Werribee gave young star Sam Wormald the best possible present for playing his 100th game in the yellow and black on Saturday.
A 67-point thrashing of Sandringham continued the Tigers’ strong start to its VFL season, a flyer contributed to strongly by the talented half-forward.
The Tigers were dominant from the opening bounce, kicking eight goals in the first quarter to build a 46-point lead.
Although the Zebras were able to fight back in the second term, Werribee still went into the half-time break with a 35-point advantage.
The Tigers produced some great footy after the break to pull away.
A six-goal-to-zero third term put an exclamation point on Werribee’s dominance, sealing the 18.18 (126) to 8.11 (59) win.
But for the Tigers, the victory was about more than just the four points. The milestone game was also a motivator and triumph for the Tigers and their young star.
After serving his TAC Cup football apprenticeship with the Geelong Falcons, Wormald signed with Werribee for the 2006 season. Tigers chief executive Mark Penaluna remembers being shocked that the now- 100-gamer wasn’t picked up by an AFL club in the 2005 draft.
“We were surprised that he wasn’t at least rookie-listed at the end of 2005 after being captain of our TAC Cup partner, the Geelong Falcons,” Penaluna said.
“Sam was rightfully disappointed in not being selected, but after a meeting with Sam and his wonderful parents, John and Lyn, we were able to secure his services.”
Wormald has been a stand-out for Werribee throughout the past eight seasons and has played in most of the club’s biggest wins.
The 26-year-old was named among the Tigers’ best players in his milestone game.
Looking back on his career, Wormald said there had been plenty of highlights.
“Playing my first game is always memorable,” he said. “We got the win and I was able to snag a goal with my first kick. The opportunity to play in so many finals series is also a highlight of mine. It’s what you play all year for, but to get yourself in that position and to come agonisingly close on a couple of occasions hurts also.”
Werribee will look to continue its good run when it takes on Richmond at Avalon Airport Oval this Saturday.
