2012 Geelong Football Club season

[11] Furthermore, Brad Ottens, a former Geelong player who retired in the off-season, also returned to the club in a new role as part-time ruck coach.

[12] The introduction of Greater Western Sydney as the league's eighteenth club this season created the possibility that Geelong could again lose an uncontracted player to a new club,[13] as had previously occurred when Gold Coast entered the league the prior season and signed Gary Ablett.

[14] Despite this not eventuating,[13] Geelong still lost six players on its list due to retirement, including premiership players Cameron Ling (captain),[15] Darren Milburn,[16] Cameron Mooney,[17] Brad Ottens[18] and Mark Blake,[19] as well as Marcus Drum,[20] who did not play a senior game for the club.

[122] Balme claimed that Chapman's incident was "accidental at worst"[119] and that Hannebery, due to a lack of awareness, had caused Johnson's offence himself.

Additionally, potential father–son draftee Jordon Bourke (son of Damian) was granted special permission by the AFL to play two games for Geelong's VFL team in rounds 18 and 19.