WHEN Hudson Garoni decided to call time on his VFL career at the end of 2025, Werribee didn't need to hit the panic button.

For 12 months, Brady Wright — who had been kicking bags of goals with Darley — had been working alongside Garoni to become the ready-made replacement inside forward 50m for the 2026 season.

Following the same path as his mentor, Wright kicked a goal with his first kick in Werribee colours when the pair lined up in Round 1 of the 2025 season against Southport.

Since then, their careers have followed similar trajectories.

“Playing alongside Hudson Garoni in 2025 was a great learning experience,” Wright told VFL.com.au.

“I learned a lot from watching him. He's a very smart player in terms of his running and leading patterns. Watching the way he trained and played really helped my development, particularly in understanding where to run, where to lead and, most importantly, the timing of those leads.”

Garoni vividly recalled the Darley product being part of Werribee's pre-season leading into the opening round.

“Brady came in pretty raw in his first pre-season and had no guarantees of playing right away,” Garoni said.

“After a few practice games, it was clear he had all the attributes and natural ability to be a great key forward. He was a sponge in his first year, and I loved playing with him and seeing him develop.

“He's such an unselfish player who always puts the team first and, although he doesn't say a whole lot, his actions on the field and his training standards do.”

The duo worked in tandem throughout 2025, with Wright absorbing as much knowledge as he could from the man who topped the Tigers for four consecutive years and knows the ups and downs of the VFL better than most.

“One piece of advice from Hudson that has stuck with me is that a forward's game can change very quickly, so it's important to stay positive and confident regardless of how the game is going,” Wright said.

Twenty-one games into Garoni's VFL career, he had slotted 36 goals. Wright has now kicked 33 goals in the same timeframe.

This season, he's averaging 2.7 goals per game — a figure bettered only by Brodie McLaughlin (29 goals at 3.6 per game) and new Collingwood recruit Mitch Podhajski (30 goals at an average of 3.3).

By comparison, McLaughlin — a two-time Frosty Miller Medallist — had 31 goals to his name after 21 matches, while Podhajski, who entered the VFL as a swingman, had kicked 18.

Wright has surged up the Frosty Miller Medal leaderboard over the past five weeks and now sits inside the top 10. He has an uncanny ability to kick goals in quick succession and give Werribee ascendancy in contests.

He kicked three goals against Williamstown (Round 5), Port Melbourne (Round 6) and Tasmania (Round 7), with all nine coming before half-time. A fortnight later against Collingwood, he added another three-goal haul.

Wright produced the best performance of his career to date at Windy Hill last weekend.

He slotted four of his six goals in a seven-and-a-half-minute burst during the third quarter, taking his season tally to 19 majors while maintaining an impressive accuracy rate of 75 per cent in front of goal.

“Kicking consecutive goals has been a trend for me this year,” Wright said.

“I think it comes down to confidence.

“If you ask any forward, as soon as you've had a good moment or kicked one early, your confidence goes through the roof. From my perspective, you get into a flow state where everything becomes natural.”

There's been wholesale change at Werribee since its drought-breaking premiership in 2024.

Much of that change has come through players being elevated to AFL level and fulfilling their dream of playing in the big league, with Melbourne Avalon Airport Oval becoming a bona fide football factory.

Sam Clohesy and Shaun Mannagh were drafted from the 2023 grand final side, while coach Michael Barlow was hired by North Melbourne.

From the 2024 premiership team, Jack Henderson, Aidan Johnson, Zac Banch, Riley Bice and Flynn Young were all elevated to AFL lists. Twelve months later, premiership coach Jimmy Allan headed to St Kilda.

New coach Dan Lowther has had to settle the side under a new game plan, one that took the opening month of the season to fully implement. A 1-2 start heading into the Gather Round bye had Lowther searching for answers.

Since then, he has placed a greater focus on Ajang Kuol Mun in the ruck and Wright as the focal point in the forward line. The side is now more settled and has a better understanding of each other's roles with every passing week.

“I believe we are capable of going deep into finals this year,” Wright said.

“The key for us is maintaining consistency, playing our roles and sticking to our game plan each week. One of our biggest strengths is the depth across the list.

“We have players constantly pushing for selection, which gives the team confidence that if injuries occur or changes need to be made, there are quality players ready to step in and contribute.

“That depth will be a major factor if we want to make a deep finals run.”

With Tasmania entering the AFL, along with the opportunities presented by the Mid-Season Draft and Supplemental Selection Period (SSP), there's no reason Wright shouldn't dare to dream and follow in the footsteps of his Werribee counterparts.

“One hundred per cent, I still have the goal and ambition of making it onto an AFL list. It's been a dream for as long as I can remember, and I'm only 22, so I still have a lot of footy left in me,” Wright said.

“Right now, I'm just taking it game by game and focusing on being consistent and playing my role for the team so we have the best chance of not only making finals but making a deep finals run.”

Garoni could see those green shoots emerging in 2025, and in the early stages of 2026 they're beginning to blossom.

“I believe he can and should get a chance at the top level,” Garoni said.

“It's awesome seeing him take his game to a new level this year — perhaps all he needed was for me to bloody get out of there!

“I think he's only going to get better and still hasn't reached his full potential. Fingers crossed he keeps putting performances like the weekend together and continues putting his best foot forward.”

Werribee hosts Coburg this Saturday afternoon at Avalon Airport Oval, with the first bounce at 2:05pm. You can watch the match LIVE on AFL.com.au and the AFL Live Official App.