There are serious fears for the playing future of Geelong small forward Tyson Stengle, who has “cut off all ties” with his management, including Eddie Betts’ wife, Anna Scullie.
Star Agenda Setters journalists Caroline Wilson and Tom Morris have revealed that Stengle’s career is in crisis despite the fact he’s contracted to the end of 2029 on roughly about $750,000 a year.
“(His future) is not looking good at the moment,” Wilson said on Channel 7’s The Agenda Setters.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today
“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, including, obviously, Eddie Betts’ wife, Anna. He’s cut off all 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, Geelong were keen to play Tyson … 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 that this might be the start of his rehabilitation and recovery.
“But this was thwarted under the AFL’s rules.”
Morris explained that the AFL was essentially not allowing Stengle, 27, to play football because of the league’s “medical model”.
“And there’s serious implications here for Geelong. There’s implications for Tyson Stengle and implications for his contract as well.
“So he’s contracted to the end of 2029 on roughly about $750,000 a year. Now, that’s a serious contract to not be playing any football. It’s dangerously similar to Jamarra Ugle-Hagan last year who didn’t play.”
AFL expert Kane Cornes added: “He’s not reporting to training. Geelong are having trouble finding him at the moment or certainly getting him to report. Is he still getting that full wage?”
Morris said he Stengle was “getting every cent because that’s part of the deal”.
“I’m not sure there’s negotiations behind the scenes (about the contract) but his career’s at the crossroads,” Morris said.
“And his career’s at the crossroads because he’s not playing. There’s no real indication as to 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 said Stengles’ troubles emerged last year and his “summer was a bit of a disaster”
Head here to watch The Agenda Setters on 7plus Sport
“So Geelong are raising questions about (the AFL’s) medical model,” Wilson said.
“I raise 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 Goodes, who they really like and rate. He’s one day a week.
“The AFL have asked the question in the past, why is Brett Goodes 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’s 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 …”
More to come …
