Geelong assistant coach Steven King out of hospital after medical scare at training on Friday

Geelong assistant Steven King is out of hospital after a medical scare at training as the Cats prepare for a coaching rejig ahead of today’s preliminary final.

Geelong Cats assistant coach Steven King was rushed to hospital on Friday morning. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos

Geelong assistant coach Steven King is out of hospital following a medical episode on Friday morning at Kardinia Park, but he won’t be at the MCG for the crunch preliminary final.

In a statement from the club, King was “given the all clear by doctors” but won’t join the panel against Brisbane, with head of development Nigel Lappin and VFL coach Mark Corrigan to assist in the coaches box this evening.

Former Cat Shaun Higgins, who already has a match-day interchange role which involves working closely with King, will continue in that role.

Geelong football boss, Andrew Mackie, said King’s health was paramount.

“First and foremost the Club’s priority has been Steven’s health and providing support to his family,” he said.

“We are pleased he is now at home and taking some time to rest and recover.”

King, 45, collapsed in front of shocked players and staff at the club’s captains run on Friday.

Training was delayed and players were taken inside while paramedics treated the popular premiership-winning Cat.

AFL Grand Final 2007 Geelong v Port Adelaide at MCG Geelong 24.19.163 defeated Port Adelaide 6.6.44 Steven King holds the premiership cup aloft

They remained indoors for about 20 minutes.

Geelong coach Chris Scott called the incident “upsetting”, saying it had impacted his players ahead of the knockout final.

“I don’t take the view of these things that you’ve got to pretend something isn’t happening,” he said

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

A bumper crowd is expected at the MCG this afternoon as the Cats attempt to qualify for a second grand final in three seasons.

It would hand Scott the chance to win a third flag as coach after taking over from Mark Thompson in 2011.

EARLIER

Premiership-winning Cat and Geelong assistant coach Steven King was rushed to hospital after collapsing during the side’s training session at Kardinia Park on Friday.

The incident comes on the eve of the Cats preliminary final against Brisbane at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.

Geelong coach Chris Scott said he wasn’t present at the time King, 45, was treated but said he had been told the 2007 premiership hero was “conscious, talking and breathing normally’.

He was taken to the Epworth hospital in Waurn Ponds about 11am where he remains under observation.

The Cats were confident the situation was not life threatening.

“We’re just trying to stay calm and prioritise 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 prioritise his health.

“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 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 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.”

He was an interim senior coach at the Suns after the departure of Stuart Dew in 2023.

He played 240 senior matches following stints at Kardinia Park and St Kilda.

He was part of Geelong’s 2007 premiership-winning side.

Originally published as Geelong assistant coach Steven King out of hospital after medical scare at training on Friday