Eddie Betts on the making of Cats star Tyson Stengle
Tyson Stengle shares a bond with the Betts family which has helped him grow into one of the AFL’s best small forwards. Eddie Betts opens up on what makes him tick, the support of his wife Anna and getting him to the Cats.
Geelong
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As Tyson Stengle runs out for AFL game 100 on Friday night, the Betts family will look on with pride.
Alongside the Cats star will be Maggie, the daughter of former AFL star Eddie Betts and his wife Anna Scullie, who is Stengle’s manager.
The seven-year-old running out onto GMHBA Stadium with Stengle will be a representation of the close bond the family have with the Cats star.
Stengle lived with the Betts family in his first season with Adelaide after being traded from Richmond.
In 2021, the family supported the small forward when he was delisted by the Crows on the eve of the season, returning to Woodville-West Torrens in the SANFL.
Betts recalled Anna helping post social media clips of Stengle to help keep his name front of mind. A meeting with the Cats hierarchy including Shaun Grigg, Chris Scott and Simon Lloyd before the draft set the wheels in motion for a remarkable return to the AFL.
In the first season at his third club, Stengle won a premiership and was named an All-Australian.
“We always knew he was something special and he’s got all the talent in the world,” Betts said.
“He needed to be in an environment where they would just let him be, let him go out and play his footy. He knows his footy well.
“Everyone speaks about the culture at Geelong and it really suited Tyson.”
Betts was a coach with Cats during Stengle’s first season back in Victoria, again living with his family.
The 26-year-old has now grown to be what Betts described as “our oldest son”.
They’ve lived his highs and lows including last year when footage emerged of Stengle being carried out of a Geelong nightclub.
Scullie played a key role in securing Stengle’s long-term future to the Cats’ last season, coming on board as his manager to lock away a deal until 2029.
“She will go to the end of the world and back for that kid,” Betts said.
“There’s times where Tyson has been struggling, stuff which has happened behind closed doors, she’s there every step of the way making sure he’s okay and in the right mindset.”
On the field, Stengle is best known as one of the best small forwards in the game but his leadership is an underrated trait according to Betts.
“I knew he was a leader already,” he said.
“The way he has grown up. Every young Indigenous kid, when they come from community, you’re in a position where you have to lead no matter what because you’ve got so many little cousins you’ve got to look after. You become a grown up when you’re young.
“He already had that leadership in him. He is a great leader, he knows what he’s speaking about. Seeing that over the last couple of years, it’s making him a better player.”
This season, Stengle has booted 20 goals in 14 games but in recent weeks has rediscovered his best form and it has Betts excited.
“You’ve got your best footy ahead of you at his age. He’s coming up to the age where you usually peak in your career,” Betts said.
“It’s up to him now. The hard work he has put in on the training field, out on the games.
“He just feels really set in that forward line.”
Originally published as Eddie Betts on the making of Cats star Tyson Stengle
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