By Marc McGowan
The AFL’s dreaded scenario has played out after Geelong star Tom Stewart was concussed in the Cats’ preliminary final win over Hawthorn, robbing him of the chance to become a dual premiership player.
Stewart gathered the Sherrin in Geelong’s defensive 50 inside the final three minutes of the first quarter of their eventual 30-point triumph, but was immediately beset upon by Mabior Chol, who pinned his arms and tackled him forcefully into the ground.
Tom Stewart is attended to by Geelong medical staff.Credit: AFL Photos
The 2022 premiership defender’s head crashed into the MCG surface, and he also clutched at his left wrist, which he wrenched as he went to ground. The Cats subbed Stewart out minutes later, and the AFL’s concussion rules mean he will miss next week’s decider.
The incident reignites debate around whether the pre-finals bye should be switched to before the grand final, which would enable concussed players to make it through protocols and not miss out on their premiership shot.
Geelong coach Chris Scott said a pre-grand final bye would be ideal in Stewart’s scenario, but that they had already come to terms with the fact they would be without him next week against either Collingwood or the Brisbane Lions.
“I think generally in these situations, you change your mind depending on what it means for you, so I’m very pro a week off before the grand final, if we can sneak that in this year,” Scott said.
“But in a perverse way, it’s black and white, so we know, and he knows [that he won’t be playing]. It’s a shattering situation for him, and if I move forward into the game, we were under real pressure at that stage. It looked like Jack Henry might have been in doubt for the rest of the game as well.
“Fortunately, the feedback we got was there was a little bit of a nerve situation [in his left ankle] that looked bad temporarily that came good. So, that’s the good news story [and we are] ultra-confident that he will be fine to train in a couple of days.
“But the Stewart one’s a bit hard to take right at the moment.”
Chol could be looking at a delayed start to his 2026 season, depending on how match review officer Michael Christian assesses the incident with Stewart. The AFL typically takes a dim view to players’ arms being pinned in a tackle because it leaves them vulnerable and unable to brace for contact.
The Cats looked in trouble in the first quarter beyond just the Henry and Stewart injuries, as they racked up turnovers and struggled to contain the Hawks’ kick-and-catch game style.
They trailed by as many as 21 points before ageless superstar Patrick Dangerfield intervened to inspire a Geelong comeback.
The Cats swung the contest on their midfield dominance, and the main driver of that was the powerful 35-year-old, who finished with 31 disposals, three goals, 20 contested possessions, eight clearances and 13 score involvements.
Nine years after his Brownlow Medal win and in his 359th match, this night was evidence that Dangerfield remains a difference-maker on the biggest stages.
A despondent Sam Mitchell even joked post-match that he wanted Dangerfield to retire.
“I don’t want to pretend that we just wrap him in cotton wool until this time of year, but he was born to play at this time of year, and I hope it continues for a long, long time,” Scott said.
“He wasn’t the only one, but when we were under pressure, I just thought he was so influential … it felt like it did 10 years ago, or almost 10 years ago, when it’s like, ‘OK, something’s not going right, how do we get Patrick in the spots where he can influence?’”
Scott now faces a selection dilemma in the next week as he decides how to replace Stewart.
The most obvious option might be to recall ruckman Rhys Stanley, assuming his hamstring is recovered, and send Mark Blicavs back to defence, but veteran backman Jed Bews might be another in contention.
“I said a couple of weeks ago that if Rhys is fit, we’ll play him … [and] the fact that he’s gone so well leaves him in really good shape for next week,” Scott said. “That’s probably a little bit of a pointer to the way I’m thinking, and I’m one of the [selection] group.”
It was an abrupt end to Hawthorn’s hard-earned September run after back-to-back interstate victories over GWS and Adelaide, but this was another step forward after winning one final last year.
“From an emotional point of view, you’re so torn because you’re so disappointed,” Mitchell said.
“But rationally, I’m sure I should be feeling some pride in how far we’ve come and the journey we’re on and the stepping stones we’re taking – and that’ll come, but I don’t feel it just yet. Basically, you’ve got that sick feeling in the bottom of your stomach.
“That’s why it’s such a great game. You get yourself to this point, and you risk that absolute feeling of ecstasy being in the other change rooms, or the devastation of sitting where I sit now, and every brown-and-gold person as they drive and train home will have a very similar feeling to what I’ve got right now.”
The Hawks’ pursuit of Essendon captain Zach Merrett should only ratchet up after Friday night’s preliminary final after losing the clearances by 17, including a remarkable 20-5 centre-clearance disparity.
They lost all seven centre clearances in the match-turning third term, where Geelong kicked seven goals to three to establish a 28-point buffer at three-quarter-time.
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