SEASON PREVIEW: ST VINCENT’S PRIVATE HOSPITAL WERRIBEE SENIOR WOMEN
The St Vincent’s Private Hospital Werribee Senior Women’s competition is set to start with a bang this weekend and it kicks off this Friday night with a clash between a recent power and a club making its return to the competition.
Women’s footy expert Kel Rowe sat down with some of the stars of the competition recently to chat all things preseason buzz and the excitement of the season ahead.
Werrribee Centrals v Laverton Magpies
Friday 10th April, Galvin Park | 7:30pm
The newly reformed Laverton women’s side will be back on the field for their first game this Friday night, kicking off the round when they meet Werribee Centrals under lights at Galvin Park. The Magpies rebuild has been one of excitement and strong recruiting, with a list build that draws on the strength of local players and country footy experience.
Summer Farley is no stranger to the black and white, having been the team’s leading goal kicker in 2023, before the side bowed out of the competition. She’s back in 2026, keen to crack in. “Fitness has been our priority and just getting used to each other,” Farley said of the fledgling side’s preparation for the season. “We’ve got a lot of girls coming down from Bendigo, and we’ve all just been trying to get around each other.”
Laverton’s big recruiting drive began earlier this year, signing a number of players from country footy, including former VFLW player Shae Murphy, whose footy resume boasts time at both the Geelong Cats and Williamstown Seagulls. Farley notes that the experience brought by Murphy and others, including crafty small forward Molly Pianta, along with the guidance of coach Tony Joffre, are all wins for the new group. “It’s going to be very different,” Farley reflected, when looking ahead to the current season, compared to her 2023 outing with Laverton. “As a team, we are keen to get used to each other and have a bit of success. Hopefully we are in that top four.”
Standing in the way of that first taste of success is Laverton’s opening round opponent, competition stalwart Werribee Centrals. The Centrals had a strong season in 2025 but suffered a shock elimination during finals at the hands of finals higher flyers Yarraville Seddon. The off-season then saw some longtime Centurions move to rival clubs and the team forced to consolidate their losses.
Centrals teammates Madi Cronin (full forward) and Taylah Rose (backline) both agree that the change has been a positive one — with player movement allowing for others to step up and take their opportunities. “Our team has done really well to adjust, we’ve got players who can definitely fill those roles,” Cronin said.
Rose echoed this sentiment, stating the team has responded strongly, “Even though we are missing those players, heaps of us have stepped up.” Amongst those players, Rose recognises the preseason efforts of youngster Chloe Caley, in particular. “Chloe has been phenomenal, she’s been playing for the Seniors for a little while, but [this season] her skills and confidence have come a long way,” Rose said.
Both Laverton and Werribee Centrals will be itching to collect the four premiership points to start their respective campaigns — and what better way to do it, under the spotlight in a cracking Friday night footy fixture.
Point Cook Centrals v West Footscray
Saturday 11th April, Windorah Way Reserve | 10:00am
These two sides are no strangers to a close, contested game — and after finishing with a draw in BOTH of their 2025 clashes — the Sharks and the Roosters are eager to break the stalemate.
After coming back into the competition last year and leveraging the youth and exuberance of their Under 18 girl’s list to bolster the senior women’s side, Point Cook Centrals are keen to keep the momentum going. Sharks teammates Emma Davis and Page Tyrrell are particularly excited to see many of those U18s girls graduate into senior footy and agree that preseason has been all about ensuring that their footy is built on a foundation of connection and fun.
“We really focused on connection and having fun playing our footy. Obviously you want to keep pushing to be your best, but I think we’ve had [that focus], because that’s when we play our best footy, when we’re having fun,” Davis said of their preseason. “It’s built a foundation at training, we’re all training together, and have a lot more numbers,” added Tyrrell.
Both Davis and Tyrrell are excited for the new competition structure — featuring ten teams (including two new women’s sides) and a split finals structure — noting that it means the teams of the competition will get more opportunities to play footy in 2026. But for now, the two Sharks teammates have their sights firmly set on the Round 1 clash with West Footscray. “We’ve had such close games, always ending in draws, it’s good competition,” Davis said. Tyrrell agrees — the two sides are “very even in skill set, it’s always a great game day.”
Former junior Shark turned Rooster, Zara Harnden shares the same enthusiasm for this heated rivalry, particularly because it sees her match up on old friends and her younger sister, Sabine. “I love playing against my old team, we’re all friends, I love competing out there against them,” she said. Harnden however, was quick to assert that the draw curse will be broken, with the Roosters taking home the points.
