AFL news: How former Crow Tyson Stengle has made most of his second chance at Geelong
Tyson Stengle’s career could easily have been over when he was sacked by Adelaide. But the guidance AFL legend Eddie Betts helped him earn a shot at redemption.
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Geelong small forward Tyson Stengle feels like he is proving people wrong as he makes the most of his AFL comeback.
Stengle has been one of the season’s best recruits, kicking 20 goals from 10 games and putting a string of off-field indiscretions behind him.
Adelaide axed Stengle in March 2021 after a third incident in eight months – being pictured next to what appeared to be an illicit substance.
Some thought that might be the end of his time at the elite level.
But self-belief, hard work and the support of family, as well as the Cats, have helped the 23-year-old turn his career around.
Now he is preparing to face his former side in the second week of Indigenous Round at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday.
Stengle’s cousin, ex-Carlton and Adelaide star Eddie Betts — now a Geelong development coach — and Betts’ wife, Anna, have been as instrumental as anyone in his AFL journey.
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A long-time mentor, Betts has used his own life experiences – as someone who spent a night in jail at the age of 23 for drunk and disorderly behaviour then went on to become a 350-game AFL great and role model – to provide sage advice.
“Him and his wife always mention that everyone messes up now and then, it’s just how you come back from it,” Stengle told News Corp.
“Eddie spoke about how he messed up a couple of times at the start of his career, he just had to lock in and lift his focus.
“He gave me that little pep talk.
“Probably when I first left the system, people wouldn’t have thought I would’ve been able to get back in the system.
“I think I’m proving a few people wrong.”
Stengle was staying with the Betts family in an Airbnb in Darwin in early November when Geelong called to say it was signing him.
Betts was in the Northern Territory playing for Palmerston and Stengle was coming off a standout SANFL season with Woodville-West Torrens.
News that he was back on an AFL list took a while to sink in.
“It was a really happy time – Eddie was proud, Anna was proud,” he said.
“I was a little bit shocked and a little bit emotional.
“I was also really proud then really happy and we hugged.
“I rang my two grandfathers and let them know, and my brother know.”
Stengle’s road back to the AFL was not easy.
He had to train solo for two months while stood down from the Crows before they cut ties with him.
Then he had to knuckle down and perform well in the SANFL to show clubs he still had plenty to offer.
Stengle was unsure if any would be interested.
Quiet games with the Eagles and getting overlooked in the mid-season draft only made him question his AFL prospects even more.
Betts would speak to Stengle at least once a week, encouraging him to keep going.
“My main thought going into each game was just to play good footy,” he said.
Stengle achieved that, helping Woodville-West Torrens win the premiership by kicking three majors in the grand final.
It took his season tally to 44 goals from 19 games.
“As soon as I stepped foot in the Eagles’ door, everyone embraced me and encouraged me, and made me feel like family,” said Stengle, who also worked at Oval Ave last year.
“It was my home club and I still knew a few boys from under-18 level.
“To win a grand final with them – my first grand final in my life – it was a surreal moment with my family watching.”
A few days after the flag success, Stengle was on a Zoom call with Cats staff, including Betts, who joined the club in October.
Other teams were interested but Stengle and his management quickly decided Geelong would be the best fit to rejuvenate his career.
“I’d heard good things about the club and the culture so wanted to go somewhere where I could feel like myself, and feel I could play my best footy,” he said.
“The club said there was a position there for me and to just make sure I trained hard.”
Stengle showed his renewed application by not missing one training over summer or any since.
“I’m feeling pretty good (fitness-wise), better than other years,” he said.
The city of Geelong’s relaxing pace and reuniting with Betts have helped Stengle settle in.
So has moving in with midfielder Brandan Parfitt.
Stengle had lived with Betts when they were both with the Crows before the latter rejoined Carlton at the end of 2019.
From teammates and housemates to a player-coach relationship, Stengle said he always enjoyed spending time with Betts.
