Geelong coach Steven King has spoken for the first time since suffering a worrying “medical episode” during a training session on the eve of the Cats’ preliminary final against Brisbane.
The 45-year-old was treated by paramedics and medical staff before being rushed to Epworth Hospital following the incident, which took place at GMHBA Stadium at 11am on Friday, September 20.
King was given the all-clear by medical professionals after spending the night in the hospital.
The Cats players were taken inside after the incident, while Chris Scott stated that it was not a life-threatening situation.
King, who had also been heavily touted to succeed Adam Simpson as the West Coast Eagles’ next permanent coach, has since spoken out about the incident, stating that he was “a bit embarrassed” before claiming that being rushed to hospital was “scary”. .
“I’m a bit embarrassed, to be honest. I just cooked in the altitude room, did a Wattbike with Steve Hocking (CEO of Geelong) in the morning at 4000m above sea level, skipped breakfast, took a long black… and I slept the least after flying from Perth on The night before I just got ready,” King told AFL Trade Radio.
Geelong coach Steven King has spoken for the first time since suffering a worrying “medical episode”.
King said he was “a little embarrassed by the episode” and added that it was “scary” to be rushed to hospital in an ambulance.
‘(I was) rushed to hospital, it was probably a little scarier than it was. All tests have turned out well.
“Now I have to realize that I’m closer to 50 than 40 and I have to be a little more sensible with the way I train and not destroy myself every day.”
He added: “I think in the altitude room you can deprive yourself of some oxygen… my sleep the week before going to the west coast was minimal at best. The only thing I don’t compromise on is most days is training, I probably just have to be a little smarter.
King was subsequently not present at the MCG for the preliminary final, admitting that he had watched the game from his sofa with “Champion Data on his computer” and exchanged text messages with Andrew Mackie during the match.
“I declared myself fit to go, but as Geelong is a quality organisation, they ensured my wellbeing first and foremost,” he said.
“(Watching it from home) was the hardest two hours of the year, to be honest.”
The Cats would miss out on securing a spot in the main event by a matter of 10 points, with Lions duo Brendan Ah Chee and Cam Rayner kicking two goals in the final five minutes of the contest.
Meanwhile, King was named as one of the final three coaches on the shortlist for the West Coast job, along with Hayden Skipworth and Andrew McQualter.
The latter was named the Eagles’ next permanent coach on Monday, and King took a moment to praise McQualter, before insisting he wants to become a senior coach one day.
The Cats players were taken inside after the incident, while Chris Scott (centre) stated that it was not a life-threatening situation.
King was subsequently not present at the MCG for the preliminary final, admitting that he had watched the match from his sofa with “Champion Data on his computer”.
‘I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Andrew. “He’s a good friend of mine, a fantastic appointment from the West Coast,” King said.
‘To be honest, I was thrilled to be invited to apply for the process. It was the first time I was exposed to that situation and I learned a lot about myself.
“From that point of view, it’s been a really valuable process for me and I know I’ll be a better coach because of this experience.”
“I wouldn’t change anything the way I did it, obviously they saw Andrew as a better option and I’m sure he’ll do a great job there.”
“’I’m in no hurry (to leave Geelong). “I think the right opportunity will present itself in the future.”