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.”

 

[Cold Sober]

Stringer has been our only game changing player since he got here.
In this day and age make it work, it's not rocket science, or rocket science is the problem.

 

[Runk]

Same bro, same

 

[bacon buster]

We ****ed up his program.
The Dogs always had him on a modified program. It worked for a lot of the time but he also went of the rails several times.
For us he was good in 2018 and 2019. Nothing much off field and was pretty fit.
2020 was an issue . Started okay but got injured and lost the focus while he was stuck in Melbourne away from the side and support. He came back fat and unfit.
The last two seasons he has been spot on through December and early Jan . Really fit. Doing all the work but the workload was too much for him and he did not make round 1 and as soon as he can not fully train he puts on 5 or 6 kg and loses the fitness. From what I know his broken leg from his under 18 days gives him a running gate that puts pressure on other parts of his body.

We got seduced by his football ability to play midfield as good as most at his best but the fact is his body does not take midfield workload. Was nothing to do with him. He stuck to the program pre season. The ended up with major groin soreness. 2021 it took him 4 games to get going again after missing the first two games.

Last year he can back in round 2 but was not right and not ready. He played with groin soreness all season.

This year he has been on a slow build. Scott mentioned the fact that they have sacrificed some early conditioning work to build him up strength wise in other areas. He has had a bit of back soreness but is now back doing normal running and some ball work.

you do realise there's a world where we ****ed his program, AND Jake lacked (lacks) professionalism looking after his own body. right?

 

[ant555]

you do realise there's a world where we ****ed his program, AND Jake lacked (lacks) professionalism looking after his own body. right?

I do realize you only ever log on to have a shot at Stringer.

And I have said a number of times in a number of posts that he has had seasons where he has let himself down. 2020 being the last one. Not sure what more I have to say. He was off the rails in 2016 as well.

What I will say is if you are in personal best shape in December and January 2 years in a row and then get injured and not make round 1 then it is not a result of professionalism issues. The last two years he has had groin issues brought on by increased workload. That is the fact.

This year even the coach has said they have sacrificed conditioning in an effort to get him ready by round 1 .

All I have done is go with the facts I know. No personal bias.

 

[andleanback]

Stringer sore…. Again

 

[crackers65]

Just saw footage of Stringer on Ch7 news. No wonder he’s sore as he is carrying two of himself around.

 

[citizen-erased]

Just saw footage of Stringer on Ch7 news. No wonder he’s sore as he is carrying two of himself around.

Two stringers.
That should help with rotations

 

[84859300]

Two stringers.

 

[Beerfish]

Stringer sore…. Again

Guess he won't be playing the practice matches then.

 

[Schnitzengruben]

 

[TheUnicorn]

This getting old Stringer.....sort yo shit out fam.

 

[andleanback]

Guess he won't be playing the practice matches then.

Back round 2, breaks down just before Anzac Day, back around mid season

 

[andleanback]

Hamstring tightness having an mri today.

I’ll shout it from the rooftops. He needs to strip his body if he wants to prolongue his career, reality is he could be done at the end of next year.

This talk of we’ve figured out a different program which will allow him to be fit for the start of the season is absolute cap. There’s a reason he keeps breaking down, it’s because his body can’t handle it.

 

[Mr Sasquatch]

I'm Sumo sized and I have less ailments than this guy

 

[Keystone agony]

Yep needs to lose muscle and fat and put a much greater emphasis into glute work

This 'new program' aint working

 

[bennyg12]

Kane Cornes says high

 

[BratPack]

Another break down. Gee I wonder why...

 

[Mr Sasquatch]

So now it seems it's worse than first thought. Guy needs Teflon tendons put in.

 

[andleanback]

So now it seems it's worse than first thought. Guy needs Teflon tendons put in.

It was always going to be a strained hammy, they just had to wait for the mri. Apparently threw his bib off at training so he knew he had done it.

He can’t play round 1, has to come through the vfl.

 

[bennyg12]

So now it seems it's worse than first thought. Guy needs Teflon tendons put in.

Where does it say how bad it is?

 

[Foxx]

Cooked. Needed turning over a long time ago.

 

[Mr Sasquatch]

Where does it say how bad it is?

All over Twitter when I read it

 

[Burzum]

Stringer at the clinic having scans.

 

[Deepthroat]

You guys have got to be frustrated by this. Coming from a club where players were not exactly in their best condition the last couple of years I can sympathise. If something didn't change this year then I don't think it would have been accepted and Simpson and Co would be out on their arse.

Thankfully it appears that the culture has turned around and preseason pics suggest the entire list is on board. Traditional "fatties" in McGovern, Ryan and Naitanui appear to be better versions of themselves this February.

What I am missing is the tolerance of the Essendon faithful to this Groundhog Day approach to fitness. I recall at the time of coach changeover that it was clearly explained that any future missteps on fitness would not be tolerated. The blueprint was to do the basics properly, train with discipline etc, etc.

Ray Charles can see that the way Stringer has presented does not align with this approach and yet the club covers for him again. "He won't be a power mid", "His body allows him to be a dynamic forward" etc. All rubbish. Call it what it is.

The greatest value Stronger has to EFC right now is as an example of what the club won't tolerate. Call him out. Draw a line.

The faithful should be demanding it.

 

[Beerfish]

The faithful should be demanding it.

Did you even read the thread or do you think people aren't calling him out because there's no flaming torches and pitchforks at tulla?