GEELONG chief executive Brian Cook says the club is not only aiming to return to the top eight next season but to finish in the top four.

The Cats have been in the news for all the right reasons over the off-season after securing a number of new players, including superstar midfielder Patrick Dangerfield.

The club has also beefed up its coaching staff, appointing highly regardarded mentor Simon Lloyd as coaching director.

“There’s some expectation we’ll improve and make the finals and maybe even do a bit better,” Cook told the Geelong Advertiser.

“Our aim is to finish top four.

“It was this year too, by the way, but it didn’t go our way, and it’s our key performance indicator to make the top four — it has been every year since about 2003/2004.

“And we’ll strive so hard to do that, everyone at the club will.”

Although it is the changes to Geelong’s playing list that have created most of the headlines surrounding the club, the coaching changes have been equally significant.

Along with appointing Lloyd to oversee the coaching structure, the Cats have promoted legendary defender Matthew Scarlett to a full-time assistant coaching role.

In other changes, Shane O’Bree has replaced Paul Hood as VFL coach, with Hood moving into a development role.

Of the departures from the coaching staff, Dale Amos has joined Carlton and Max Rooke has started a development coaching role with Gold Coast.

“We’ve been quite strategic and quite pointed in what we want to achieve with our playing and off-field appointments,” Cook said.

“But ‘Hock’ [football manager Steve Hocking] has really tried to pinpoint the needs, the areas that need immediate assistance to make us a better club immediately.”

Cook himself has also been in the news over the off-season after signing a new contract that ties him to the Cats until the end of 2018.

The new deal ensures he will see the latest stage of the Simonds Stadium redevelopment through to its completion.

“There’s just so much to do here,” Cook, who has been with the Cats since 1999, said during his all-encompassing chat with the ‘Addy’.

“There’s no doubt I could have left and started again, but I’d prefer to be seen as the loyal and good leader at Geelong than the mercenary CEO at another club that needs a lot of help.

“I think there’s a certain number of clubs you can go to before you lose a bit of your personal brand that gets developed over time.

“If I went to another club it would be my third club, admittedly in 27 years, which is probably quite acceptable, but I have this personal feeling — maybe an irritation — saying ‘just stay here, keep doing what you’re doing’.

“I always thought it was going to be hard to move away.

“I get treated well and I give it back and I think it’s a really good two-way relationship.”