Werribee high performance manager Gaetano Faranda will ditch the yellow and black for the Big V during the AFL’s Gather Round.
A Victorian Football League representative side is set to take on a South Australian National Football League rep side at some point over the Gather Round weekend which takes place from April 4-7.
Faranda has been selected as part of the VFL side’s high performance team, with the experienced operator entering his sixth season working with clubs in the league. This year will be his second at Chirnside Park following previous stints at both Williamstown and Box Hill.
Being the first time since 2017 the Big V has been donned, Faranda said he is excited for the opportunity.
“As someone who’s been following football, playing football and been around football for all his life, it’s pretty big,” he said.
“It’s pretty exciting being able to represent Victoria for this match.”
Adding to the excitement is the match being played during Adelaide’s footy festival which began last season and is set for its second instalment for the AFL’s round four fixtures.
The VFL will have a bye that round to allow all players selected to play.
“I didn’t go last year (to Gather Round), but I know a lot of people who attended and they said it was a different experience,” he said.
“That’s coming from AFL players, AFL coaches, it’s just an amazing, spectacular round put together by the AFL so it’s going to be great to be a part of it.”
While Faranda’s excitement is building for the much anticipated clash, first there is business to be taken care of at Werribee. With a pre-season still to wrap up and two big games set before the competition wide bye.
Werribee will kick off its season on March 23 with a clash against Geelong, down the highway at GMHBA stadium.
“We can’t wait to get started,” he said. “Last year was a great first season, I don’t think as a performance team, especially how new we were, could expect the results that we had.
“Player availability can really dictate a club’s success, if you’ve got your best players available for more of the season you’re more likely to get the wins on the board.
“The way the team is shaping and the way the list is shaping, we just want to see how we go round one and we’re pretty confident that the boys are going to hold up and have another great season.”
This off season has seen plenty of list turnover at the club, which has provided more challenges and opportunities for Faranda and his team.
However, he said all signs are pointing to a fit and firing round one squad and a big campaign once again.
“It’s shaping pretty well, there’s been a lot of turnover in the list which has been well documented,” he said.
“There’s a few boys who we’re getting to know who we had to monitor and modify their training loads so they can adapt to the demands of not just VFL footy but to the demands of the way the Werribee Football Club is programmed.”
