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.”

 

[Bjchan13]

Yeah its Jakes responsibility alone how he comes back for pre season. You can do Nic Martin and come back in better condition than you left, and hit the ground running. Or you can slack off and lose conditioning, play catch up from day 1, and that can lead to increased injury risk.

 

[HirdsTheWord]

stringer looks pretty chunky....not good....

 

[yodellinhank]

stringer looks pretty chunky....not good....

Shiel says the boys all got around him. Must've been a few of them. Some people have that kind of gravitational pull.

 

[HirdsTheWord]

Nothing to do with his broken leg, or your Footy dept. being intelligent enough to manage him appropriately.. Stringer does put in the work, but it's always reactionary. The proactive recommendations he gets are not followed, nor does he present in good shape coming back from the off-season. When things go wrong, Jake does bust his chops to get back out there. Jake is extremely good at following rehab protocols.

the problem is prevention is better than reaction.

weight fluctuation is known to increase risk of injury.

is what it is, but it's still shit he doesn't get the message. But it's the club who accepts it, so it's their responsibility at the end of the day.

 

[yodellinhank]

But it's the club who accepts it, so it's their responsibility at the end of the day.

Get around him.

 

[Schnitzengruben]

stringer looks pretty chunky....not good....

Still? He looked pretty decent from the pics the other day.

 

[Bipolar Bear]

stringer looks pretty chunky....not good....

He's like Johncock, he comes back fat and works it off as the season goes.
Will he ever become the Gary Ablett Sr. he looked like he was going to be when he entered the league because of his work ethic? No.
Will he be an enigma that can turn games on its head on his own boot? Yes.
Have we had one of these players apart from Stringer since Hird retired? Nope.

 

[andleanback]

From the sounds of Scott’s presser stringer should be ready to go next week barring any hiccups. No injury just not up to playing 125 minutes yet, in brad’s words.

 

[yodellinhank]

He's like Johncock, he comes back fat and works it off as the season goes.
Will he ever become the Gary Ablett Sr. he looked like he was going to be when he entered the league because of his work ethic? No.
Will he be an enigma that can turn games on its head on his own boot? Yes.
Have we had one of these players apart from Stringer since Hird retired? Nope.

What are all these games Stringer has turned on their head for us?

 

[Don Won]

What are all these games Stringer has turned on their head for us?

Sydney last year is one I remember

 

[andleanback]

What are all these games Stringer has turned on their head for us?

West coast 2021, hawthorn 2021, Sydney last year to name a few.

 

[faible]

What are all these games Stringer has turned on their head for us?

Jake Stringer of the GWS Giants AFL Games Played Stats

Jake Stringer of the GWS Giants AFL games played and stats.

www.footywire.com

His form post-bye in 2021 was massive. Including the EF game where he struggled he averaged 19.6 disposals, 2.2 goals and 4.5 tackles per game.

That 2021 Hawks game he had 29 disposals, 4 goals, 7 tackles, 10 inside 50s and 3 Brownlow votes...

 

[yodellinhank]

West coast 2021, hawthorn 2021, Sydney last year to name a few.

A few.

 

[andleanback]

A few.

St Kilda 2021 first half, Gold Coast 2019, collingwood 2020, bulldogs 2020 his midfield work.
It’s not we’ve won a heap of games / how many he’s missed and it’s not like players that can change a game a few times a year are common.

 

[yodellinhank]

St Kilda 2021 first half, Gold Coast 2019, collingwood 2020, bulldogs 2020 his midfield work.
It’s not we’ve won a heap of games / how many he’s missed and it’s not like players that can change a game a few times a year are common.

Agreed it's hard to be a player who can win the game off their own boot if your team isn't any good. Not sure a couple of h&a matches + a purple patch of several weeks is quite "since James Hird" territory. We did have a guy called Watson who carried us week in week out at one stage. Stringer fits into the Jeff Farmer school of can be anything - even nothing when it counts the most.

 

[SydneyBomber]

Shiel says the boys all got around him. Must've been a few of them

Laughed a lot more than I probably should have reading that. Has been a shit week, so thank you!

 

[andleanback]

Agreed it's hard to be a player who can win the game off their own boot if your team isn't any good. Not sure a couple of h&a matches + a purple patch of several weeks is quite "since James Hird" territory. We did have a guy called Watson who carried us week in week out at one stage. Stringer fits into the Jeff Farmer school of can be anything - even nothing when it counts the most.

I never agreed to the the hird comparison, just saying he’s one of the few we’ve had that can change a whole match in 15 minute patch and he’s done it plenty of times. I’m hoping archie is much fitter consistent match winning version of this.

 

[yodellinhank]

I never agreed to the the hird comparison, just saying he’s one of the few we’ve had that can change a whole match in 15 minute patch and he’s done it plenty of times. I’m hoping archie is much fitter consistent match winning version of this.

Plenty? More like a few.

 

[DERO]

Carn Hank.

 

[crackers65]

Jake hasn’t turned that many games by himself. Hird did it season after season and left no stone unturned to present in the best possible shape every week. Just saw Stringer on the news and he is still miles away from being ready to play. Totally unprofessional and needs to be gone next year. The worst example for our younger players. Apparently Jones has been told to work harder, I am sure the reaction has always been ”look at stringer”, why should I? This is Scott’s chance to set standards that can’t be ignored.

 

[bombreys]

Plenty? More like a few.

I’d suggest he’s won more games off his own boot than any other player on our list.

 

[boncer34]

 

[bennyg12]

Straight in

 

[astrowizzle]

Stringer is a freak. i like freaks.

 

[fairbump_playon]

Poll:

• 20 touches and 4 goals
• subbed off with major hamstring injury in second quarter
• 8 touches, 1 goal, looks off the pace