‘HOCK’ WAS AT CLUB’S HEART
operations, Hocking has been credited with adding highpowered muscle to the club’s women’s footy vision, for customising the internal designs of the new Brownlow Stand to make sure every square inch of floorspace fitted the needs of the football department, for adapting the training program to give players more work-life balance.
As one player said yesterday, he “cut out a heap of the crap” so players could focus on playing and training.
His style is to speak to everyone involved, hear points of view and make a decision. Words like honesty, integrity and professional have been used to describe his model of work.
In footy clubs, the best decisions are not always the most popular, like when he is part of the team telling players their time is up. They’re not all exclusively Hocking’s calls mind you, but he is the one often firing the bullets.
From running a picture framing business, Hocking returned to the club in 2004 as chairman of selectors, then moved into a newly established football department role in 2006 that evolved into being Neil Balme’s right-hand man.
Before Hocking, there had been a lack of connectedness between departments. He provided the gel. Balme and Hocking went on to form a powerful partnership, with Hocking acting as the conduit between the playing, coaching, fitness, medical and conditioning departments.
“He had a great ability to bring every department together,” Mooney said.