COULD STEWART BE ALL-AUST BOLTER?

GEELONG defender Tom Stewart’s outstanding start to the season comes as “no real surprise” to his teammates, according to gun midfielder Sam Menegola.

The 25-year-old has established himself as one of the competition’s elite backmen in just his second year at AFL level, putting his name in the frame for AllAustralian selection come the end of the season.

Stewart, who has stood up seamlessly in the wake of injuries to Lachie Henderson and Harry Taylor, is averaging 19 touches and 392m gained per match while shutting down one of the opposition’s best forwards.

According to Champion Data, Stewart also ranks above average in the AFL for intercept possessions (6.3 per game), intercept marks (2.1) and spoils (3.6)

“Certainly it wouldn’t surprise me to see him in there,” Menegola said of Stewart’s All-Australian chances.

“I think he has been playing amazing footy and certainly reckon he is one of the more damaging half-backs defensively.”

Stewart and Menegola both travelled similar paths to the AFL, plucked as mature-age recruits.

Like Stewart, Menegola also had a significant impact in his first season, backed it up in his second and is providing just as much impact this year in his third.

Menegola said having a “really good pre-season” goes a long way to keeping the second-year blues away.

“Maybe the fact he is in his second year, he’s got that experience behind him and he clearly has confidence in what he can do at (AFL) level,” he said.

“I don’t know if there has been a specific catalyst, but whatever he is doing is working.”

Both Stewart and Menegola will play crucial roles in Sunday’s blockbuster with Collingwood at the MCG.

Stewart will have a date with one of the Magpies’ inform forwards, while Geelong’s midfield will go head-to-head with the likes of Scott Pendlebury, Taylor Adams, Adam Treloar and Steele Sidebottom.

Collingwood has been a bogey team for Geelong since the Cats rolled it in the 2011 grand final, losing six of its past nine clashes.

“The last time we played them was encouraging but we’ve got to play really good footy to beat them,” Menegola said. “I can’t really pinpoint what’s brought us undone in the couple of times I’ve played them. We will get a really strong plan together and hopefully we can execute it.

“They’re going really well at the moment, clearly improved over the summer and have always been a tough opposition and will always get tougher as they improve.”