Geelong CEO Steve Hocking reveals phone seizure in AFL audit

Geelong Football Club chief executive Steve Hocking says the club has taken full responsibility for a series of breaches uncovered in a wide-ranging AFL audit that saw him hand over his mobile phone and laptop.

The investigation, which spanned six years of club operations, found the Cats had failed to properly disclose a number of third-party payments. While the breaches did not involve exceeding the total player payments cap or breaking rules around player movement, the club was fined $77,500 by the AFL this week.

Of that total, $40,000 is suspended pending further compliance, and Geelong will now operate under tighter restrictions for two years.

Speaking on SEN Breakfast, Mr Hocking said the investigation had been “one of the more trying things I have been through” and described the process as both intense and deeply scrutinised.

“There’s a feeling of letting people down. You don’t want to get caught up in these items,” he said.

“My phone and laptop were taken for four hours. They went through them with AI software. It was that intensive.”

Mr Hocking addressed speculation that Geelong had received favourable treatment due to existing relationships with AFL leadership, saying the club had been entirely transparent throughout the process.

“There will be people who think this is a cover-up because of my relationship with the AFL. It’s not the case. We handed ourselves in. We had to stand up and take responsibility,” he said.

He pointed to one example of a breach, where a player or staff member stays at a holiday house owned by a sponsor or associate of the club. If not declared, even a short stay is considered a soft cap violation.

“That’s classed as a breach because there is a value attached to that,” he said.

“All that has to happen is the player or staff member declares it at the end of the year. There is a grey area, but we have to be better at educating our people.”

Mr Hocking emphasised that while some may see the fine as light, the process had been exhaustive and the club had remained open and compliant from the beginning.

“They don’t understand how frugal we are. We identified this and took it seriously,” he said.

He also touched on recent off-field controversies, including the club’s Mad Monday celebrations, which drew criticism over inappropriate costumes. Mr Hocking confirmed an apology had been made to journalist Caroline Wilson.

“In regards to Bailey, we have absolutely welcomed what he has done on field,” he said.

“When you come off-field, the interest in him is unbelievable. It’s not about tiptoeing around someone like Bailey, but more about tailoring it accordingly.”

“There’s always barnacles on the boat. If you end up with too many, it only goes one way. We have to remove some of those.”

Geelong now turns its focus to education and internal review as it works to meet new compliance standards across its football department.