VFL experience.
It will be a case of moving into unfamiliar territory for Robin Nahas and Aaron Black and possibly Aaron Mullett, who were affiliated with North Ballarat previously.
Essendon
The sight of Nathan Grima in an Essendon jumper could take some getting used to, but his former teammates will be rapt to see him out on the park again.
A job on the likes of Majak Daw, McKay or Durdin could be on the cards for the former Roo.
Former Hawks Jonathan Simpkin and Sam Grimley will roam through the midfield and forward half respectively, while the Bombers’ second pick in last year’s draft, Aaron Francis, has been named down back.
Sudanese-born rookie Gach Nyuon has been named in the ruck opposite Daw.
Nathan Grima will line up against his former teammates.
THE VFL CONTINGENT (WERRIBEE):
While Werribee will enjoy a strong influx of AFL talent, it has maintained plenty of its best players from the 2015 campaign.
Jake Wilson
A key-defender, Wilson made a leap forward in 2015, frequently named in the bests.
He earned an invite to last month’s state combine, indicating he is on the radar of AFL recruiters.
Michael Sodomaco
The Werribee captain for 2016, Sodomaco is in his sixth season at the club.
The 24-year-old, standing at 174cm, can play through the midfield and as a small defender.
Ben Speight
Speight should already be well known to Kangaroos’ fans. The midfielder was selected by North Melbourne in the 2009 Rookie Draft, staying at Arden Street until the end of 2013.
He stayed at Werribee after being delisted by North, becoming one of the Tigers’ most valuable players.
Ben Speight was a Kangaroo for five years.
Scott Sherlock
A Werribee fan as a kid, Sherlock has been at the Tigers since 2010.
Part of the five-man leadership group (also featuring Matt Hanson, Ben Speight and Jake Sharp), Sherlock’s versatility means he can play as a defender or in the midfield, after starting his career primarily as a lock-down defender.
Isaac Conway
A former Brisbane Lion, Conway is spending his second season at Werribee.
Brisbane selected Conway in the 2013 Rookie Draft before the Queenslander headed south to join up with the Tigers.
Matt Hanson
Hanson made an immediate impact in his first season at Werribee in 2015.
A hard running midfielder, Hanson was named in the VFL team of the year after playing all 19 matches for the season, averaging 23 disposals a game.
Matt Hanson was Werribee's best and fairest winner in 2015.
