Geelong vice-captain Tom Stewart reflects on ‘challenging’ drop-off, midfield move and investment in mature-age recruits
As his side had a form slump, Tom Stewart struggled to perform at his usual high standard. He sheds light on the switch that turned things around, the tag misconception and his investment in Shaun Mannagh
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In an interview with the late Sam Landsberger on the eve of round one, Geelong vice-captain Tom Stewart said a mooted move into the midfield would be a ‘break glass in case of emergency’ scenario.
Fast forward six months later and that switch has defined the five-time All-Australian defender’s season.
“I did say that a bit tongue in cheek, ‘Scotty’ (Chris Scott) has always wanted to get me into the midfield for a long period,” Stewart told this publication.
“I probably said that to Sam to turn him off the scent.”
The Cats were in a worrying mid-season form slump, losing six of their last seven games – many of those while Stewart was copping heavy attention from the opposition.
Stewart’s ‘slump’, by his lofty standards, began in round nine nine, when Geelong’s qualifying final opponent Port Adelaide sent small forward Jed McEntee to the interceptor. McEntee got under the 31-year-old’s skin and restricted him to 13 touches in 85 minutes matched up on him.
Then came GWS’ Xavier O’Halloran and renowned taggers James Jordon and Alex Cincotta, who could all meet Stewart again in September as well.
“I don’t think the tag was any harder to deal with in terms of the actual role that the opposition were playing, I just think I was a bit of a product of how we were going as a team, obviously through that form slump that we had as a collective, the spotlight was shone on me,” Stewart said.
“It was challenging, it was probably the longest stretch of my career where I felt like I wasn’t having output that I am used to, but I wasn’t playing terribly by any stretch.”
Plenty has been made of teams tagging Stewart from that point on, as if they weren’t doing it before — something he feels is a misconception.
“It is fascinating because that game was apparently when I started getting tagged, but I still never forget in 2020 we played up in Queensland and Jarryn Geary, who was the captain of St Kilda, tagged me in that game and there was nothing made of that,” Stewart said.
“But now all of a sudden everyone has been tagging me this year, well it is just not the case.
“I’ve been getting tagged for a lot longer than people probably anticipate. Jed, he got the job done that night and we almost won the game. We gave them a seven-goal head start and we almost clawed it back, so I anticipate (the tag) most weeks.”
McEntee was back in the Power side in round 24 and could well be sent to clamp Stewart again on Thursday night.
But this time Stewart is far better prepared after his fully-fledged midfield move, which started in round 16.
It wasn’t completely foreign to Stewart.
He had spent time on the wing and through the middle in 2021 when he had a sore foot, and again at the end of 2023.
But his reduced output combined with the Cats’ own form was perhaps that ‘break glass in case of emergency’ scenario.
“As the year progressed and obviously the things that were happening with the tag and all those sort of things, there was an opportunity to go in against Essendon and play sort of an opposing role to Jake Stringer,” Stewart said.
“And ever since that time I sort of grabbed it with both hands and gave myself the freedom to see where it got to.”
From round 16-24, Stewart spent 85 per cent of his time in the midfield and ranked first at Geelong for disposals, second for contested possessions and marks and fourth for intercept possessions.
Geelong’s midfield has also benefitted from Stewart’s grunt work, along with the return of Patrick Dangerfield.
The Cats ranked were dead last in the competition for clearances and pre-clearance contested possessions up until round 16. Since then they are fourth and eighth in those key areas.
Stewart has often started at centre bounces and then drifted into defence where he has picked off opposition forays as he has done countless times in the past.
Some tags have come since – like Saints stopper Liam Stocker running with him in the middle in round 23 – but Stewart knows he has more strings to his bow now to combat that opposition attention.
“The thing that I’ve learnt over the last 16 weeks is that I’m in a much better place where I know that I can ask a lot more questions back of opposition, rather than them just sitting on my back,” Stewart said.
“I’ve been in some pretty good form of late and I think for me at 31-years-old it has given me great scope: one, how hard it is to be a midfielder and two, have the flexibility to add things to my game. And that’s one thing that I’m really proud of of my year individually.
“It has just been a lot of fun, it has been great to loosen the shoulders a bit and there has still been opposition tactics and I have had blokes coming to me up as a forward. And it has just been nice for me to look around and see some different faces and see the confidence and the energy of seeing me beside them.
“I understand that teams are going to come after me, which is truly humbling because my experience, my journey, is not something I anticipated getting to this stage. “
CLOSE TO HIS HEART
Stewart’s rise from the Geelong Football League to one of the best defenders in the competition has been well told, and his humble beginnings have left him fully invested in those that take the road less travelled.
It is why he has always tried to lend a hand wherever he can to mature-age gem Shaun Mannagh, who was drafted to the Cats at the age of 26 last year.
“It is one close to my heart every time I see a mature-ager – not only at Geelong, but across the league, I like to follow their journey,” Stewart said.
“(Shaun) coming in as a young father as well, moving to a new town with his wife and now young daughter it has been a unique sort of experience for him.
“So any way that I could sort of help him I was more than willing – not just from the performance side of things, he knows exactly what makes him tick as a player, so we can let him be in that capacity, but just the off-field stuff.
It hasn’t all come Mannagh’s way, stuck in the reserves for most of the season.
That was until he earned a reprieve after a six-goal haul reminiscent of his six majors on VFL grand final day last year.
“I think ‘Wellsy’ spoke about Shaun in his draft profile, regardless of how he played in that grand final we were super keen on him. He has had some unique challenges through this year,” Stewart said.
“His impact that he’s had has been astronomical in the role that he plays for us. He is so tough inside, he is clean, he is creative, he works so well in unison with the other boys and he has had a really great impact.”
LOCAL SUPPORT
Stewart was a carpenter by trade before his rapid ascent. But he concedes his relentless intent on the field wasn’t there on the job site.
“I wouldn’t know a hard day’s work with a tool if it slapped me across the face,” he joked.
“It does feel like a lifetime ago, my journey has been pretty magnificent and continues to be better each year on year.
“I’m super grateful for the position I find myself in and to be able to provide for my family and spend a lot more time at home with my kids than most professionals is something I really cherish.
“Everything is just the cherry on top when it comes to footy from now and I’m loving it, just enjoying the ride.”
Staying true to his local footy and chippy routes, he has jumped on board as national ambassador of Bunnings’ Home Ground Advantage initiative with North Melbourne AFLW superstar Jas Garner.
Five local clubs have to chance to receive $50,000 of products to help revamp club facilities, with applications closing on September 30.
“The opportunity to work with Bunnings which is an institution of Australian business and they have always been at the forefront of giving back to local communities, particularly local sporting clubs,” Stewart said.
“They do such a great job at giving back as I said and that’s the one thing that I’ve tried to hold true to myself, is always give back to those who made my journey so, so great.”
Could his own club at South Barwon use a touch up?
“I think South is in pretty good nick, our home rooms and our club rooms are great. The away rooms could use some work, but who really cares about the away clubrooms?” Stewart chuckled.
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