Werribee is undefeated to start the Peter Jackson VFL season and a lot of it has to do with how the Tigers are using the ball.
Like AFL counterpart North Melbourne, Werribee is moving the ball quickly and with fluency, and has the forward-line firepower to capitalise on the scoreboard once it enters the attacking arc.
The Tigers are the top-ranked team in the competition for disposals and goals per game in 2016, which is in stark contrast to last year when they ranked second-last for disposals and eighth for goals per game. Werribee’s 2015 campaign ended with defeat at the hands of Collingwood in an elimination final.
With the club embarking on a full alignment with the Kangaroos this season, senior coach John Lamont has taken one of the most exciting elements of the also-undefeated AFL team’s game plan and applied it to his own squad – his troops are now utilising the handball with devastating effect.
There was something particularly static in the way Werribee moved the ball last year, ranking a clear last for handballs per game. However, the Tigers rank equal-second in that category through their three games so far this year and their kick-to-handball ratio has decreased markedly from 1.75-to-1 in 2015 to 1.28-to-1 in 2016.
Despite only sending the ball inside 50 the eighth-most times per game of any team this season, this slick ball movement means Werribee ranks a clear first for goals scored per inside 50 entry.
Versatile AFL-listed talls Mason Wood (seven goals) and Aaron Black (six), as well as small forward Robin Nahas (seven) have been the main beneficiaries of work up-field by the likes of Matt Hanson, Isaac Conway and Scott Sherlock (the club’s top three for total handballs in 2016).
The Tigers illustrated the effectiveness of their game plan perfectly against Footscray at VU Whitten Oval last Saturday. While the Bulldogs generated 59 inside-50s, they could only manage 12 goals (an efficiency of 20 per cent). Werribee, though, scored 19 goals from 53 inside-50s at a rate of almost 36 per cent.
AFL fans would note the striking similarities to the manner of North Melbourne’s impressive victory over the Western Bulldogs the previous night.
See below the leading stats winners from Round 4:
| KICKS |
|
|
| Damian Mascitti |
Port Melbourne |
26 |
| David Mirra |
Box Hill Hawks |
22 |
| Jayden Short |
Richmond |
22 |
| Thomas Wilson |
Northern Blues |
21 |
| Viv Michie |
Casey Scorpions |
19 |
| Brent Macaffer |
Collingwood |
19 |
| Jordan Russell |
Footscray |
19 |
| Corey Buchan |
Frankston |
19 |
| Matthew Dick |
Northern Blues |
19 |
| Trent Dumont |
Werribee |
19 |
| Aaron Mullett |
Werribee |
19 |
| Farren Ray |
Werribee |
19 |
| Mason Wood |
Werribee |
19 |
| Travis Cloke |
Collingwood |
18 |
| Thomas O'Sullivan |
Port Melbourne |
18 |
| |
|
|
| HANDBALLS |
|
|
| Billy Stretch |
Casey Scorpions |
23 |
| Ben Jolley |
Williamstown |
22 |
| Clayton Oliver |
Casey Scorpions |
21 |
| Jack Trengove |
Casey Scorpions |
20 |
| Thomas O'Sullivan |
Port Melbourne |
18 |
| Jack Lonie |
Sandringham |
18 |
| Josh Dunkley |
Footscray |
18 |
| Lukas Webb |
Footscray |
18 |
| Mitch Honeychurch |
Footscray |
17 |
| Taylor Hunt |
Richmond |
17 |
| Tom Curren |
Sandringham |
16 |
| Jackson Merrett |
Essendon |
16 |
| Brenton Rees |
Geelong |
16 |
| Aaron Mullett |
Werribee |
15 |
| Toby Pinwill |
Port Melbourne |
15 |
| |
|
|
| MARKS |
|
|
| Julian Soccio |
Box Hill Hawks |
15 |
| David Mirra |
Box Hill Hawks |
11 |
| Matthew Dick |
Northern Blues |
10 |
| Nathan Grima |
Essendon |
10 |
| Dallas Willsmore |
Box Hill Hawks |
9 |
| Kade Stewart |
Box Hill Hawks |
9 |
| Farren Ray |
Werribee |
9 |
| Damian Mascitti |
Port Melbourne |
9 |
| Chris Jones |
Box Hill Hawks |
9 |
| Lachlan Langford |
Box Hill Hawks |
9 |
| Brodie Murdoch |
Sandringham |
9 |
| Lauchlan Dalgleish |
Footscray |
9 |
| Ben Griffiths |
Richmond |
9 |
| Thomas Gordon |
Box Hill Hawks |
9 |
| Jordan Kelly |
Collingwood |
8 |
| |
|
|
| HITOUTS |
|
|
| Nicholas Meese |
Williamstown |
71 |
| Mark Jamar |
Essendon |
44 |
| Khan Haretuku |
Port Melbourne |
40 |
| Will Minson |
Footscray |
32 |
| Cameron Wood |
Northern Blues |
31 |
| Michael Sikora |
Frankston |
31 |
| Tom Goodwin |
Coburg |
29 |
| Jack Fitzpatrick |
Box Hill Hawks |
27 |
| Ivan Soldo |
Richmond |
24 |
| Lachlan Howe |
Collingwood |
23 |
| Jake Spencer |
Casey Scorpions |
22 |
| Braydon Preuss |
Werribee |
21 |
| Mark Kovacevic |
Coburg |
20 |
| Lewis Pierce |
Sandringham |
19 |
| Sandy Robinson |
Geelong |
17 |
* Photo: Bruno Silverii
Last Modified on 04/05/2016 16:28
