GEELONG isconfident there will be a "seamless transition" when outgoingfootball manager Neil Balme hands the reins over to Steve Hocking.
Balme wasappointed as Collingwood's director of football on Monday, replacing new GoldCoast coach Rodney Eade, with the Magpies presenting him with an offer that wastoo difficult to pass up.
Balme, who wasa key figure in Geelong's sustained period of success from 2007-2014, is sureHocking has the right credentials to fill the role.
"When Ifirst came to this place, one of Brian's (CEO Brian Cook) instructions to mewas 'to make sure Steve Hocking can do your job pretty soon'," Balme said.
"I don'treckon we'll miss a beat, so in some ways it's a positive thing."
Hocking has hada long tenure at the Cats. He was lauded for the role he played as Balme'sright-hand man in the football department since 2007, before moving into thecommercial side of the business at the start of last season to broaden hisskills.
Many at Geelongbelieve Hocking will be the club's next CEO when Cook decides the time is rightto step aside.
Balme, whoserved as Collingwood's footy boss for eight seasons prior to starting atGeelong, will complete his final duties as Cats' football manager at theupcoming NAB AFL Draft.
"I'm finishingoff this job. This job still needs to be done for this year," Balme said.
"Ourpeople have got every faith in me representing Geelong over the next four weeksand I don't think there's any problem with that."
Balme remainedtight-lipped about the kinds of roles he will be expected to carry out at theMagpies, preferring to have those conversations when he begins in his new role.
However, hesaid the Magpies' "enormous potential" and the prospect of mentoringcoach Nathan Buckley – at an important stage of his coaching career – weremajor attractions.
"They(Collingwood) are a great club with enormous potential, there's no doubt aboutthat," Balme said.
"They'vedone some really hard work in looking at their list. They've had to have the changefrom an older group.
"They'vegone through that process, now it's just a matter of pulling that together.
"They're apowerhouse club and it'll be a great place to work."
Hocking saidGeelong also has its array of challenges as it strives towards adding anotherpremiership to the ones won in 2007, 2009 and 2011.
"There'salways challenges. You want to stay at the top of the competition – you want tobe in those top three or four clubs," Hocking said.
"The otherchallenge for us is our list. It's a young list and we need to make sure thesupport that Neil has built around the playing group is continued and that'ssomething I'll look to foster going forward."
Balme issatisfied with what he, and others, achieved in his time at Geelong.
"There's alot of people at Geelong who should be very proud of what happened, and I amone of them," Balme said.
"I'mreally proud of my involvement over the journey. It has been an extraordinaryeight years."
