AFL 2026: Fresh concerns for Tyson Stengle after missing flight, spotted at nightclub

Geelong forward Tyson Stengle’s AFL career is at a crossroads after he was reportedly spotted at a nightclub 36 hours before missing a team flight.

Stengle has not played an AFL game this season after being granted personal leave by the Cats to deal with personal issues.

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He made a return to football earlier this month, kicking four goals in a VFL win in a promising sign he could return to the senior side this year.

But the 26-year-old has suffered a setback, missing a flight last Friday with Geelong’s VFL for a game against Southport on Saturday.

On Seven’s Agenda Setters, reporter Xander McGuire said Stengle had been spotted at Melbourne’s Electric Nightclub following the State of Origin game at the MCG on Wednesday night.

Stengle’s name was reportedly called out by airport staff on Friday but he was nowhere to be seen and missed the flight.

“Clearly this is a setback for Tyson Stengle, who has missed the majority of this season due to personal issues in his personal life,” McGuire said.

“Being at a nightclub spot is not great.”

Asked if Stengle was on his last chance with Geelong, McGuire said: “Clearly you’d be running out of patience.

“If you look at how clubs have handled this in the past, they’re willing to work with players and each club has a different threshold.

“But being in such a public and open space like Electric nightclub, one of the most high profile night venues in Melbourne, it’s not a great look, even if there are personal issues involved, so close to a game.”

Kane Cornes was more critical and suggested Stengle may find it difficult to revive his AFL career following this setback.

“To be out in such a public place, 36 hours before the time he’s supposed to be on a flight to go and play and get his career back on track, and to be seen there, I’m assuming, at interesting hours of the night, and then to miss the flight, after everything that Geelong has done for him to get him back on track, the contract that they’ve given him, the money that he earns, that he’s still getting, this is a major slap in the face from him to them,” Cornes said on The Agenda Setters.

“We know he’s got trouble. We don’t even have to say that. We know that. We know there’s personal issues. We know the reasons behind that. But this is a bad blow, and one that I don’t think he comes back from.”

Cornes added: “It’s hard when you lose the trust of your teammates. To actually commit to turning up to training, to to commit to be on a flight, to commit to play. Then when he doesn’t follow through, you start to lose trust and it’s difficult to come back from that.

It comes after reports Stengle was having minimal contact with Geelong after taking an extended leave over Christmas and pre-season.

Stengle kicked 53 goals in 2022 to earn All Australian honours and played in Geelong’s premiership win in the game year.

He signed a life-changing, five-year contract extension with the Cats in 2024. It was reportedly worth up to $3.5 million.

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