As the runner-up best and fairest for West Footscray in 2025, Harnden is confident her side will perform consistently across the season. “We’ve had a lot of injuries to our leadership team [last year], so trying to fill those roles and really work on communication and voice has been an area of focus,” she said. “I’ve always wanted our team to make finals, that’s been a big goal of mine, and I think we have a pretty good chance of getting there.”
The Roosters have retained the leadership of Senior Coach Shane Windridge, along with their core group coming into 2026, but have also welcomed plenty of new faces to the squad. Harnden highlighted recruit Hayley McPhillips as a new player who has impressed in the run up to the Round 1.
Like her teammates, Harnden is ready to take on the challenge of the season ahead, name dropping Laverton as another opponent she looks forward to meeting (“They’re a bit of an unknown, and it will feel like I’m playing Collingwood”). Most of all, she’s keen for her side to continue “building as a team and to remain as competitive as we are in the first quarter, to the last.”
Who takes the points on Saturday is anyone’s guess. Will it be the Roosters or will it be the Sharks who finally come away with all four points when these two teams meet.
North Footscray v Caroline Springs
Saturday 11th April, Hansen Reserve | 10:00am
The brand-new North Footscray women’s team will run out for the first time at Hansen Reserve on Saturday as they take on Caroline Springs in Round 1, last year’s St Vincent’s Private Hospital Werribee Senior Women’s premiers although this seasons Lakers side will be a vastly different one then in 2026.
Renee Bonnici, one of North Footscray’s midfielders, is optimistic about how her new side has come together in the run up to the season. “It will be difficult for a new team to come in, definitely a big challenge for us this year,” she said. “We are new, so [the focus] is just gelling together as a new team. Even though a lot of us have played together, we are just looking to come out and have fun.” Bonnici also acknowledged that the new two division finals structure offers teams more footy to help build that connection. “We don’t get as much footy as the men, so this [new finals structure] will give us more of a chance.”
The Devils now also have a leader at the helm — one well-versed in building a team from the ground up — with Lisa Borg signing on as the inaugural Senior Women’s coach. Borg has an extensive footy resume that includes 200 senior games, two premierships and over 10 years of coaching. Bonnici said the team are “keen to get out there, have fun and play as a team” and Borg looks primed to build on that.
Like the new coach leading their opposition, Caroline Springs comes into the season armed with plenty of fresh footy perspective and experience. After fielding two teams in 2025 – their first team in the WFNL and a second team in the EDFL Women’s Reserves competition – those teams have essentially switched places this season. Lining up in the WFNL in 2026 will be the team that played in the EDFL Women’s Reserves last year whilst Caroline Springs’ 2025 premiership side will take up the challenge of the EDFL Women’s Premier Division.
The Lakers will also leverage the strong women and girl’s pathways at the club, with midfielder Lauren D’Lima reflecting that one-club culture was a strong focus of their preseason block. “We’ve been working with our U19s — we have a lot of them coming through into the seniors — so we’ve been promoting that one club culture and training together. Really pushing each other and trying to create community,” she said.
D’Lima has been impressed by the tenacity of the U19 girls who are pushing to make it into a senior side, along with the efforts of returning player Stacey Clohesy. “She’s been working really hard this preseason, I think she’s going to have a really exciting year,” D’Lima said.
As they approach Round 1, D’Lima is confident that the Lakers’ preparation has equipped the side for a strong start, with the midfielder reflecting that the emphasis was firmly on positivity this year. “[We’ll be] lifting each other up — some new challenges are going to come our way this year, so it will be about being there for one another, everyone putting in 100% and we’ll get the results that we want.”
Whilst the Devils appear well set up for future success, thanks to club investment in a decorated women’s coach and a firm commitment to the Women and Girls Charter — it will be the footy that must do talking come April 11, especially in the face of a tough and experienced opponent such as Caroline Springs.
Yarraville Seddon v Parkside Spurs
Saturday 11th April, Yarraville Oval | 10:00am
Round 1 will also treat fans to the first finals rematch of the year, between the Eagles and the Spurs, with the Parkside outfit looking for retribution after their 2025 preliminary final loss.
Whilst familiar, the scene looks slightly different for Yarraville Seddon back-woman Layna Porter, whose side has a new look and a new coach coming into 2026. The club signed Andre Pocilujko as the new Senior Women’s coach in the offseason, and after initially planning to field two sides in two divisions, the playing groups have combined to form a singular women’s squad.
