The Agenda Setters on Channel 7 Caroline Wilson on Tyson Stengle’s distant return to football – on Seven and 7plus.
Wilson: “Well it’s not looking good at the moment Kane, Tom and I have been working on this story for a couple of days. Geelong have only had sporadic contact with Tyson Stengle in recent weeks since he travelled to Adelaide at the start of Gather Round. There was an expectation that he might train today, I’m not sure why because he’s not even in town. There are Geelong leaders who hope to get in touch with Tyson this weekend. He’s cut off all ties with his management group, including, obviously, Eddie Betts’ wife, Anna. He’s cut off all full ties with Indigenous leaders, and very few people at Geelong have any contact with him at all. The sad thing about this is that some weeks ago, Tom, Geelong were keen to play Tyson. Now, these troubles emerged last year, and summer was a bit of a disaster. But there was hope, about four weeks ago, that he might come back and play VFL, which was where Geelong players and footy department bosses felt this might be the start of his rehabilitation and recovery.”
Morris: “Well the AFL is essentially not allowing Tyson Stengle to play football, and that is because of the medical model that they have, and there’s serious implications here for Geelong, there’s implications for Tyson Stengle, and implications for his contract as well Kane. So, he’s contracted to the end of 2029, roughly about $750,000 a year. Now, that’s a serious contract to not be playing any football. It’s dangerously similar to Jamarra last year, who didn’t play.”
Cornes: “He’s not reporting to training, Geelong are having trouble finding him, at the moment, is he still getting that (money)?”
Morris: “He’s getting every cent, because that’s part of the deal.”
Cornes: “Did Geelong challenge that with the AFL? Surely they have.”
Morris: “I’m not sure there’s negotiations behind the scenes, but I agree with Caro. His career is at the crossroads, and his career is at the crossroads, because he’s not playing, there’s no real indication as when he’s going to play again and he simply isn’t talking to people closest around him. And on that sort of money, that’s a big hole for Geelong.”
Wilson: “So Geelong are raising questions about that medical model. I raised questions with Geelong today, as the AFL has, over the past year, about the fact that every club has a mandated, Indigenous liaison or PDM (Player Development Manager). They must work three days a week. Geelong has Brett Goods, who they really like and rate. He’s one day a week. The AFL have asked the question in the past, why is Brett Goods not working longer hours, why don’t they have someone working more hours at the club? Geelong say that, in Tyson Stengle’s case, that he has a closer development with Matt Worthington, another PDM at the club. But I still ask the question, and this is a league wide problem, why some clubs aren’t adhering to the rules, particularly Geelong, with two women now in their AFLW program, First Nations, women, and four males. So, that is just one other problem for the Geelong Football Club, a much bigger problem.”
Cornes: “So he hasn’t been supported well enough in your eyes?”
Wilson: “Well, Geelong say that he has, and they say that his relationship was less with Brett Goods, who’s a fireman, and doesn’t want to work more than one day a week. But he has a better relationship with Worthington. So I accept that. But I do question why the AFL put these rules in, and you’ve got the Western Bulldogs who lost their Indigenous Liaison Officer, or PDM, last December, and still haven’t been able to replace him. Why, Hawthorn lost theirs last week, he’s gone to work for the AFL. But you have these people being asked to go and fill in at these clubs at a time that there is no one.”
The Agenda Setters – 7.30pm every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night on 7mate and 7plus Sport.
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The Agenda Setters on Channel 7 Caroline Wilson on Tyson Stengle’s distant return to football
