Geelong coach Chris Scott has labelled Tyson Stengle’s time at the club “an outstanding success”.
Speaking publicly for the first time since the 2022 All-Australian’s departure from the club was confirmed last week, Scott says Stengle’s tenure should be remembered for his overall contribution.
“I would be invading his privacy if I spoke to some of the challenges that he’s had through his life,” Scott said
“But I think you can take it as read that for him to do what he did in the AFL system is so close to a miracle, it’s not funny.
“He should be so proud of what he’s been able to achieve.”
After two-year stints with Richmond and Adelaide, where he played a combined 16 matches, Geelong took a chance on Stengle at the end of 2021.
He instantly repaid the faith the Cats put in him, helping the club to the 2022 premiership.
In that year Stengle kicked 53 goals and earned All-Australian selection.
With Geelong, he played 93 games and kicked 160 goals.
However, after a pre-season where the majority was spent away from the club, Stengle failed to play an AFL match this year.
He did make one VFL appearance, kicking four goals in mid-June against Gold Coast.
But when he didn’t front for the following week’s match against Queensland-based club Southport, it became increasingly apparent his time at GMHBA Stadium was coming to a close, despite only being in the second season of a five-year contract.
“In the end… he’s not the first, he won’t be the last, that, you know, it just all becomes too difficult,” Scott said.
“It’s an incredibly challenging environment that we operate in, and so it should be.
“I think we should be more comfortable when players say, ‘Look, I just can’t do this anymore’.
“And my take on Tyson is that that’s more the situation, that it just all became sort of too difficult for him rather than any specific issue he had.
“I know people will want to jump to the detail and try to narrow it down to one or two issues.
“But again, without invading his privacy, his was a complex situation, and again for him to do what he did, our footy club we’ll forever be grateful for, and we’ll work as hard as we can to make sure that you know the rest of his life is a success as well.
”So it’s disappointing to see him finish; I’m not sugarcoating that bit.
“But I think we should be more celebrating his contribution rather than mourning his finish.”
Scott says he hasn’t delved into what impact Stengle’s departure will have on the club’s salary cap.
“I don’t have the specifics,” he said.
“And maybe it helps you a little bit to sort of understand the way we think about our system; I don’t get down into the weeds on that stuff.
“I think it’s dangerous territory when the coach is heavily involved in the intricacies of that stuff.
“What my role within that is to make it clear how important I think the salary cap management is and then let the guys go after that and do a good job.
“If you want more information on that, there are better people to speak to it than me.”
