Geelong swings changes in bid to create drive

Dr Pippa Grange, who worked with the AFL Players' Association, where she made a public defence of troubled star Ben Cousins, has replaced Leading Teams as the major facilitator of Geelong's leadership system.

Grange has been hired by the Cats in a raft of off-field changes after the departures of coach Mark Thompson and his off-sider Brendan McCartney to Essendon, and conditioning man Dean Robinson to Gold Coast.

While Grange will only work part-time, Geelong chief executive Brian Cook said she would pick up the role previously managed by Leading Teams, which was widely credited with helping transform the playing culture at the club and leading to its astonishing era of success from 2007.

''Instead of using Leading Teams, we prefer to use Pippa,'' said Cook. ''''Fourteen other clubs use Leading Teams. We did use Leading Teams, and they're fantastic.''

Cook said Grange would also ''assist in the development of the coaches'' and in ''the interaction between the coaches and the players''.

Cook expects the leadership group will remain similar to 2010, when first-year skipper Cameron Ling was supported by Corey Enright, Joel Selwood, Harry Taylor, Jimmy Bartel, Joel Corey and James Kelly. Champion midfielder Gary Ablett, who was part of the group, has left to join the Gold Coast.

''It'll be whoever the players and the coaches … recommend. It's been that way since I've been here,'' said Cook of the captaincy.

''I would suspect there won't be too many changes there, to be honest. They might put one more in, who knows? She [Grange] will facilitate that. [Coach] Chris Scott also will have a major say in that.''

Grange, Cook and two other female staff members, Rosie King and Diana Taylor, will be involved in creating a diversity and respect policy for the Cats. Geelong is adjusting to 21 new faces in its football department, including players. The Cats have hired development coach Paul Hood from the Geelong Falcons, fitness and conditioning experts Chris Hinke (Adelaide) and Chris Spinks (Fremantle) in addition to Scott.

They have also employed former Brisbane Lion Troy Selwood, who will play VFL and work in technology at the club, and sports science assistant Sophia Samartzis.

''Settling down is going to be really important for us,'' Cook said. ''You're talking 21 in footy, in terms of employees alone.''

Cook said there would be a significant turnover of players in the next few years. ''We'd be deluding ourselves if we said there wasn't going to be somewhere between four and eight retirements over the next two to three years, and that was another reason we picked Chris Scott, because he's been through that himself.''