Cattery talent leaks

TOMORROW is the last day of the AFL trade period.

There is likely to be the traditional 11th hour scramble. It warmed up yesterday. But overall it has been very quiet, indeed.

In fact, in recent times, a lot of the moving and shaking at our footy clubs has been going on at the management level.

Jeff Kennett has returned to Hawthorn as president.

The AFL, playing morality police, have booted two senior executives who it regarded as too amorous for the corporate environment.

That vacuum led to highly regarded Cats football manager Steve Hocking getting the AFL’s coveted second in charge role.

And now Cats commercial chief Justin Reeves is off to be the chief executive at Hawthorn — trading the company of eventempered Cats chief Brian Cook for that of mercurial Mr Kennett.

Some Geelong fans may see this as the ultimate act of betrayal — going to work for, of all things, the Cats’ biggest rival in the contemporary era: Hawthorn.

Geelong has long been a strong breeding ground of local talent who then go on to dominate competitions outside of our region as well as within it.

Just look at the contribution our local footballers make to the Women’s League even before the Cats’ women’s team starts in 2019.

At just one club — Melbourne — there are three of our local stars: Lily Mithen, Maddie Boyd and Richelle Cranston.

The Geelong Falcons have similarly long been regarded as among the top academies operating as a springboard to shuttle young talent into the big league.

Now it seems our expertise at picking, nurturing and ultimately exporting local sporting talent is extending to the boardroom with the departure of Hocking and Reeves.

This leaves the Cats with a new challenge: ensuring they can maintain their track record at identifying and developing industry leaders as they rebuild their corporate team.