Geelong star Tom Stewart on new role and how ‘stale’ Cats turned the tide
Geelong was tumbling down the ladder but have turned the tide in the past fortnight, with Tom Stewart one of several key changes made by Chris Scott. Here’s the inside word on how it all went down.
AFL
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A casual chat with the coach has reinvigorated Tom Stewart’s season as part of Chris Scott’s bevy of moves that has put a “stale” Geelong back on track.
Stewart was among the best players on the ground in Saturday’s comfortable win over Hawthorn, his second week of a shift to throwing his weight around in the midfield.
The five-time All-Australian defender had been dealing with perhaps his leanest patch of form in years before Geelong’s bye, as opponents deployed defensive forwards to quell the rebounder.
Stewart caught up with Scott before round 16’s meeting with Essendon, with the idea of playing on Bomber Jake Stringer raised.
The chat was one of plenty going on at Kardinia Park as the Cats worked to stop a run of six losses from seven games.
“It wasn’t anything groundbreaking,” Stewart said.
“We have some chats from time to time just being the in the vice-captaincy position and sort of floated about Jake Stringer last week and the sort of things he does like CBs (centre bounces) and going forward and the like.
“It just sort of got to the point where it was like, ‘why don’t I just stay around the ball?’.
“For me it was just to put myself out there. Not that I was going horribly behind the ball but just a bit of a by-product of the team. We were a bit stale and I thought I might just through myself out there and try to change it up a bit.”
Stewart spent time with midfield coach Steven King and worked with Jack Bowes, Max Holmes and Tom Atkins to figure out the movements of a centre bounce midfielder.
He said his biggest challenge so far had been trying to stop himself from just running back to defence during play.
“That is still the most natural tendency,” he said.
“There is a body of work I have put together behind the ball but it is just trying to put myself out there and do what I can, be a more senior body around there, take the load off Pat (Dangerfield) … it has been an adjustment but it has been something I have really enjoyed.”
A raging success through most of his 163 games, Stewart copped some blowback as teams tagged him but refused to listen to outside noise.
“To be honest, at my age I don’t listen to it,” he said.
“I have played a lot of footy now, not only at this level but also at (local club) South (Barwon) and in the VFL. If I get caught up in people’s opinions I would be in a very dark place.”
Stewart is certainly not the only Cat thriving after a magnet move.
Full back Sam De Koning was shifted into the ruck in round 15, in a bid to get him a run on the ball and build confidence.
Having never hit 20 disposals in any of his 55 games before then, he has since reached the mark in three weeks running and has registered his two best games of his career per ranking points in that stretch.
De Koning was possibly the best man on the ground at half-time against the Hawks – when he had already bagged two goals from the ruck role – with Stewart describing his effort as “his best game for a long time”.
Stewart’s exit from defence saw the lively Lawson Humphries added as a rebounder, while Mitch Duncan has enjoyed his best fortnight of the season off halfback.
Veteran Zach Tuohy has been largely thrust into Stewart’s role as a spare defender and he was excellent against Essendon before helping set up the Hawthorn win with his positioning.
“I might not actually get back there (to defence), the boys have been unbelievable since I have left,” Stewart said.
At the other end, Jeremy Cameron has been deployed largely as a deep full-forward in the last three weeks and averaged more than six shots at goal and 10 score involvements in that period.
The Cats have won their past two to right their season and this week play in a Friday night blockbuster against Collingwood.
“I think for us, the uniqueness of this group and the shifting of positions and those that are going back to old positions … it is good to see the things we are working on day to day actually come off in games,” Stewart said.
Originally published as Geelong star Tom Stewart on new role and how ‘stale’ Cats turned the tide
The Tackle: Bevo’s Bulldogs, Lords of the Underachievers
Some Bulldogs on big money struggled mightily against the high-flying Hawks, but they weren’t alone, so where to now for the Dogs? MARK ROBINSON reviews week one of the AFL finals.
Revealed: The panel which will oversee Dees’ review after backflip
After rejecting the need for a full-scale review of the club all through 2024, Melbourne has backflipped. JAY CLARK reveals the three men who’ll conduct the sweeping review.