How Tyson Stengle fits with Geelong after joining the Cats as a free agent
Everyone talks about big Cats Tom Hawkins and Jeremy Cameron, but Geelong’s freshest addition might cause even more headaches in 2022.
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Dwayne Russell is going to have a field day calling Tyson Stengle again next year.
Fox Footy’s Russell loves a good “chaos ball”, the tumbling Sherrin that hits the ground inside 50 and terrifies defenders who thrive on order and predictability.
So does Stengle, who by the end of October will officially be delisted by Adelaide and quickly join the Cats as a restricted free agent.
Stengle will arrive at Geelong having kicked only 15 AFL goals in his 16 matches over three seasons.
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But not only did he spend this year in the SANFL working on personal issues that saw him booted from Adelaide, he rounded himself out as an elite crumbing small forward.
To watch all of his 44 SANFL goals for Woodville West Torrens is to realise how perfectly he will blend into Geelong’s forward line next year.
He doesn’t need quality lace-out delivery of the kind that Gary Rohan gets so often at GMHBA Stadium but so seldom in finals when his output dries up.
He doesn’t need room to move in a forward line that could be crowded at times with Tom Hawkins, Jeremy Cameron and Esava Ratugolea as leading targets.
He is an old-fashioned crumber who like his idol and mentor Eddie Betts also has enough pace to turn his defender around and mark close to goal.
Stengle is the king of the forward 50 groundball, his 3.3 forward-50 groundball gets the highest ever recorded in the SANFL from 2010 onwards, when Champion Data started recording that stat.
He kicked goals as the perfect front-and-centre crumber snapping over his shoulder, he kicked them from half-volley pick-ups that incorporated incredible blind turns to evade opponents.
But he also has enough pace to find the holes that saw him taking five inside 50 marks in the last home-and-away game of the year and average 3.3 per game this season.
In other words he isn’t just another routine small forward in a team that has mid-sizer Rohan, the emerging Brad Close, Gryan Miers and Luke Dahlhaus.
He is a complimentary piece who — if he can continue his off-field improvement — will kick a hell of a lot of goals at GMHBA Stadium and hopefully some in finals too.
The fact he only turns 23 next Tuesday and drags down Geelong’s age demographic doesn’t hurt either.
Shaun Higgins and Luke Dahlhaus will go around again next year but will face pressure for spots after Higgins battled knee issues and Dahlhaus kicked only 7.15 in 21 games.
Stengle will spend some time living with Betts and some in Geelong after being sacked by Adelaide over a series of incidents that included drink-driving and being caught with drugs alongside teammate Brad Crouch.
He will need to prove himself again after Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks said of the player: “Unfortunately Tyson wasn’t able to live up to the standards that’s required to be an elite athlete at this football club.”
Now he gets another and at a landing spot where he will get Geelong’s excellent pastoral care and with an identifiable role at a club in the premiership window.
If Geelong can speed up their customarily reserved ball movement and hurtle the ball inside 50 at warp speed then both Stengle and Dwayne Russell will have a lot of fun next year.
EX-CROW STENGLE TO JOIN FLAG THREAT
In-demand small forward Tyson Stengle has picked Geelong for his fresh AFL start.
The former Crow and Tiger parted ways with Adelaide in March after a third off-field indiscretion in a short period.
But impressive SANFL form with Woodville-West Torrens after leaving the AFL scene put him back on the radar, including kicking three goals in the grand final triumph over Glenelg for a season tally of 44.
The exact details are still being thrashed out, but Stengle is expected to join Chris Scott’s Cats as a delisted free agent rather than in a trade with the Crows.
The deal will likely be for two years.
Geelong firmed as Stengle’s destination as soon as AFL great Eddie Betts was appointed last week as a part-time development coach at the club.
They not only played together at the Crows but the 22-year-old also lived with Betts and his family during that time.
“I feel like I’m his older brother,” Betts told reporters last week.
“I felt really bad, because he lived there with me and my wife (Anna) and we were pretty hard on him and kept him on the straight and narrow.
“When we left (to play for Carlton at the end of 2019), all this stuff started happening. I’m not saying it’s because we left, but it was tough seeing that from Melbourne.”
Geelong list boss Stephen Wells confirmed the club’s interest in Stengle on AFL Trade Radio last week, pointing to his “terrific period” with Woodville-West Torrens.
There were other clubs interested in winning his signature, including Essendon.
Stengle has kicked 15 goals in 16 AFL games since the Tigers selected him in the rookie draft five years ago.
He requested a trade home to South Australia at the end of 2018 in search of more senior opportunities, with Adelaide exchanging pick 68 for him.
THE TRADE SET TO FORT-IFY FOUR-WAY RUCK SWAP
Brisbane is prepared to package together multiple back end selections to help secure Geelong’s Darcy Fort and ignite a four-club ruck trade.
