Geelong vice-captain Tom Stewart is ready for any Jed McEntee-sized plans Port Adelaide may or may not have for their qualifying final on Thursday night.
Now in his eighth year in the AFL, Stewart is already a five-time All-Australian defender, having stamped himself as one of the premier intercept players in the game from the moment he entered it as a mature-age recruit in 2017.
So dominant has the 31-year-old been during his decorated career, he has regularly had to work through defensive forward tags, especially in the past two years.
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Port Adelaide midfielder Willem Drew has assumed the role as the Power’s stopper in recent years, and has done it as effectively as any of his peers in the game.
But it has been McEntee that Power coach Ken Hinkley has sent to Stewart the past three times the two teams have played each other.
McEntee was instrumental in steering Port Adelaide to a thrilling six-point win over the Cats in Round 9 this year, keeping Stewart to 18 touches and minimal impact on the game.
But that was before Stewart made the move to Geelong’s midfield in Round 16 against Essendon. Since then, the Cats superstar has transformed himself into a full-time midfielder to fill a chasm in the Geelong side, and says he’s ready for anything Port Adelaide throw at him.
“The coaching staff have been fantastic, allowing me to work through it (the tag) with them, and they set up the platform for us guys on game day to put our best foot forward and play to whatever our strengths are,” Stewart told 7NEWS.com.au.
“I’m not blind to the fact that people come and pay attention to me, but I’ve got 22 other teammates who are all out there trying to do their best as well.
“It’s humbling to be seen in that light, that opposition teams respect what I can do on the field to try and nullify me, but I’m just going to go out there and play to my strengths and back myself in and try and help the team win, because that’s ultimately what I’m there for.”
Stewart’s role, and opposition teams’ nullifying attempts thereof, has been the subject of constant external discussion this season, especially during the middle part of the year, during which Geelong lost six out of seven games between Rounds 8 and 15.
“I feel like the whole tag narrative has shifted and pivoted a lot this year,” Stewart said.
“Obviously, you know, I was a bit of a product that when the team wasn’t going very well and I wasn’t in my best form, it just so happened that there was a lot of external critiquing of the tag on me.
“But having gone into the midfield and added some different parts to my game, I’m really confident that whatever any opposition throws at me now, that I’ve got a few more tricks that I can go to and some real freedom within our game structure to play what I think is my best footy.”
In Round 9, it appeared McEntee had got right under Stewart’s skin by relentlessly shadowing his every move.
Stewart gave away a 50-metre penalty for uncharacteristically throwing his opponent to ground, and looked a shell of himself.
But the Geelong leader insists he is OK with copping the tag, even seeing it as a nice compliment.
“I wouldn’t say it frustrates me,” he said.
“It’s not anything that I anticipated my career trajectory to go to having oppositions play such close attention to me and try and really nullify my impact.”
Stewart said the move to the midfield, on a permanent basis at least, happened by accident.
“I’ve had a bit of exposure to the midfield in previous years. I think stages through 2021 and 2022 I played up on the wing and gone inside for centre bounces. So it wasn’t something that was completely foreign to me,” he said.
“I trained a fair amount of the pre-season in there, learning off Cam Guthrie and Pat (Dangerfield) and working with Tom Atkins and Tanner Bruhn and Jack Bowes, and sort of understanding the nuance of that part of the ground.
“There was a moment in time where the coaches sort of came to me before the Essendon game, and we were talking about some match-ups and the potential to go to Jake Stringer at centre bounces and try and work off him, and then it’s just sort of gained a bit of traction from there, (because) some of the skillset that I have and my attributes would suit potentially playing around the ball a bit more.
“It’s something that I’ve been really proud of to go in there and help and give those boys a different look.
“It’s been a lot of fun. I really enjoyed my time, and will continue to enjoy that time, because I feel it’s another string to my bow that can help the team.”
As he prepares for Thursday night’s qualifying final, Stewart is also teaming up with Bunnings to deliver the Bunnings Home Ground Advantage initiative.
The Australian hardware icon is asking for applications from local clubs to upgrade their rooms to support the ever-increasing demand on local club facilities and to celebrate what is unique about community football clubs in Australia.
Five deserving local football clubs across Australia will receive $50,000 worth of products and materials.
It’s particularly pertinent for Stewart, given he was effectively drafted out of a local Geelong club in 2016.
“Bunnings is obviously an institution of Australia and it’s an amazing initiative that offers the opportunities for local clubs to get some funding to refurbish their rooms,” Stewart said.
“It’s something close to my heart; everyone has their local club that they grew up barracking and playing for and starting their journey on. So, you know, it’s something that I find really advantageous.
“And obviously the opportunity to work and to give back a grassroots level is something that I’m quite passionate about.
“So, when when Bunnings came knocking and asked if I was willing to be involved, I jumped at the opportunity to give back wherever I could.”
