Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

September is footy finals time in Victoria, as we all know. We are very excited in the seat of Lalor as the footy finals come to a close in the WRFL.

We have the Wyndham Suns in both the seniors and the reserves grand finals in the WRFL this Saturday. On top of that, Werribee Districts are playing Point Cook in the grand final in division 1 at Avalon oval, Chirnside Park in Werribee, on Sunday. A big shout out to the Werribee Districts Football Club, where they have the under 18s, the reserves and the seniors playing off in a grand final. I'll be there on Sunday to watch Werribee Districts and Point Cook play in the grand final, barracking my heart out for Werribee Districts, running out in the black and yellow—the traditional colours of the area—against Point Cook, who were for some time in my electorate but are now proudly represented by the member for Gellibrand. I know that he, like me, wishes both teams well, but he will be barracking ferociously for Point Cook while I barrack for Werribee Districts.

In the VFL—this is the big game—Werribee are playing Brisbane in the preliminary final on Saturday at Avalon Oval—a home game for Werribee. This is an enormous event locally. I know that people will be flocking to Avalon Oval across Saturday and Sunday to see teams in the black and yellow run out and proudly represent our local area. I wish the Werribee Football Club well; I'll be there with them on Sunday.

Finally, it wouldn't be me talking about sport unless I found a netball team to support. The Werribee Centrals Football and Netball Club compete in the Geelong district football league. Our girls, the A Grade Werribee Centrals girls, are in the grand final again; everyone at home will understand when I say 'again' because they do so almost boringly by repetition. Having fought back in the preliminary final, the women's A-grade netball team will be playing East Geelong at the St Albans ground in Geelong at 3 pm.

Local sport plays a great role in Victoria. People coming together to play sport and the people who come to support them such as the volunteers, all those people who give up their hours, from the runners to the trainers to the coaches to the people selling the hotdogs in the stalls—I'll see you all this weekend because footy finals is coming not just to Victoria but to Werribee. Go, Tiges!