Geelong assistant coach Steven King taken to hospital after collapsing at training

Chris Scott says Geelong is dealing with a “quite confronting” scenario after its preliminary final preparations were rocked when assistant coach Steven King collapsed at training.

Steven King during his time coaching at Gold Coast. Picture: Jason McCawley/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

Geelong assistant coach Steven King has been taken to hospital after collapsing at training, just over 24 hours before the Cats play in a preliminary final against the Brisbane Lions.

Cats players and staff were at GMHBA Stadium for a captain’s run, leading into the preliminary final, and King suffered a medical episode and collapsed.

Geelong coach Chris Scott said he wasn’t present at the time King was treated but said he had been told the 2007 premiership hero was “conscious, talking and breathing normally’.

The Cats are confident the incident was not life threatening.

“We’re just trying to stay calm and priortise the right things which for us are to ensure we do everything we can to support Steven,” Scott said.

“I don’t want to say too much that might not be accurate. I think it’s reasonable at the moment, even before we’ve had the chance to speak to Steven directly, for us to priortise his health.

Steven King. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos

“It would be irresponsible for us to even consider him to be around over the next 24 hours or so.

“In these situations it does reinforce that there is the right thing that supersedes football. I suspect if he is feeling good, he will be disappointed to hear that news.

“Even if he isn’t feeling great, he’ll be disappointed because he is a competitor.

“Even at this pointy end of the season, it reinforces to us what the right thing is over lesser priorities.”

Players were taken off the ground as a result of King’s episode and remained inside for around 20 minutes.

“It is upsetting and it does impact the players. I don’t take the view of these things that you’ve got to pretend something isn’t happening,” Scott said.

“What we’ve got to do is deal with where we are.

“It is quite confronting. Our club, we’ve had similar sorts of episodes to this. Our experience is you’ve just got to deal with the situation as it presents.

“We think that if we’re guided by the philosophy of just making sure we can do everything we can for Steven and his family then it’s likely we’ll make good decisions.

“In these situations, any football priority comes second.”

King and Cameron Mooney celebrate Geelong’s 2007 premiership.

Steven King is in Perth to meet with @WestCoastEagles coaching selection panel. Hit-and-run mission, back to Vic for Cats prelim on Saturday.

Fellow contenders Hayden Skipworth and Andrew McQualter will do the same in coming days.

— Ryan Daniels (@FootyRhino) September 18, 2024

King joined the Cats as a senior assistant coach for the 2024 season and this week returned from Perth having met with West Coast about its vacant senior coaching role.

“He has been working pretty hard and it is a pretty stressful situation to be at this point of the season,” Scott said.

“There is a bit of stress and excitement about the prospect he could be facing over in Perth.

“I’ve only known him for 12 months but he’s a very resilient character. I’m confident he’ll bounce back.”

The Eagles said in a statement: “The West Coast Eagles are aware of a medical episode involving Geelong assistant coach and Senior Coach candidate Steven King at the Cats’ training session this morning.

“Our thoughts are with Steven, his family and the Geelong Football Club. Steven’s health is the priority, and we wish him a speedy recovery.”

Ambulance Victoria confirmed paramedics were called just before 11am and a person was taken to Epworth hospital in Waurn Ponds.

Scott was due to speak to media at 11.30am but that was pushed back by 50 minutes.

King has looked after the Geelong midfield this year, having returned to the club after a stint coaching Gold Coast, which included as interim head coach at the end of 2023.

King, an All-Australian ruck, captained the Cats and played in the 2007 premiership in a distinguished career.