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

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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.”

 

[Pweter]

Surprised more hasn't been made of this by the Richmond folks, was absolutely pea-hearted and avoidable for them.

We're talking Dan Rioli and contact though, aren't we?

 

[Petrify]

He is one we would want a succession plan for - but guys with that power, freak and big occasion factor aren't easy to find. Do wonder how many games we would have won the past few years if we didn't have him making him one of the most important figures post saga in helping toward a restoration of culture at the club. We think things have been bad it would have been so much worse without him.

Perkins is learning the role off him. He has the hip strength to do it, just needs more size

 

[Ati Tude]

Surprised more hasn't been made of this by the Richmond folks, was absolutely pea-hearted and avoidable for them.

He should have gone a lot harder and made the ump make a call on arm chop, too high, in the back etc rather than allow the mark. Umps put the whistle away at the end of tight games.

 

[Bipolar Bear]

Perkins is learning the role off him. He has the hip strength to do it, just needs more size

I was going to mention Perkins.
He has Garry Ablett Jr. hips, Dangerfield speed, with Kepler Bradley awareness.

 

[Nicholas61]

I was going to mention Perkins.
He has Garry Ablett Jr. hips, Dangerfield speed, with Kepler Bradley awareness.

Haha. He does have special attributes but I noticed really poor positioning and slow reaction time in one contest Saturday night - reminded of what Ant555 says about his smarts. Could be a one or two trick pony but a very good one at that. I guess the other couple on our list who jump out as potential game changers are Cox and Tsatas if they can get on and stay on the park.

 

[Nicholas61]

I was going to mention Perkins.
He has Garry Ablett Jr. hips, Dangerfield speed, with Kepler Bradley awareness.

Will never forget when one of our players kicked a laser to Keppers in a night game - went straight through his hands and hit him in the face.

 

[Bipolar Bear]

Haha. He does have special attributes but I noticed really poor positioning and slow reaction time in one contest Saturday night - reminded of what Ant555 says about his smarts. Could be a one or two trick pony but a very good one at that. I guess the other couple on our list who jump out as potential game changers are Cox and Tsatas if they can get on and stay on the park.

I know this is the Stringer thread. But Langford also took some time to develop 360 awareness. It's funny to laugh at with Archie though at the moment.

 

[Yoda_]

as selfless a game as I have seen Stringer play, watched the replay and he did a mountain of unrecorded, un noticed work around the ground.

 

[Pweter]

My boy is fit and back to his best. It's what we've been missing and fingers crossed he can avoid the injuries he's often gotten mid season.

He seems to be playing with purpose and complete buy in of team first football.

 

[naraku]

Really seems to be enjoying his footy and Scott giving him more of a licence to roam around.

 

[Bipolar Bear]

Had some amazing kicks inside 50 last night.

 

[FlyingV]

When we made finals two years ago, it was in large part to this guy being arguably the best player in the comp for 8 weeks. Loving that we are less reliant on him, but he’s still a huge threat each week

 

[MiguelM]

he is due for a big payday.

Hello Norf!

 

[Howard Moon]

Forget mass winning goal, it doseht happen without Jake's double pressure act, the smother then follow up tackle- good stuff

 

[supportyourteam]

Was the winning tackle. Predicting things will click for Jake against Carlton. Bag of goals.

 

[gillon]

I really wish even half our team could stick a tackle like Jake

 

[MiguelM]

Forget mass winning goal, it doseht happen without Jake's double pressure act, the smother then follow up tackle- good stuff

Yep, just watched the replay. match winning stuff. North would have cleared easily had he not pressured.

His defence and pressure acts are another level this year. Scott would love the way he is playing. Not all about goals.

 

[akiva]

I hope Scott praises him all week. Those are the acts that should be celebrated most internally.

 

[jdstorm]

He is one we would want a succession plan for - but guys with that power, freak and big occasion factor aren't easy to find. Do wonder how many games we would have won the past few years if we didn't have him making him one of the most important figures post saga in helping toward a restoration of culture at the club. We think things have been bad it would have been so much worse without him.

Trade the farm for Harley Reid is about the only viable succession plan. Hope West Coast get pick 1 and offer them something seemingly insane to get Reid.

 

[MiguelM]

I hope Scott praises him all week. Those are the acts that should be celebrated most internally.

Scott has mentioned numerous times how impressed he is with his work off the ball.

As you say, hopefully he has that smother & tackle on repeat on every TV in the place!

 

[Lance Uppercut]

There are genuinely only a handful in the comp. Petracca, De Goey, Dusty, Danger, maybe LDU. All bar Danger are top 5 draft picks and even he was pick 10. Hard to get a succession plan for that.

I suspect Humphrey might well have been that. With any luck Tstatas will be the better option for us, I guess we'll see

 

[Pweter]

I hope Scott praises him all week. Those are the acts that should be celebrated most internally.

Scott certainly mentioned it on 360 last night.

 

[eth-dog]

He's so structurally awkward. We need him to be that high pressure player because Weideman and Wright won't be that. Great finish with that pressure.

 

[sameolds33]

Yep, just watched the replay. match winning stuff. North would have cleared easily had he not pressured.

His defence and pressure acts are another level this year. Scott would love the way he is playing. Not all about goals.

Scott on 360 last night. Specifically mentioned Stringer and his work rate. Said that he loves coaching the team - and that means coaching every player, not just nurturing the young ones. That it was exciting to coach players like Merrett and Stringer to become better players.

 

[Howard Moon]

Also the mic'd up Merrett pre game said we celebrate every little win, every spoil, every tackle, every pressure act.

Mass should have been straight over to jakey after that goal (he probably was, i didn't see)