After two seasons leading Werribee’s medical team, head physiotherapist Shea Mulkearns will depart the club to take on a new role with an AFL-aligned program. Shea becomes the latest member of Werribee’s staff to step up to the next level of elite sport, continuing the club’s strong track record of developing talent both on and off the field.

Mulkearns joined Werribee ahead of the 2023 season and has led the club’s medical team over the past two years, playing a key role in the team’s journey to the Grand Final in 2023 and its premiership win in 2024. Under his guidance, Werribee used just 36 players each season—the second fewest in the competition, and down from 41 in 2022. Reflecting on his time at Werribee, Shea said “Werribee welcomed me with open arms and I will be forever grateful for the friendships, learnings and support I received from top to bottom at the club.” He added, “The club is truly a special place and I will look back on my time with a smile.”

Shea’s departure marks the sixth member of Werribee’s football department in the past year to transition into the elite sports environment, highlighting the club’s ability to develop its staff off the field, as well as its players on it.

Just last week, Development Manager Hamish MacInnes departed after six seasons to focus on his full-time position as North Melbourne’s Academies Head Coach. North Melbourne's Head of Strategic Operations and Projects, Nathan Hrovat, described Hamish’s work in game development at AFL Vic and the Werribee Football Club noting, “He will be a great asset to our club, supporting the delivery of academy programs in the region through participation and talent identification initiatives.” This enhances the strong reputation Werribee has built at AFL level in developing its staff and preparing them for the next level.

MacInnes joins Michael Barlow at North Melbourne. 

At the conclusion of the 2023 season, Barlow joined North Melbourne as their Head of Development, saying, “It’s a really significant opportunity for me—to step away from what I’m doing now was no easy decision.” Over three seasons as senior coach, Barlow led Werribee to a record-breaking 17-match win streak and a Grand Final appearance in 2023—a milestone 18 years in the making.

Reflecting on Barlow’s departure at the time, Werribee president Martin Carter said, "Our last two senior coaches have been headhunted by AFL clubs, which says a lot about the status of our club and our senior coaching position.”

Since joining the Roos, Barlow has earned further accolades, winning the 2024 AFL Coaches Association Development Coach of the Year award for his work with North Melbourne’s emerging talent.

Also departing since the end of the season was our Head Analyst Jacob Ellet, who moved interstate for a full-time role as Performance Analyst with Cricket Tasmania, working across all three formats, including for the Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League. Club Doctor Rebecca Beaton, who joined Werribee in 2019, has taken on the position of Chief Medical Officer with the Melbourne Storm (NRL).

High-Performance Manager Gaetano Faranda accepted the full-time role of Head of Strength and Conditioning at West Perth Football Club in the WAFL for the 2025 season.

Faranda reflected on the pivotal role the club played in his professional growth, saying, “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.”

While the club's recent success over the past two seasons has highlighted its ability to develop staff both on and off the field, these six individuals are added to the growing list of Werribee staff members who have gone on to make their mark in elite sport following their time with our club.

This includes psychologists like Jacqui Louder, who served as Werribee’s team psychologist from 2007 to 2011 and currently works across both AFL and NRL clubs, strength and conditioning coaches such as Cam Micallef, who worked with Werribee from 2011 to 2014 and is currently with Carlton, as is our former statistician Jack Noble, who now serves as Carlton’s Football Analyst. Additionally, operations staff like Sam Sargeant, who began his journey at Werribee, now works as Cricket Administration Coordinator for the Women’s BBL.

Werribee’s influence extends beyond Australian sport, with Johann Bilsborough, who served as the club's Fitness Coach in 2006, now working as a Director of Performance & Rehabilitation in the NFL. Bilsborough also previously worked as the High-Performance Manager and Director of Sports Science for the Boston Celtics in 2018.