The Lions have been in talks with the Cats about off-loading several late draft picks including 50, 54 and 60 to the Cats in return for Fort and a better pick back (such as 41).
SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE ON ESSENDON’S PURSUIT OF BOBBY HILL
Fort, 28, is an important target for the Lions as he is a ready-made replacement option for frontline ruckman Oscar McInerney.
That deal could then help spark movement between Geelong and Hawthorn on an agreement for veteran ruckman Jon Ceglar.
The Cats are discussing an option to swap late picks with Hawthorn for Ceglar, 30, provided the Hawks pay some of his salary at Geelong in 2022.
The Cats are managing a tight cap while the Hawks have significant room and could afford to cover more than $100,000 of Ceglar’s wage.
Geelong is also poised to snare either 19 or 22 and a future third-round pick from Fremantle for Jordan Clark as part of a deal which seems certain to go through.
The Hawks could then attempt to satisfy Collingwood as part of a deal for back-up ruckman Max Lynch, 23.
Sam Mitchell’s team has identified Lynch, who shone for the Magpies during a two-game stint in the seniors this year, as a future No. 1 ruckman after failing to pull off a trade for him last year.
While Hawthorn is keen to retain its top-end draft choice to help snare some outstanding young talent, it could potentially satisfy the Magpies for Lynch with multiple choices further down the order.
The Hawks are also open to offers on their star midfielders including Jaeger O’Meara, Tom Mitchell and Chad Wingard but there are no takers yet. Port Adelaide has not spoken to O’Meara about a move.
The Magpies are loading up on back-end draft picks to ensure they have enough points to snare brilliant young father-son midfield gem Nick Daicos.
Collingwood already has nine picks (23, 36, 43, 46, 48, 55, 58, 78, and 79) and will have to off-load at least one of them to Western Bulldogs for midfielder Patrick Lipinski unless he moves there through the pre-season draft.
The Magpies already gave up pick 41 to Geelong for developing tall Nathan Kreuger.
Regardless, it means the Hawks could retain their prized assets at the front of the draft and still use multiple mid-to-late selections to pull Lynch out of Collingwood.
If Lynch departs, as the Hawks hope, Collingwood could retain Mason Cox on a significantly-reduced deal under new coach Craig McRae for next season.
The Saints are also targeting North Melbourne ruckman Tristan Xerri, 22, but that deal could remain separate to the other big man deals.
Giants prepare for showdown with Dodoro on Hill
Giant Bobby Hill has requested a trade to Essendon, setting the stage for another showdown between Essendon list boss Adrian Dodoro and his GWS counterpart Jason McCartney.
The Herald Sun revealed on Sunday that Hill wants to get to the Bombers next year to energise their forward line and potentially pinch-hit in the midfield at times.
His trade value is uncertain but is likely to differ between the clubs.
Hill being contracted means the Giants might expect a second-round draft pick, which the Bombers don’t have this year, whereas Essendon may start with a third-round.
The Bombers won’t part with or ‘split’ their No.11 pick, having consistently stated they want to focus on the draft, as they successfully did last year.
They don’t have a selection between 11 and 51 this year and weren’t the ones driving Hill’s defection to Tullamarine.
Hill would be the fifth GWS footballer in recent seasons to cross directly to Essendon, behind Dylan Shiel, Devon Smith, James Stewart and Jye Caldwell.
The length of deal is yet to be sorted, but would likely be for two years.
McCartney was critical last year of the Bombers’ conduct while working on the Caldwell deal, accusing them of operating in bad faith after targeting him.
“You need to be fair and reasonable to try and facilitate a transaction and that was somewhat frustrating, I’ll be honest with that,” McCartney said at the time.
Bombers president Paul Brasher hit back at McCartney, saying his comments were “sour grapes” and “unprofessional”.
Hill’s potential exit from the Giants won’t clear enough salary cap space to unlock the Rory Lobb deal, with the 207cm Docker keen to return to his old club.
As it stands, a Lobb homecoming to GWS is in serious jeopardy and would still depend on Fremantle budging on its pledge not to pay any of his remaining two-year contract.
That’s on top of the 28-year-old taking a significant pay cut, which he is willing to do to some level.
Hill’s contract next year is understood to approach $400,000 and he would likely leave at the end of next season as an uncontracted player.
The Giants might decide to maximise his trade value and trade him now, but they are yet to make that call.
North Melbourne and Hawthorn were also in the running for the 21-year-old, but Hill wants to play for the Bombers next year.
His cousin Courtney Ugle is on Essendon’s VFLW list, while other cousins Bradley Hill and Sydney Stack play for Victorian clubs St Kilda and Richmond, respectively.
Hill’s manager Andrew McDougall, of Corporate Sports Australia, told the Herald Sun he was keen to play at Essendon and was confident a deal could be brokered.
