Collingwood star laughs off $7 million offer reports; Melbourne star Harrison Petty having more tests after dizziness
Updated ,first published
In today’s AFL briefing:
- Chris Scott has claimed the Cats have been blocked by the AFL over their failure to answer questions about Tyson Stengle’s immediate future.
- Beau McCreery addresses a report that expansion club Tasmania are targeting him with a mega bid.
- Demon Harrison Petty undergoes further tests as Melbourne tries to find the cause of his dizzy spell.
‘I really don’t know’: Scott left in the dark about Stengle
Scott Spits
Geelong coach Chris Scott has claimed the Cats have been blocked by the AFL over their failure to answer questions about the immediate future of premiership small forward Tyson Stengle.
The 27-year-old last played in last year’s grand final defeat to the Brisbane Lions but has played nearly 100 games for the Cats since joining the club in 2022.
Asked at training on Wednesday when Stengle would return to the Cats’ senior squad, Scott offered limited information about the former Richmond and Adelaide player, suggesting some questions were better answered by the AFL.
Age columnist Caroline Wilson reported on Tuesday night that Geelong had only sporadic contact with Stengle and had cut off contact with the management of his 109 players.
“Geelong has had sporadic contact with Tyson Stengle in recent weeks since he traveled to Adelaide for the start of the Gather Round,” Wilson told Seven’s. Agenda Setters.
“There was an expectation that he could train today; I’m not sure why because he’s not even in town.
“There are Geelong leaders hoping to contact Tyson this weekend.”
Seven also reported that Stengle was subject to the AFL’s medical model, including guidelines on returning to play.
Asked to clarify the situation and provide information on Stengle’s whereabouts, the Geelong coach said: “No I can’t. And again, it’s not my job to deal with these things.”
“If I had good information I probably wouldn’t tell you this because I would think it was private, but this is a place I really don’t know.”
Asked if Geelong fans would be worried about whether Stengle would return this year and the uncertainty of the timeline, Scott said: “That’s the way the AFL wants it to be, so we’ve got to submit to their process.”
Asked if Stengle’s absence was an AFL leadership decision, Scott replied: “I’m not even sure I’m qualified to talk about it. Those areas are that gray so when I’m not sure it’s best to say less.”
“But to answer your specific question, which I think is a bit unfair, it’s not my job to calm the nerves of Geelong fans.
“If people want more information they should probably direct their questions to the AFL.”
The two-time premiership coach warned the media against speculating with “less information” than they have.
“But again, I don’t want to sound like I’m defending that. I think what I’ve learned over the years is to recognize the different roles that people have in these types of situations,” Scott said.
“I don’t have a problem with the media speculating, but they’re speculating with less information than I do and I have less information than other people at the club, people who probably have less information than the AFL,” Scott said.
But the Cats coach said he “liked” what he had seen from Stengle in training recently.
“When we see him on the practice track, we think, ‘OK, we want to get this guy on our team as soon as possible.’ That’s why I can’t walk away from those comments,” Scott said.
When asked specifically if Stengle could be at his best, Scott said: “Yes, [we’ve got] superior confidence. But we are optimistic.”
Is this the AFL’s new $7 million man?
Hannah Kennelly
Collingwood midfielder Beau McCreery has laughed off reports linking him with a potential $7 million bid from new expansion club Tasmania Devils.
On Tuesday night, AFL.com.au reported that Tasmania had identified McCreery, who is contracted with the Magpies until 2027. As a player who is the center of attention of the opening lists He was the target of a potential deal worth $1 million per season over seven years as he prepares to join the competition in 2028.
McCreery, who has played 102 games since his 2021 debut, made the radio rounds on Wednesday morning ahead of the annual Anzac Day clash with Essendon at the MCG and laughed off questions about the big deal, saying he was unaware of any official bid.
The 25-year-old said during an interview with Triple M that Tasmania had not made an offer to him.
“I was as stunned as you when you heard this,” McCreery said.
“No, not personally. [reached out]. Obviously that’s big news to hear, but I’m still contracted to Collingwood for the next two years… so my eyes are on the prize there and obviously… “We have a big game this weekend.”
In a separate radio interview broadcast on Fox, McCreery again said he was unaware of the offer.
Devils seek answers for Petty
Danny Russell
Melbourne’s Harrison Petty is undergoing a battery of tests in an attempt to explain his mysterious wobbly spell mid-match, despite the Demons having already placed the defender in concussion protocols.
Melbourne were unable to determine the exact cause of Petty’s problem after he was taken from the MCG by medical staff in the third term of their game against the Brisbane Lions on Sunday afternoon.
“This is a unique situation,” Melbourne coach Steven King said on Wednesday. “We are still doing some tests with it at the moment to make sure what it could be.
“His health and well-being is the most important thing. We’re still not sure exactly what happened and that’s why we’re exploring all those possibilities.”
“We’ve included it in the protocols right now because it’s the most obvious, but we’re still not 100 percent sure that’s the case.”
Petty took a blow to the jaw during a marking contest almost 45 minutes before he suffered blurry vision in the Demons’ defensive goal.
He kicked and immediately fell to his haunches. He then walked back to lean against the goalpost before being assisted by his Melbourne teammates.
Petty suffered a concussion against Gold Coast in June last year.
“We put him in the protocols right now because of his history because it was the most obvious thing that could happen,” King said.
“But there’s still a lot of things that could happen, so we’re making sure that’s the priority to get to the bottom of it.”
Petty had tests on Tuesday and more were expected this week.
“Once we get all that information, we’ll sit down with the people involved, the doctors, and make sure we’re creating the right plan for Harrison,” King said.
King said he made his way from the trainer’s bench to the ground, and when he reached the change bench, Petty walked away.
“Six or eight of our teammates got to him,” King said.
“I’m actually really proud of the way we handled the whole situation in terms of making sure his welfare was above the game being played.”
King said he was looking forward to being part of his Anzac Day eve debut at the MCG on Friday night, when the eighth-placed Demons will take on winless Richmond.
“I look forward to representing our club and all our wonderful service staff with all the pre-match and atmosphere,” he said.
“I went and watched a lot, and now it’s going to be pretty special to be a part of it.”
King says Melbourne players are behind on using rapper Warren G’s song To organise as a signalman during matches.
“That’s not a bad sign to see at different times of the game,” the first-year coach said.
“This isn’t something that’s an end-of-game scenario. It’s more of a scenario for kids to evaluate the situation and let the game breathe.”
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Hannah Kennelly is an award-winning sports journalist and Formula 1 writer for The Age.Connect via email.
