Geelong assistant coach Steven King revealed that he “cooked myself in the altitude room” before a frightening collapse in front of the team, just a day before the Cats’ preliminary final.
King, who recently lost out on the West Coast senior coach position to Andrew McQualter, assured that the incident, likely due to dehydration, hasn’t raised any long-term health concerns.
Reflecting on the event, the former Geelong captain admitted feeling “a bit embarrassed” by the ordeal, which head coach Chris Scott acknowledged had affected the team in their 10-point loss to Brisbane.
“I just overdid it in the altitude room, doing a wattbike session with (Cats CEO) Steve Hocking in the morning, set at 4000m above sea level. I skipped breakfast, had a long black coffee, and after minimal sleep from a late flight from Perth, I just pushed myself too hard,” King told AFL Trade Radio on Tuesday.
“Rushed off to hospital, it was probably more alarming than it actually was, but all the tests came back fine. I just have to accept that I’m closer to 50 than 40 now,” King said. “I need to be a bit more sensible with my training and not push myself too hard every day.”
At 45, King explained that he ended up watching the preliminary final from his couch, with “Champion Data up on my computer,” while exchanging texts with list manager Andrew Mackie during the game.
“I declared myself fit to go, but Geelong, being the quality organisation they are, prioritized my well-being,” he added. “Watching from home was honestly the hardest two hours of the year.”
King, who took over as interim coach for Gold Coast in the final seven games of 2023 after Stuart Dew’s departure, said the experience “lit a fire” in him, and he remains committed to pursuing a senior coaching role despite missing out on the West Coast job to McQualter.
“I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Andrew. He’s a good mate of mine and a fantastic appointment for West Coast,” King said.
“Honestly, I was thrilled to be invited to go through the process. It was the first time I’ve put myself out there in that way, and I’ve learned a lot about myself.”
“From that perspective, it’s been a really valuable experience for me, and I know I’ll be a better coach because of it. I wouldn’t change a thing about how I approached it. They saw Andrew as the better fit, and I’m sure he’ll do a great job there.”
“I’m not in a hurry to leave Geelong. I think the right opportunity will come along in time.”