To make the numbers for two sides, the club leaned heavily on social media, a strategy Porter says has played a large part in the new faces who have come into the side. “We’re coming into a new playing group, a new coach and learning new structures, whilst building on the fundamentals and developing the group,” Porter reflected.
In addition to the refresh at the Eagles, Porter believes that the absence of the dominant senior Caroline Springs side in 2026 will open up opportunities for other teams in the competition and for new rivalries to emerge. “The league is developing, it’s seeing growth. I’m really looking forward to seeing what these new teams will provide,” she said. One rivalry in particular that is set to light up Round 1, is last year’s preliminary final rematch between Porter’s Eagles and the Parkside. “I think coming into that rivalry, with the Spurs, we’re really excited,” Porter said. “It was one point in the dying seconds, we’re ready.”
On the other side of the fence, Parkside captain Jess Byrnes is equally motivated by that one-point defeat, even if the memory of it is a touch painful for her side. “We were pretty disappointed with how 2025 ended for us, we had a lot more potential to go further,” Byrnes recalled. In spite of the disappointment, Byrnes laughs about “not going too hard too early” this year and is very gracious in her assessment of the Spurs’ Round 1 opponents. “We always really like playing Yarraville Seddon, I think we match up with them quite well and have had really good hit-outs. They are always really strong and fair.”
Over the past few years, in lieu of having their own junior pathway, Parkside have built a relationship with junior club Ascot Vale Panthers. This has seen some of the more skilled juniors crack into the team to play with their senior counterparts. Byrnes has been particularly impressed by the youngsters this preseason, noting that uninterrupted pathways are paying off. “It’s really exciting, seeing them come through, the fact that they have had the opportunity to play footy since 5 or 6 years old is really showing. Some of these girls are outstanding.”
With the season in sight and numbers bolstered, Byrnes is simply keen for her side to lock in and perform well. “I’d love to say we want to win the premiership and finish as number one at the end of the season, but it think it’s actually finishing without disappointment.”
This Round 1 match-up is not one to miss and will likely set the standard for the season at large. Get down to Yarraville Oval on Saturday morning, or catch the replay and highlights on Sportscast and the WFNL YouTube.
Wyndhamvale v Suns
Saturday 11th April, Wyndhamvale South Reserve | 3:00pm
The final matchup for Round 1 of the St Vincent’s Private Hospital Werribee Senior Women’s competition will see Wyndhamvale host the Suns, with the Falcons keen to impress with the new, elite recruits in their side.
Already boasting some solid playmakers, Wyndhamvale looks to have found the missing pieces of their puzzle, thanks to some strong off-season recruiting. The 2026 season will see former Centurion Larissa Renaut return to her junior club, accompanied by 2024 League Best and Fairest Jessica Spall. The two should slot right into their new lineup, making a clear statement that the Falcons are pushing for silverware this season.
Wyndhamvale players Harper Sell and Elise Gladman echoed the excitement that their new teammates have brought to the club and reveled in the fact they are no longer lining up as their opposition. “I’m really excited to play with the Centrals girls who have come over, I’m so used to them being on the other team, smashing us,” laughed Gladman.
It’s not just the new additions that have energised the Falcons side ahead of the new season, with Sell suggesting their team preparation has also had a telling influence. “We’ve done 16 weeks of preseason, lots of fitness before Christmas, and now obviously getting into game-day stuff. It’s been really good,” Sell said. “The team have really improved over the last 12 months, the passion is definitely there.”
Passion is also in the mix for their Round 1 opponents, the Wyndham Suns, led by coach Leanne Meyer for the third year running. Suns backline player Jesse Dempster reflected that Meyer has welcomed plenty of new faces over the summer, so connection has been a strong preseason theme. “We’ve got a lot of new girls this season, so it’s been about getting to know each other and our footy,” Dempster said.
On the new teams entering the competition in 2026, Dempster was enthusiastic, noting that the Suns “are excited to experience new teams and new faces” And like most of her opponents, she agreed that the structure and makeup of the season would present a more closely competitive environment. An environment the Suns will likely thrive in — with Dempster noting that she and her teammates are simply “working hard, to better our performance from last year.”
Wyndhamvale and the Suns meet last in Round 1, but their matchup is by no means the least. New energy is running hot, vibes are high and the Falcons are ready to fly. But will they fly too close to the Suns? Find out Saturday, from 3:00pm.
View the full 2026 fixture and get live scores, results and ladders HERE