AFL: New grandstand at GMHBA Stadium ready for round 1, says Geelong’s Steve Hocking

Geelong chief executive Steve Hocking has declared the new grandstand at GMHBA Stadium will be ready for fans by round 1, with the $142 million project finally completed after a 12-month delay.

Joel Selwood stand will be opened for round 1, 2024.

Geelong chief executive Steve Hocking has declared the new grandstand at GMHBA Stadium will be completed and ready for fans by round 1.

More than $140 million has been spent on the Joel Selwood Stand, increasing the official capacity of the stadium to 40,000 patrons.

But after a 12-month delay due to material issues, Hocking said on SEN he expected to see a packed and “raucous” crowd for the clash against St Kilda.

“It definitely is (ready for round 1), we are really excited about it,” he said.

“$142 million spent on it, it is the masterpiece of all the siblings that have been built here.

The new stand at Kardinia Park will be named after Joel Selwood. Picture: Alison Wynd

“Once everybody gets the opportunity round 1 against the Saints … they’re going to be blown away by the experience. It really is first class.

“We’re now open for business for everybody. Come down the freeway and experience a unique stadium.”

There has been no official word from the AFL about whether Geelong would now host finals matches after the league preferred the Cats to play home matches at the MCG.

Hocking refused to confirm on SEN that the club would officially request the option to host finals at GMHBA Stadium now the grandstand was completed, but he hoped the ground would be considered in the future.

“We’re just rapt that we’re going to have five Victorian teams down here, great to open up with the Saints, we will see the Hawks and also Richmond down here, along with North Melbourne and the Bulldogs,” he said.

“Sometime in the future the AFL may see it as potentially a venue to hold finals at. I think most of us would like it to be considered at some point in time.

“It’s a 40,000 seat stadium now, so certainly we’re looking to play as many games as we can down here and we’re just thrilled for our members to have access to state-of-the-art stadium in the region.

“I’m sure it’ll get pretty raucous there, but it’ll be great to have that level of energy and engagement at GMHBA Stadium.”

Young talls got ‘all the attributes’ wanted in AFL stars

Geelong coach Chris Scott is bullish about the club’s return to finals football in 2024 after a disappointing premiership hangover last year.

The Cats missed finals for the first time since 2015, having won just 10 games following a demotion job against Sydney on grand final day.

Scott said the group was confident ahead of the season opener against St Kilda.

“We’ve been really conscious not to assume that that’s going to give us any added benefits, but it certainly has allowed us to get prepared in terms of post-season surgery and those sorts of things,” he said on SEN Breakfast.

“We feel confident that our preparation has been good, certainly better than last year which is all you can really do, compare yourself to where you were 12 months prior.

“That really tangible example of surgeries being done in late August as opposed to October and it doesn’t guarantee that because we’re in pretty good shape now that that will flow through into the season, we were going well this time last year, but then we lost a couple of defenders on the eve of the season which made it a challenge for us.

“I think you can focus too much on health and fitness and availability. It’s really about what you do from here and to execute on some of the shifts we’ve made.”

Scott had been impressed with Connor O’Sullivan, who was taken in the first round last year as a key defender but had been trialling on a wing.

“(O’Sullivan has) got all the attributes you like to see in a young player,” he said on SEN.

“He’s really enthusiastic … already you can see that he plays with that kind of feel for his teammates.

“He was clearly an influential player as a junior and playing as a key back, it stands you in good stead because you need to think about what’s happening up the field and have an influence in the way players up the field are defending.”

Another young tall, Toby Conway, had excited Scott in the pre-season after the ruck made his debut in the final round of the season in 2023.

“It’s exciting because he hasn’t had (a full pre-season) in his time at the club,” he said.

“In parts because of injury issues, but also because we’ve held him back a bit, which is our philosophy with younger players, but particularly the ones who have come in with injury concerns.

“Toby officially is measured at 207cm, we think he might be a little taller than that, but he’s a big man who has had lower limb issues, so it is incumbent on us to be careful with those.

“We’re optimistic about what he could do this year, but I’m much more excited about the 10 years after that.

“He should embrace a little bit of the pressure he’s probably feeling to perform. There’s no reason why he can’t come in and perform straight away.

“We’ve just got to balance that with what is possible long term.”

Originally published as AFL: New grandstand at GMHBA Stadium ready for round 1, says Geelong’s Steve Hocking