The speedster is excited by the opportunity to play in massive games at the MCG, including Dreamtime at the ‘G and Anzac Day.
His partner, Georgia, is due to give birth to their first child in December, and the couple is keen to set up their family in Melbourne over summer to make a life in a new city.
Hill’s explosive gifts were on show in 17 games this year and while he is yet to set the competition alight, he has extreme pace, great pressure and will only increase his goal tally, which sits at 25 goals in 30 matches.
He wants to follow in Tiger Shai Bolton’s footsteps and believes 2022 will be the year he can get his fitness to a level where he can make an impact in short midfield bursts.
Hill will never be a full-time midfielder, but his goal is to round out his game to be able to play multiple positions.
Essendon lost young Aboriginal forward Irving Mosquito this year and a club that has done so much to promote Indigenous stars is keen to add to the likes of Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti.
That was part of why the Bombers appealed to Hill as well.
While Tipungwuti is a brilliant player who makes space with deft baulks and clever positioning, Hill has outright pace that can break lines
‘Significant barriers’ holding back Lobb trade
Fremantle football boss Peter Bell is coming around to the possibility of trading Rory Lobb but admits there are still “significant barriers” to overcome.
News of Lobb’s potential trade homecoming to the Giants, where he played 74 games from 2014-18, breathed life into this year’s exchange period.
The 28-year-old still has two seasons to run on a contract believed to be worth about $700,000 per year – and must take a pay cut to return to GWS.
The Giants share a mutual interest in bringing Lobb back, knowing he would add more firepower to their forward line after Jeremy Finalyson’s departure to Port Adelaide.
But they have a tight salary cap and asked the Dockers to pay some of Lobb’s remaining contract.
As of Saturday, Fremantle officials remain unwilling to do that.
Another stumbling block to his exit is he would leave the Dockers with Sean Darcy and Lloyd Meek as their only ruckmen and Matt Taberner and rookie Josh Treacy as key forwards.
GWS is so far informally offering a future second-round pick in return for Lobb.
Bell effectively dismissed the prospect of a Lobb trade on Thursday night, but on Saturday said he was “not sure” if a deal could be struck.
“There are some significant barriers for that to happen, but you can never say never, particularly the way trade periods are being conducted these days,” he told ABC radio.
“We’re just waiting. I’m sure Col (Young, Lobb’s agent) is working very hard and our position now is we’ll just wait, and we’ll see if a trade request is made.
“If a trade request is made; we’ll work through that.”
Bell said they were yet to discuss West Australian small forward Bobby Hill, who wants to leave the Giants for a Victorian club.
The Dockers strengthened their draft hand in three separate trades with Carlton, Gold Coast and Collingwood this week.
The Blues sent them pick six and a future third-round selection for Adam Cerra, while the Suns gave up pick 19 as part of a package for Fremantle taking Will Brodie and his salary off their hands.
Selection 22 came in a pick swap with the Pies, where they bundled up 27 and a future third-rounder.
That leaves the Dockers with picks six, eight, 19 and 22, the last of which they hope will be the centrepiece of a deal for wantaway Cat Jordan Clark – but Geelong wants No. 19 instead.
That latter pick is the first one on day two of the draft and is highly coveted among clubs.
“Our intention is to absolutely take those picks to the draft,” Bell said.
“We do have a strong interest in Jordan Clark and those discussions continue, but (our position is) we’ll be taking particularly six, eight and 19 to the draft.”
Cats give Dockers two options to get Clark deal done
– Jon Ralph
Geelong has handed two trade options to Fremantle on Jordan Clark that will see the Cats hold the young wingman if one of those scenarios are not met.
The Herald Sun understands the Cats would accept Fremantle’s No. 19 selection or their No. 22 selection as well as a future third-rounder.
That future third-rounder is linked to Carlton’s ladder selection so could lob anywhere from pick 40-50.
The Dockers completed a series of pick swaps that saw them secure 19 and 22 as well as bringing in Carlton’s pick 6 to complement their No. 8 selection.
So the Dockers now have four picks within 22 and are likely to secure another pick — possibly a future second-rounder — for Rory Lobb.
Geelong has been steadfast that they want an early selection to release contracted wingman-half back Clark and believe 22 will quickly drift out to 24 given father-son selections.
Fremantle might eventually decide handing over 19 would get the deal done and allow them to still secure the same player in their draft order as they would have selected with pick 22.
Clark is exactly the kind of pacy outside player Justin Longmuir desires to round out his midfield, having also added inside midfielder Will Brodie.
Brodie is a clearance expert but has battled to spread away from contests so will be desperate to put in the pre-season of his life this summer.
Fremantle has already traded away a trio of future picks _ a second-rounder, third-rounder and fourth-rounder — so may choose to retain the Blues third-rounder and just give up 19 to get their man.
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Originally published as How Tyson Stengle fits with Geelong after joining the Cats as a free agent
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