Richard Graves is joined by Brendan Fahrner, formerly Head of Sports Science at the South Sydney Rabbitohs, and previously a long-serving performance staff member at Richmond Football Club during one of the most successful periods in AFL history.

Across a career spanning AFL and NRL, Brendan has worked inside premiership-winning programs, navigated the evolution of GPS and performance analytics, and seen firsthand how elite sport has shifted from data accumulation to data translation.

In this conversation, he strips back the noise around technology and shares why soft skills, trust, and clarity of message ultimately drive performance outcomes. From simplifying GPS dashboards to building credibility with senior coaches, Brendan offers a grounded, practical perspective on what actually moves the needle in team sport.

He also speaks candidly about practitioner burnout, self-worth, and why sustainability in high performance careers is just as important as physical robustness in athletes.

This episode will resonate with sports scientists, S&C coaches, performance managers and aspiring practitioners looking to build impact in elite environments.

In this episode you will learn

• Why high performance is more about relationships than periodisation
• How to build trust quickly when entering a new club environment
• The importance of simplifying data for coaches and athletes
• How to align performance metrics with a coach’s game model
• Why most GPS reports contain too much irrelevant data
• How to identify the few variables that truly influence coach perception
• Practical strategies for athlete-centric monitoring in squad settings
• The crossover principles between AFL and NRL performance environments
• How to translate analytics into language players understand
• Why self-care and professional boundaries matter in elite sport
• The importance of valuing yourself as a practitioner

About Brendan Fahrner
Brendan Fahrner is a high performance practitioner with extensive experience in elite Australian sport.
He began his career in the early adoption phase of GPS in the AFL, working with Richmond and later Geelong during a period of sustained premiership success. He spent the majority of his career at Richmond Football Club, contributing to three premiership titles and multiple finals campaigns.
Most recently, Brendan worked in the NRL with the South Sydney Rabbitohs, applying performance principles across codes and leading athlete monitoring and sports science integration within rugby league.
He has developed a strong reputation for simplifying complex performance data, building trust with athletes and coaches, and creating athlete-centred systems in high-pressure team environments.

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In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• What it takes to transition successfully from professional sport to life after competition
• How to find identity and purpose once the playing days are over
• The emotional and psychological challenges of retirement, and how to handle them
• The importance of structure, support networks, and mindset for post-career success
• Lessons from sport that translate directly into leadership and team performance in business
• Why maintaining community, health, and balance is vital for long-term wellbeing ** About David Mead** David Mead is a former NRL and Super League player who represented Papua New Guinea, the Gold Coast Titans, Brisbane Broncos, and Catalan Dragons over a decorated 16-year career. Since retiring, David has become a business owner and performance coach, working with corporate and sporting organisations to instil the values of courage, respect, and accountability.

SIGN UP NOW: https://bit.ly/SFSepisode241

• ​ Learn Quicker & More Effectively
• ​ Optimise Your Athletes' Recovery
• ​ Position Yourself As An Expert To Your Athletes And Naturally Improve Buy-In
• ​ Reduce Your Athletes' Injury Ratese
• ​ Save 100's Of Dollars A Year That Would Otherwise Be Spent On Books, Courses And More
• ​ Improve Your Athletes' Performance
• ​ Advance Forward In Your Career, Allowing You To Earn More Money And Work With Elite-Level Athletes
• ​ Save Yourself The Stress & Worry Of Constantly Trying To Stay Up-To-Date With Sports Science Research

With over 15 years in high-performance sport, Nathan shares his unique journey from the pathways of Australian rugby league to the courts of the NBA, and now back to the NRL. The conversation dives deep into velocity-based training (VBT), practical insights into using data in elite environments, and the importance of education and context when applying technology in sport.
Whether you’re a coach, sports scientist, or performance professional, this episode is packed with actionable takeaways and thought-provoking discussions about how to truly leverage tech and data to improve athlete performance.

What you’ll learn in this episode

• How Nathan transitioned from rugby league to the NBA and back, and what he learned in the process
• The real-world application of velocity-based training (VBT) in different sports, from basketball to rugby league
• Why context and interpretation matter more than the tech itself
• Lessons from managing high-performance environments through challenges like COVID and condensed seasons
• How to educate and upskill coaches to make better, data-driven decisions
• Emerging trends in VBT and where the technology is headed
• Insights into Nathan’s upcoming VBT course with Science for Sport, designed to help coaches apply these principles in their own environments

About Nathan Spencer
Nathan Spencer is an experienced Strength & Power Coach with a global career spanning rugby league, basketball, and elite sport. He has:
Worked with NRL clubs, the NBL, and spent four years with the Orlando Magic in the NBA
A Master’s in High Performance Sport and a current PhD candidate researching coach mentorships
A passion for educating and upskilling coaches, helping practitioners make better, context-driven decisions in their environments

SIGN UP NOW: https://bit.ly/SFSepisode241

• ​ Learn Quicker & More Effectively
• ​ Optimise Your Athletes' Recovery
• ​ Position Yourself As An Expert To Your Athletes And Naturally Improve Buy-In
• ​ Reduce Your Athletes' Injury Ratese
• ​ Save 100's Of Dollars A Year That Would Otherwise Be Spent On Books, Courses And More
• ​ Improve Your Athletes' Performance
• ​ Advance Forward In Your Career, Allowing You To Earn More Money And Work With Elite-Level Athletes
• ​ Save Yourself The Stress & Worry Of Constantly Trying To Stay Up-To-Date With Sports Science Research

Specifically Lachlan will be looking at:

• How much individualisation is important
• What are limiting factors for individualisation
• Individualisation in team vs private settings

About Lachlan:

"I am currently director of a facility here in Sydney Australia called Athletes Authority which is a private facility for athletes only, whether that’s development, amateur or pro athletes. My background was initially as a personal trainer back in the day, so came out of the Fitness First ranks. Worked for the GWS Giants for 8 years as the Strength & Power coach, and then moved over to the dark side to the NRL with the Paramatta Eels where I was head of performance there for a couple of years, before I moved into the private sector, with the current facility expanding at a rate we didn’t plan on, but it’s been very good. So I jumped on board with our co-owner Carl, and here we are!"

https://athletesauthority.com.au/

Instagram:
@perforamancecoach_wilmot
@athletesauthority

Twitter:
@lachlan_wilmot
@athletesauthority

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FLEX by GymAware

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To learn more about force plates and Hawkin Dynamics, check out their blog which is full of educational and practical blog posts.

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