Traded #25: Jake Stringer - 📦 Traded to GWS for Pick #53 - 16/10

[faible]

Whilst many of our players have had interrupted pre-seasons it sounds like Stringer is as fit as he's ever been in his time here

AFL 2020: Jake Stringer Essendon, best pre-season ever, Bombers injuries

In the midst of his club’s wretched summer injury run, Essendon gun Jake Stringer says he’s never been in better shape after experiencing one of his best and smoothest pre-seasons of his AFL career.

www.foxsports.com.au

In the midst of his club’s wretched summer injury run, Essendon gun Jake Stringer says he’s never been in better shape after experiencing one of his best and smoothest pre-seasons of his AFL career.

A host of key Bombers have, at different stages over the past few months, battled a range of injuries or suffered setbacks, including Joe Daniher (groin), Cale Hooker (hip), Dylan Shiel (knee) David Zaharakis (knee), Dyson Heppell (foot), Michael Hurley (shoulder) and Orazio Fantasia (hip).

However Stringer, who battled foot, knee and hamstring issues to play 19 of a possible 23 games in 2019, has not just been a constant presence on the track, but also one of Essendon’s best trainers.

In his eighth AFL pre-season, Stringer recently ran a personal best in the 2km time trial, slashing a whopping 20 seconds off his previous top time.

Asked on SEN Breakfast how he was going physically, Stringer cheekily said: “I’m borderline flying at the minute … nah I’m going well.”

The 25-year-old said it’d been “one of the hardest pre-seasons I’ve ever done”. He hailed the influence of the Bombers’ new head of strength and conditioning Sean Murphy, who’s come across from Hawthorn and “really tested us physically and mentally”.

“Not being injured is a massive part and I don't think I've missed a session the whole pre-season, which is all you can ask for when you go into a pre-season is complete as many sessions as you can. I’d be probably in the top one or two at the club that hasn’t missed,” Stringer told SEN on Friday morning.

Asked if it’d been one of his smoothest AFL pre-seasons yet, Stringer declared: “Yeah, by far.

“Last year was pretty good, but this year’s been taken to a new level with Sean Murphy coming across. He's really pushed the boundaries with me.

“It's been a hard slog and, don't worry, I'm looking forward to playing and getting out of this pre-season phase.”

Even though Stringer is “flying”, he said seven or eight teammates are still not in full training, but the “majority of them were running”.

“Not everything's gone to plan, obviously. There's been a few blokes that are still not quite into full training, but that's part of football and part of the pre-season. You’ve just got to deal with whatever comes,” Stringer said.

He later added: “We’re in a great position to able to springboard into the season and hopefully get a few more of these top echelon blokes back.”

The first-round draft pick kicked 98.55 for the Bulldogs in 2015 and 2016 before being traded ahead of the 2018 season to the Bombers, where he’s spent recent summers training with the on-ballers.

Stringer said the plan was still for him to play a mixture of midfield and forward minutes this season, but added he’d been training primarily with the attacking group this pre-season and “honing in on my craft as a forward”.

Stringer said Essendon’s succession plan, which will see senior coach John Worsfold gradually hand the reins to assistant Ben Rutten throughout 2020, was working well. He said Worsfold was at the club everyday and engaged with the players, but Rutten took charge of all tactical discussions and meetings.

“The work that John and Ben have done together has been absolutely outstanding and literally the smoothest transition that you could possibly ever see. It's a credit to both of them how well it's actually gone,” Stringer said.

“I couldn’t be happier with where the club is at the minute.”

Stringer said there’d be a noticeable but not dramatic change to the club’s game plan this season.

“It’ll definitely be a lot more consistent,” Stringer said.

“From a whole learning (process) and even in training, you’re seeing it more and more every time we’re doing bits of match ‘sim’. I think it’ll be very noticeable when people come to watch us.”

 

[jmoo wan]

Rosa will be bent once again for a 50s pick

this is a little too casually misogynistic and/or homophobic for my liking

 

[yodellinhank]

this is a little too casually misogynistic and/or homophobic for my liking

Pretty heteronormative of you. Women can bend people over too.

 

[DapperDon]

where do we find the 40 odd goals Stringer gave us? Im not against the move but i dont like the thought of being less competitive next season.

Rick Ross You're up!

 

[Foxx]

Caddy improvement, Kako, Langford was injured second half of the year. Hopefully Wright and Jones improve. Reckon Saad is good for a few goals as well.

I think Nic Cox could kick 25-30 as an 80m forward.

 

[jmoo wan]

Pretty heteronormative of you. Women can bend people over too.

disappointing - i didnt have you pegged as an agitator

 

[BratPack]

He's still fat, but he'll probably win the Coleman next year.

That's just how these things work for us

 

[BrunoV]

Hope he lights up September 2025 and he probably will.

Was nothing personal he just became the wrong player for us.

 

[Highly Evolved]

Farewell Jake, I'll miss you.

I get the logic behind the move, even if I'm not necessarily a fan of it.

 

[Alberto_Magnifico]

Pretty heteronormative of you. Women can bend people over too.

Women called Peggy?

 

[Call Me Cake]

he just became the wrong player for us.

Aren't they all

 

[yodellinhank]

Women called Peggy?

With big feet?

 

[Blind Turn]

Pretty heteronormative of you. Women can bend people over too.

I can attest to that.

 

[jdstorm]

I didnt really rate any of them on last season but crazy there was next to no interest in heppel, hind, kelly, laverde, Stringer.

Pretty telling when no clubs want to go forward with 5 of your best 22. Think laverde and stringer gone next year and would also try and offload parish. Also draper if compensation is good enough.

I'm interesr in thoughts what we now need to do to go from mediocre 8-15 to a successful list.

A key part is just improving depth and being generally competent/competitive in all aspects.

Effort can get you a long way. As does health and selection pressure.

There’s also a lot of young highly drafted players on the team (or breakout finds like Martin/Durham) that if they start to work things out, that will significantly raise the ceiling on this team.

See who does well and who could be upgraded, try and bring in free agents and or trade for a high end player

 

[windyhill]

where do we find the 40 odd goals Stringer gave us? Im not against the move but i dont like the thought of being less competitive next season.

Kakkalenko you beauty…..

 

[ghostdog]

Karmabomber not happy.

 

[Shanghaistu]

53 huh! He'll get close to that number of goals next year for GWS.

…. Against us

 

[mxett]

pick 53?

I mean I get he wasnt consistent and heading towards the end of his career, but that's basically giving him away for nothing

 

[Gumby2Hurley]

Wouldn’t mind facing the giants early with half their squad missing

 

[Skipper_]

Who is Jake’s direct matchup when we play the Giants?

Ridley? Redman?

 

[Lore]

Who is Jake’s direct matchup when we play the Giants?

Ridley? Redman?

Depends, does he even get a game for the Giants?

 

[windyhill]

Who is Jake’s direct matchup when we play the Giants?

Ridley? Redman?

Early in the year ? Ridley. Later in the year ? Not Ridley , out injured

 

[jannissary]

Depends, does he even get a game for the Giants?

depth pick, worth it

 

[Jobe Watson]

I don't know what people expected us to get for a half-cooked, soon-to-be 31-year-old with off-field concerns. I'd rather take pick 53 than have Stringer hogging a list spot for the next two years. Good player at his peak but he's on the decline and isn't needed anymore.

 

[Goat Hird]

Should've included Laverde.

 

[bombersim]

You put your shit back in, you put your shit back out, you put your shit back in etc etc

I wonder what he’ll leave behind in his locker…