Scott greatness

Simonds Stadium rather than eight or nine is partly to blame for the shortfall, and getting out of pokies has also impacted the bottom line.

But the club’s new hospitality ventures at Simonds Stadium, including the new Charles and Co Cafe, have battled teething issues and have not been as popular as the Cats had hoped.

Cook said the club had overstaffed the department and now had to scale back after profits were down on what had been budgeted.

“We thought we would be able to ramp up our food and beverage quicker with our new function rooms and the cafe, but we haven’t rightsized it yet,” Cook said. “It’s still a bit big, we had a lot of people upfront, but we’re a bit too big, so we’ve cut back a bit.

“It’s been a tricky financial year. We’re just hoping we can stabilise a bit. We want to grow, but we also want to make sure it’s a steady growth and not a chaotic growth.”

Geelong also has not finalised its lease with the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust about the use of Simonds Stadium.

“Honestly, we’re still early days with that,” Cook said.

Cook anticipates the club’s rent will increase — “the issue is how much”. Usage fees at the stadium have hit the headlines since the Trust took over management of the ground from City of Greater Geelong.

Last month, AFL Barwon threatened to move the opening two weeks of the GFL finals away from Simonds Stadium because the costs were much higher than under the previous deal with council, which was subsidised through sponsorship.

It took State Government involvement for the parties to reach an agreement to play the entire series at Simonds.

Geelong is confident, but largely in the dark, about its chances of being awarded an AFLW team when the competition expands for the 2019 season.

The AFL Commission met in Geelong late last month but has delayed an announcement on expansion. Geelong has made four submissions to the league over the past 18 months.

The cornerstone of the Cats’ argument is what they have done for women’s football, not what they plan or hope to do.

Central to their case is the establishment of their VFLW side, the growth of girls’ football in Geelong, their ability to attract talent from rival sports, in-principle sponsorship commitments and a promise to invest the resource needed to make the team flourish. HE Cats are hopeful director of coaching Simon Lloyd will remain at the club next year despite being one of the most regarded assistant coaches in the game.

Scott’s right-hand man is contracted for next year and the club is not preparing to lose him, though his name continues to be linked with Gold Coast as a possible candidate for its vacant senior coaching position.

“We’d hope Simon is still with us next year and we would work hard to make sure he is,” Cook said.

“He’s been outstanding this year with the player leadership group and the assistant coaches, managing those guys, helping Chris Scott and our desire is for that to continue.

“There’s always the possibility that you’ll get approached for a better option — more pay and all those things — and of course we don’t stand in the way of those opportunities.”

The Cats were not planning on losing football manager Steve Hocking either before the AFL made an approach and ultimately decided he was the man to take charge of the wideranging and intensely challenging football operations role.

“I’d love to say to you it’s business as usual, but that’s probably playing it down a bit,” Cook said of the imminent departure of Hocking.

Hocking and his team had already started planning the training program for next year. He is across the Gary Ablett trade scenarios. From the contract situation of Steven Motlop to the injury management of Joel Selwood, to the tribunal fate of Patrick Dangerfield and the nitty gritty of governance and logistics, his portfolio is vast.

The Cats will look internally and externally for the role. Early contenders include former Geelong captain Ben Graham, currently the football boss at the Western Bulldogs.

Simon Lethlean, the man whose job Hocking is taking after Lethlean resigned in the wake of the affair scandal, is also seen in the industry as someone who could seamlessly fill the role at club land.

Lethlean is said to have strong links to Scott, which could help open doors at the Cats, but Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs may also have roles for him.

Cook said Hocking’s combination of honesty, common sense, integrity and ability to make tough calls were key traits.

“He’s one of those guys who wasn’t blessed with a lot of natural talent, he worked hard, really hard to get to where he is,” Cook said.

“Personally, I love leaders who are character-driven, who don’t fall in love with talent too quickly, who wait to see how the whole package comes through. Hock is one of those guys.

“It’s not just the brilliant or the naturally gifted who become your best players, or best leaders. I like the dour backman who develops. I think they shape your culture a bit more than the entertaining, hot-and-cold people.

“If I could have 20 leaders similar in the organisation (to Hocking), I’d take them any day of the week, even if we were a little colourless and boring at times. I’d rather be perceived as boring from the outside and be successful on the field.

“Give me the Lonergans, the Selwoods, the Harleys any day. He’s one of those.”