Round 18 Wrap: Coburg vs Werribee
Werribee recorded its greatest winning margin of the season, thumping Coburg by 86 points in the Towards Zero Round clash at Piranha Park on Sunday.
The result was Werribee’s third win on the trot which has elevated them into fifth spot on the VFL ladder with three rounds to play.
RESULT
Coburg: 3.0 4.1 5.4 6.6 (42)
Werribee: 6.2 8.6 13.7 19.14 (128)
GOALS
Coburg: M. Lentini 2, P. McEvoy, F. Carroll, M. Podhajski, R. Exon
Werribee: J. Riccardi 6, B. Malual 4, J. Henderson 3, D. Brew 2, K. Declase 2, M. Munro, J. Maishman
BEST
Coburg: J. Sandric, A. Swierzbiolek, M. Lentini, R. Exon, M. Baker, L. Whelan
Werribee: R. Hebron, J. Riccardi, B. Malual, M. Barlow, J. Henderson, N. Coughlan
HOW IT HAPPENED
Returning from injury, skipper Michael Sodomaco led the ‘Big W’ out in the number zero in support of the TAC Towards Zero Round.
Werribee jumped out of the blocks with the opening three goals of the match and finished the quarter strongly to make it a six-goal term to Coburg’s three.
The hosts stemmed Werribee’s scoring flow in the second quarter and headed into the main change 29 points adrift.
Werribee took control of the contest in the second half, banging on 11 goals to two – five in the third and six in the fourth to continue their high-scoring spree.
Teenage spearhead Jake Riccardi and excitement machine Bior Malual put in career-best displays, combining for ten majors.
Riccardi got off to a slow start, but came to life after quarter time, booting half a dozen in an eye-catching performance.
At the other end of the ground, Werribee’s defensive group were impenetrable, keeping Coburg to its second lowest score of the season.
Ryan Hebron was tasked with the big job on dangerous Coburg forward Sam Lowson, and kept him to zero touches, in what Mark Williams and his coaching panel rated as a best on ground performance.
KEY PLAYERS
Jake Riccardi: Six goals, 14 disposals, eight marks (three contested)
Bior Malual: Four goals, 20 disposals, seven marks
Tom Gribble: 34 disposals, 10 clearances, 10 inside-50s, six marks
Michael Barlow: 30 disposals, six clearances, four rebound-50s
NEXT WEEK
Werribee vs Box Hill
Saturday August 10
2pm at Avalon Airport Oval
AARON FETTER
Source: Werribee Football Club