After two seasons as Werribee's high-performance manager, Gaetano Faranda will depart to continue his footballing journey interstate, taking up a new role with West Perth Football Club in the WAFL.

As announced on Saturday by West Perth Football Club, Faranda joins the Falcons as their Head of Strength and Conditioning for the 2025 season.

Faranda has six years of experience in the VFL system, previously spending time as the High-Performance Manager at Williamstown and the Head of Strength and Power at Box Hill.

Since arriving at Werribee ahead of the 2023 season, Faranda has led the club's high-performance team, which played a key role in the side reaching the Grand Final in 2023 and securing the premiership in 2024. Over his two seasons with Werribee, the club used just 36 players each year—the second fewest in the competition—down from 41 in 2022.

Reflecting on his time at the club, Faranda expressed his love and gratitude; “I will be forever grateful to the Werribee Football Club—the friendships I've made and the lessons I've learned over the past two years are invaluable, and this club has made me fall in love with footy again.”

As a Werribee local, the decision to leave his hometown club wasn’t easy for Faranda; “Being a local boy, it was a hard decision to leave Werribee, especially after the premiership. The players and staff make it such an enjoyable place to be.”

“However, after conversations with my partner, those close to me, and others in the industry, I knew it was time to make the leap, as full-time work in football is hard to find in such a competitive field."

Faranda's expertise was further recognised earlier this year when he was appointed high-performance manager of Smithy’s VFL representative team, when the ‘Big V’ returned to take on the SANFL during the AFL’s Gather Round. 

Upon this appointment, football manager Ash Collins Football manager Ash Collins praised Faranda’s work ethic and impact; “It's a testament to the dedication and hard work that GT has put in, and it's a great reflection of the positive direction our club is heading in.”