Dom Brew wins Werribee's best and fairest after being named in VFL team of the year

The former Albury junior has just been crowned Werribee's best and fairest, polling 233 votes to finish 14 clear of a red-hot Shaun Mannagh.

It comes after Brew was named in the VFL Team of the Year for the first time.

He averaged 25.8 disposals, 15.3 contested possessions and 7.9 clearances per game, all career-highs, and topped the league stats with 176 tackles.

Brew, who is one of Werribee's vice-captains, again nominated North Albury as his second club this year having most recently played for the Hoppers in 2022.

But this year was all about the Tigers, where he played 21 matches and was named in Werribee's best on 14 occasions.

"I've loved it," Brew said.

"It's been good, especially with the VFL being as hard as it is for stand-along clubs to even compete with AFL clubs.

"To win 17 games in a row and make the grand final with a bunch of part-timers, compared to full-timers, is just unbelievable.

"There's a good core of boys that have stuck fat for a long period of time.

"I've been there seven years now and there's probably 12 of us that have been about six-plus and then we've added some really good quality players along the way, good younger kids coming out of the TAC Cup.

"The culture around the joint is unbelievable."

Brew helped Werribee to second place on the ladder and all the way into the VFL grand final, where they eventually lost to Gold Coast by 17.10 (112) to 14.9 (93).

"It was actually pretty cool," Brew smiled.

"There was about 8000 people there in the end and it was a fantastic experience.

"I'm absolutely gutted we didn't get the result but I've got some lifelong mates there who I'll never forget playing there with.

"Making the grand final is pretty big.

"I think everyone dreams of winning the grand final and I'd like to say it was the best moment in my career but we lost, so it's a tough one.

"But that's right up there, it's probably the top, playing in a grand final - not the result but just to be there was pretty cool."

But while the VFL had his full focus in 2023, Brew and several of his team-mates took a keen interest in what was happening back in the Ovens and Murray.

"My mates, who I grew up with, are all back home, and Mum and Dad still live back home with the rest of my extended family," Brew said.

"Now that footy season's over, I head up home as much as possible.

"I always keep close tabs on the North boys and all my other mates who play seniors around the comp.

"There are quite a lot of boys at Werribee from Albury-Wodonga and even a few other Bushies boys so we're always talking crap in the sheds about who's winning and who's losing."

Watching North Albury's improvement from afar put a huge smile on Brew's face.

"It's so good," he said.

"I'm in love with the club so to see them doing so well is really good, especially with Timmy (Broomhead) at the helm now, who's got the club's best interests at heart.

"He's got the boys firing and that goes down to blokes like Mick Minogue doing the recruiting behind the scenes and Tony Burns the president.

"A couple of my mates who don't play footy are on the board and they love putting in, Oscar and Blake Escott and Lincoln Smart so the club's going in a good direction."

So can we expect to see Brew back in the Hoppers guernsey any time soon?

"Just missing out on the ultimate reward down here is probably going to keep me down for a year or so but hopefully I get back for a few games next season," he said.

"I'd love to do that because I've got some of my best mates in the world that still play at North so any chance to go and have a kick with them would be fantastic."

ALSO IN SPORT

Brew reflected that his decision to pursue a career in the VFL was one of the best he's ever made.

"Moving down to Melbourne all those years ago, when I didn't know anyone and only having the football club was a huge decision," Brew said.

"I left home at 19, went down to Melbourne, moved in with another fella that had moved all the way from Wagga, Charlie, and there was a couple of other boys there at the time, one of my best mates, Brydan Hodgson, and Jake Sharp, so there was a couple of other local boys from the area which made it a bit easier but it was still a big decision.

"It does test you but wanting to play footy at the highest level I can possibly play at was the goal and to do that and to enjoy doing it has been well worth it."

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