Like in his last year with the Crows in 2020, Stengle is donning No. 18 as a tribute to him.
“I’m wearing it because he wore it and he helped me so much in the last year with everything that went down,” he said.
“It feels good wearing it again.”
Stengle has not spoken to his teammates about his backstory, wanting to “leave that in the past and move on”.
He had two other notable transgressions at Adelaide.
Drink-driving an unregistered vehicle in April 2020, for which he was suspended for four games and fined more than $1600, and being caught by police in possession of an illicit substance in September that same year.
Cats coach Chris Scott said on Saturday that the club had put a lot of work in over a long period before recruiting Stengle.
“We took our time to make sure that it was the right fit for our footy club and we could help him and support him in the appropriate manner,” Scott said.
The softly-spoken goalsneak has felt welcomed by the Cats’ coaches and players.
He is loving playing alongside spearheads Tom Hawkins and Jeremy Cameron
“You just get to the front of their feet or around them because you know they’ll either mark it or bring it to ground,” he said.
“Week by week, I think we’re all getting really good chemistry.”
Stengle booted four goals in his Cats debut in round 1 and had since kicked four lots of three.
He was confident in his ability but a little surprised at his form.
“I didn’t know if I could play again at this level or not,” said Stengle, who also lined up in two games for Richmond in 2017.
“This year has been one of my best years so far in footy.”
Asked about playing the Crows this Saturday, Stengle reverted to cliches that it was “just another game” for him and he merely wanted to play his role.
Then he added: “It’ll feel good if I can get a few goals against them”.
“It was a good time, I didn’t mind it there,” he said, reflecting on his two seasons at the Crows, which featured 14 games and ended despite two years left on his contract.
“I was starting to get into the small forward role, starting getting a few games under my belt … but that got cut short.
“I messed up a couple of times but it’s part of life.
“I was hopeful that I could’ve got back into the football system down there but obviously it didn’t work out how you want.”
Stengle remains close with Shane McAdam and keeps in contact with Rory Laird.
“It’ll be good to see a couple of old mates,” he said.
Stengle and McAdam might meet in the centre of the ground before Saturday’s game as the club’s Indigenous players exchange gifts.
The round holds special meaning for Stengle, a proud Wirangu man whose family hails from Ceduna in South Australia’s far west coast.
Stengle was born in Adelaide but grew up on the Eyre Peninsula as a child then returned to the city for school.
He lived with his grandmother, Debra, from about the age of four then with his Nan and Pop, Emily and Cecil Betts.
Stengle heads back to Ceduna when he can to spends time with family, ride motorbikes or goes fishing.
Leading up to Indigenous Round, Stengle and teammates spent time with local children through the club’s Djilang cultural connection program.
The youngsters drew artwork that was to go up on digital signs around GMHBA Stadium.
Geelong assistant Shaun Grigg also spoke to the team about where each of the club’s Indigenous players came from.
Stengle kicked another three goals in the home win over Port Adelaide in the first week of Sir Doug Nicholls Round last Saturday.
Geelong’s triumph left it in sixth spot on the ladder with a 6-4 record.
Stengle believed the perennial finalist was well placed for another top-four tilt.
“Hopefully we can get a couple of wins over the next couple of weeks (before the bye) then set us up for the second half of the year,” he said.
“We’ve got a good list, a good team.”
Making it back to the AFL has been a big achievement in itself for Stengle.
So what would playing finals mean?
“A lot, especially for my family and Eddie, and his family,” he said.
“It’d be one of the biggest achievements of my life.
“To do it after a stint out and after the troubles and stuff, it’d be one of the most amazing things.”
The ultimate – a premiership – would put Stengle “one up” on Betts, whose illustrious career ended without a flag.
“But I’m still 500 and something goals behind him so I’ve got a long way to go,” he said.
Stengle knows it is in the same with the season and his third chance in the AFL, but he is glad to be back.
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