- Players’ preparations for preliminary final were shaken
- Coach set to take over at West Coast Eagles
- Will not be available for Geelong on Saturday
Geelong assistant coach Steven King has been released from hospital following Friday’s medical incident that left the AFL club’s players reeling.
King collapsed during training on the eve of the Cats’ preliminary final against Brisbane at the MCG.
The former Geelong captain, 45, was treated by club medical staff before being taken to hospital, where he spent the night.
The club confirmed on Saturday that Chris Scott’s right-hand man, one of the leading candidates to become West Coast’s next coach, has been given the green light to return home.
King will not be in the coaches’ box on Saturday for the blockbuster clash that will determine who advances to the grand final against Sydney.
Geelong Cats assistant coach Steven King has been discharged from hospital after a medical incident during training
The Cats players were shocked to see the coach collapse in front of their eyes as they prepared for their preliminary final against the Brisbane Lions
Head of Development Nigel Lappin and VFL coach Mark Corrigan will now join Scott in the penalty area.
“The club’s top priority is Steven’s health and support for his family,” said Cats football manager Andrew Mackie.
“We are glad he is now home and taking time to rest and recover.”
Scott described the incident on Friday as “quite confronting.”
“It’s annoying and it impacts the players,” Scott said.
“I don’t believe that you should act like nothing is happening with these things. What we need to do is just deal with where we are.
“Again, the feedback has been very positive, so we’ll do our best to focus on that.”
Geelong Cats coach Christ Scott speaks to general manager of football Andrew Mackie during the training session
King played 193 games for Geelong between 1996 and 2007, before moving to St Kilda, where he played in 47 games between 2008 and 2010.
During his career he scored 83 goals, won the 2007 championship with Geelong and was named to the All-Australian team in 2000.
King returned to Geelong as an assistant coach last October after two seasons with the Gold Coast Suns, where he served as interim coach for the final seven games of 2023 following the departure of Stuart Dew.
He also coached at St Kilda in 2011 and played for the Western Bulldogs for 10 years, contributing to their 2016 championship win.
He is currently one of the final candidates being considered to replace Adam Simpson as head coach of the Eagles.
King will be unavailable for the Cats in their grand qualifier on Saturday
“The West Coast Eagles are aware of a medical incident involving Geelong assistant coach and senior coaching candidate Steven King during the Cats’ training session,” the Eagles said in a statement.
“Our thoughts are with Steven, his family and the Geelong Football Club. Steven’s health is our priority and we wish him a speedy recovery.”
The club’s sentiments were shared by hundreds of football fans who sent King well wishes.
“Wishing Steven King and his family all the best during this challenging time. Our thoughts are with him and the Geelong Football Club,” one person posted.
“Hopefully he recovers and is back in Geelong as soon as possible, depending on the next coaching appointment, which could be him,” said one Eagles fan.
“Good to hear he’s doing well. Wishing him a speedy recovery and return to action soon,” wrote another.
