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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Of that total, $40,000 is suspended pending further compliance, and Geelong will now operate under tighter restrictions for two years.<\/p>\n
Speaking on SEN Breakfast, Mr Hocking said the investigation had been \u201cone of the more trying things I have been through\u201d and described the process as both intense and deeply scrutinised.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a feeling of letting people down. You don\u2019t want to get caught up in these items,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy phone and laptop were taken for four hours. They went through them with AI software. It was that intensive.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere will be people who think this is a cover-up because of my relationship with the AFL. It\u2019s not the case. We handed ourselves in. We had to stand up and take responsibility,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s classed as a breach because there is a value attached to that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey don\u2019t understand how frugal we are. We identified this and took it seriously,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He also touched on recent off-field controversies, including the club\u2019s Mad Monday celebrations, which drew criticism over inappropriate costumes. Mr Hocking confirmed an apology had been made to journalist Caroline Wilson.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn regards to Bailey, we have absolutely welcomed what he has done on field,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you come off-field, the interest in him is unbelievable. It\u2019s not about tiptoeing around someone like Bailey, but more about tailoring it accordingly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s always barnacles on the boat. If you end up with too many, it only goes one way. We have to remove some of those.\u201d<\/p>\n
Geelong now turns its focus to education and internal review as it works to meet new compliance standards across its football department.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 […]<\/p>\n