The days of AFL footballers juggling a 9-5 job and a footy career may be long gone but the boys at Simonds Stadium are far from lads of leisure.
The average AFL player’s salary is $265,000 a year, meaning the Cats don’t need to hold down an extra job. Unlike former Cats Liam Pickering (bank teller), John Barnes (council lawnmower), Neville Bruns (sports shoe salesman) and Garry ‘Buddha’ Hocking who changed his name to ‘Whiskas’ for a quick buck.
Geelong players spend around 50 hours a week at the club, honing their skills, studying their opponents and pumping iron. But the average AFL career is just four years, motivating most Cats to get their hands dirty in the workforce.
So what do the Cats get up to when they’re not kicking a footy?
WORKING CATS:
1. MITCH CLARK – Photographer
Mitch Clark is a talented artistic photographer capturing amazing black and white images of models and cityscapes. Clark has amassed more than 26,000 Instagram followers and is considering teaching photography workshops.
2. JOSH WALKER – Entrepreneur/Part-owner Frozen Yoghurt Chain
The Frozen Yoghurt industry has taken off and entrepreneurial Cat Josh Walker is making the most of it. Walker is a part-owner in Cooli-Yo Frozen Yoghurt which has 3 locations in Geelong and Melbourne.
3. TOM HAWKINS – Part-owner butchers
Having grown up on a cattle farm in country New South Wales, Tom Hawkins knows what good food and produce tastes like. So the big forward opened up a butcher’s shop with his uncle boasting gourmet deli foods, and specializing in lamb and beef.
4. CAMERON GUTHRIE – Part-time Ice Cream Scooper/University student
If you’re feeling like a sugar hit in Geelong head down to Cold Rock in Belmont because you just might find young midfielder Cam Guthrie mashing up a mars bar into your choc-mint ice-cream. Guthrie says, “Sometimes when you are playing footy you are not living in the real world. So I like to expose myself to outside opportunities.”
5. SAM BLEASE – Real Estate Agent
Speedy midfielder Sam Blease knows how to sell candy on the footy field but he also knows how to sell million dollar houses off it. The 24-year-old has been working at JAS Stephens Real Estate in Melbourne’s west and is keen to continue his passion for property after his AFL career.
6. HARRY TAYLOR – Physiotherapist
You couldn’t blame the Cats physios, trainers and massage therapists for feeling a little intimidated when they’re working on Harry Taylor. Before Geelong snapped him up as a mature age recruit, Taylor studied Physiotherapy at University. The star defender also spent a year laying bricks to build up his muscles to help him break into the AFL.
7. STEVIE MOTLOP – Singer/Songwriter
It’s hard to believe but Steven Motlop is just as entertaining holding a microphone and guitar as he is kicking a football. The talented musician has performed live on television and recorded a song with rap star ‘Philly’.
8. DAWSON SIMPSON – Apprentice Carpenter
Two-metre tall ruckman Dawson Simpson is used to working with tall timber and is the only builder going around who doesn’t need to buy a ladder. Simpson is currently completing an apprenticeship in carpentry
9. JOEL SELWOOD – Brand Ambassador
Our hard working skipper Joel Selwood would have to be the busiest man going around. Selwood is a brand ambassador for NAB, ASICS, Ford and the Cotton On Foundation. The gun midfielder was also the International Ambassador for the Australian Formula One Grand Prix and Run Geelong.
10. DANIEL MENZEL – Under 14s Football Coach
Daniel Menzel is the perfect role model for teenage boys and is inspiring the next crop of AFL stars giving up his time to coach Newtown-Chilwell’s Under-14s team. Not surprisingly he’s a hit with the kids and their parents.
So, if you're on the lookout for a good butcher, a piece of art or even a delicious frozen yoghurt, now you know where to go.
Sean Sowerby
Channel 7 News Weekend Sports Presenter/Geelong FC Member
