Steven King opens up on reason behind his sudden collapse at training on the eve of Geelong’s preliminary final against Brisbane

Geelong coach Steven King has spoken for the first time since suffering a worrying “medical episode” during training on the eve of the Cats’ preliminary final against Brisbane.

The 45-year-old was attended to 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 cleared by medical professionals after spending a night in the hospital.

Cats players were brought inside after the incident, with Chris Scott stating it was not a life-threatening situation.

King, who was also heavily touted to succeed Adam Simpson as the next permanent coach of the West Coast Eagles, has since spoken out about the incident, claiming he was ‘a bit embarrassed’ before declaring it was ‘scary’ to be rushed to hospital. .

‘I’m a bit ashamed, to be honest. I just cooked my own meal in the altitude chamber and used a Wattbike [Geelong CEO] Steve Hocking in the morning at 4000 meters above sea level, skipped breakfast, had a long black… and little sleep after flying in from Perth the night before, just cooked myself,” King explained to AFL Trade Radio.

King said he was “a little embarrassed by the event” and added that being taken to hospital in an ambulance was “terrifying”

‘[I was] Rushed to the hospital, it was probably a little scarier than it was. All tests came back fine.

‘I now have to realize that I’m closer to fifty than forty and have to be a bit more sensible with the way I train and not destroy myself every day.’

He added, “I think in the altitude chamber you can starve yourself a little bit of oxygen… my sleep in the week leading up to the west coast trip was minimal at best. The one thing I don’t compromise on most days is training, I probably just need to be a bit smarter.’

King was subsequently absent from the MCG for the preliminary final, admitting that he had watched the match from his sofa with ‘Champion Data on his computer’ and had exchanged texts with Andrew Mackie during the match.

“I declared myself fit to go, but because Geelong is a quality organisation, they looked after my welfare first and foremost,” he said.

“(Watching from home) was honestly the two hardest hours of the year.”

The Cats would miss out on a place in the showpiece by ten points, with Lions duo Brendan Ah Chee and Cam Rayner scoring two goals in the final five minutes of the match.

King, meanwhile, was included as one of the final three coaches shortlisted for the West Coast job, alongside 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 senior coach one day down the line.

Cats players were brought inside after the incident, with Chris Scott (centre) stating it was not a life-threatening situation

King was subsequently absent from the MCG for the preliminary final, admitting he watched the match from his sofa with ‘Champion Data on his computer’.

‘I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Andrew. He is a good friend of mine, a fantastic hire from West Coast,” King said.

“To be honest, I was really happy to be invited to apply for the process. It was the first time I put myself in that situation, and I learned a lot about myself.

‘From that point of view it has been a very valuable process for me and I know that I will be a better coach because of this experience.

“I wouldn’t change anything the way I did, obviously they saw Andrew as a better fit and I’m sure he’ll do great there.

“I’m in no rush (to leave Geelong). I think the right opportunity will come along later.”