Tyson Stengle was told to back himself. ‘The Prez’ did just that on his way to a second grand final

Tyson Stengle is never short of friendly advice.

He laughs as he relays the fact his premiership captain Joel Selwood occasionally texts him after a game to remind him to kick straight.

Given Stengle matched Selwood’s tally of 175 goals (in 355 games with a 54 per cent accuracy, in Selwood’s case) when he kicked the sealer off the ground in the preliminary final (in his 108th match at 64 per cent accuracy), he might be entitled to push back.

He doesn’t. But his smile widens.

“Joel is an awesome human being [and has been] ever since I got here,” Stengle said.

“He’s great. He always messages me to this day, telling me to kick straight after a game, [and] just having a chat here and there. He’s been good.”

On Saturday, Stengle heads to his second grand final in four years, a proven performer on the big stage who polled four votes in the 2022 Norm Smith Medal after kicking four goals in that win over Sydney.

He might get some advice before the big game, too, from his pop Cecil, who he doesn’t expect to make it back from Coober Pedy for the game.

“He always rings me before games or after games, and says you can do more – you can do this and do that. As long as I’m trying to get better, I guess,” Stengle said.

Stengle and his brother Anthony – a good footballer, himself – lived with Cecil and his partner Emily from the age of about 14 after his grandmother Debra, who he had lived with, died.

“[They were] just trying to keep me on a straight and narrow the whole way, and supporting me and taking me to footy, so I can’t thank them enough for getting me to where I am today,” Stengle said.

The pair’s footballing talent became obvious during their time at Le Fevre High School in South Australia as they played for Portland Football Club, Stengle’s quick feet and ball handling skills obvious to all.

Although Stengle realising his talent at the elite level was going to be harder than for most, given the distractions around, Cecil kept encouraging him to reach his potential. And Stengle quietly absorbed the lessons.

“Sometimes life doesn’t always go your way, but you have just got to keep going and keep pushing forward, I guess,” Stengle said. “Some things happen throughout life. I’ve always learned from my pop Cecil that sometimes things happen for a reason, so keep trusting and keep moving forward, and hopefully things will fall into place for you.”

After a stint with the Port Adelaide Magpies’ academy, Stengle joined the Woodville West-Torrens under-19s, where he made enough of an impression for Richmond to rookie-list him.

He played two matches in two seasons with the Tigers – the 2017 VFL grand final his last match with them after they accepted his desire to return to Adelaide and, despite having a two-year deal on the table for him to remain, traded him to the Crows.

Everyone knew his talent, but he could not settle in Adelaide.

His time at the Crows ended in ignominious fashion when he was sacked before the 2021 season after police caught him and teammate Brad Crouch with an illicit substance – a few relatively minor off-field incidents ending his time at the club after 14 matches in two seasons.

At a loose end, he began playing seniors with Woodville West-Torrens and working as a trainee at the club, where his work in the office fitted in with footy training. Talent manager Darren Hams and long-time coach Shane Reardon watched Stengle knuckle down and grow, in both his on- and off-field roles.

He earned the nickname “the Prez” in the office when he began to offer his thoughts on how things could be run as his confidence grew and his initial quietness disappeared.

On the field Stengle was excellent, but Reardon still laughs at the cheeky grin he would get when he told Stengle he was the best judge of five metres he had ever seen.

If the ball was within five metres of him, Stengle would explode off the mark to impact. If the ball was outside that range, his effort would be minimal.

Reardon laughs now when he sees how Stengle’s hard work in Geelong has stretched that distance 50 times over as he races into contests he would have thought beyond his range earlier in his career.

It’s the work he has put in that has made Stengle respected at the Cats since he arrived as a delisted free agent.

The club worked with him with the support of then-assistant Eddie Betts and his wife Anna Scullie to understand what he needs to feel at home inside their club.

And Stengle, in turn, learned what they needed from him for the relationship to flourish, recognising his opportunities at the Tigers and Crows had been lost.

He also thought of Cecil’s constant refrain when times got tough.

“He’s always said ever since I was young, ‘If you want to do it, you can do it, you know – just trust yourself’,” Stengle said.

Now he has settled in Geelong, Stengle’s comfort levels are such that he doesn’t make the trip to the Betts household in Melbourne as often as he did in his first season, when he kicked 53 goals and was the first delisted free agent to make an All-Australian team.

But the relationship remains as strong as ever.

“They’ve been great ever since I moved across,” Stengle said.

He’s quick to express gratitude for those who have helped him grow into a dangerous forward, but Geelong people say most of the credit for the career he has crafted should be directed at the 26-year-old goalsneak.

The “Prez” nickname followed him to the Cats where he has joined “Jez” (Jeremy Cameron) inside 50, a combination to even concern a backline as strong as the Lions.

Whatever happens, Stengle is enjoying himself.

“Everyone’s just good mates at the footy club,” he said.

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