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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

www.foxsports.com.au

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.”
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It was clear to me that he wasn’t 100% fit last year as by the eye his kicking looked atrocious at times. I don’t know if the stats back me up but it was so unlike him. I always chuckle when coaches say they will only play players 95% fit because in reality you won’t field a football team if you follow that to the letter. I have no doubt in my mind if he is above 95% he will be a handful for any opposition.
 

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Chief Hopper said:
How great it would be if Stringer was instrumental in getting us into the finals.

Reading oppos fans about him, I don't think we have another player that they hate more for some weird reason.
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To be fair, I'm not a huge fan either.
 
Kong said:
Both. I wish him no ill, but I don't find him particularly endearing.
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I can understand that sentiment. From a morale point of view I don’t think he is the best of the best but he is certainly not the worst.

From a consistency point of view even though he has won a premiership he comes across as a mercenary. Only playing well in contract years! I talk to his uncle from time to time and he’s frustrated how unreliable he is. Don’t get me wrong he loves him and wishes him the best but the planets never seem to align for Jake to have that perfect year.
 
Happyskeret said:
It was clear to me that he wasn’t 100% fit last year as by the eye his kicking looked atrocious at times. I don’t know if the stats back me up but it was so unlike him. I always chuckle when coaches say they will only play players 95% fit because in reality you won’t field a football team if you follow that to the letter. I have no doubt in my mind if he is above 95% he will be a handful for any opposition.
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He was no where near fit enough last year because he hardly trained before Christmas because of concussion and then had some soft tissue and lower back issues before round 1. He looks pretty good right now and has a solid base this year. I know people say contract year and yes he has never been a great trainer and has let himself down in the past but last year there where genuine excuses which is why Scott was publicly backing him despite not giving away why.:)
 
Lack of preseason fat photos is heartening.
 
ant555 said:
He was no where near fit enough last year because he hardly trained before Christmas because of concussion and then had some soft tissue and lower back issues before round 1. He looks pretty good right now and has a solid base this year. I know people say contract year and yes he has never been a great trainer and has let himself down in the past but last year there where genuine excuses which is why Scott was publicly backing him despite not giving away why.:)
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I agree that the concussion set him back a bit, it was obvious too he was carrying some sort of injury you could see it the way he was kicking.
 
DERO said:
Lack of preseason fat photos is heartening.
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I still consider him fat tbh, but that's mainly because I'm looking through fitness-tinted glasses. However I will admit that he has improved from what he used to be and the trajectory seems to be on the right path, which is ideal. Compared to the Package of before, he's much better, compared to his peers? Has more work to do.
 
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Never was the same imo when he had that horrible break in his ankle /leg break in the juniors. He still got picked up at 4 but if you seen him back then it was a terrible injury! I really believe that started the rot in his career. That’s why it spiked my interest to hear they fixed his running a bit.
 
Happyskeret said:
Never was the same imo when he had that horrible break in his ankle /leg break in the juniors. He still got picked up at 4 but if you seen him back then it was a terrible injury! I really believe that started the rot in his career. That’s why it spiked my interest to hear they fixed his running a bit.
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He looked like he moved so well early in his dogs career that I wonder how much long term impact this has really had or whether it's a bit of an excuse/crutch (excuse the terminology).

All injuries are different but look how Voss and Robbie Gray came back from horrific leg injuries.
 

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Kong said:
A broken leg in your teens doesn't = overweight for life.

Plenty of ways to burn calories, and diet is diet.

Especially for someone being paid for their physical performance.
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It doesn’t have to, but it can certainly leave people with permanent pain or a limp/gait issue depending on how bad the break was, how it was treated, and how it healed. Like whether there was hardware used to put humpty dumpty back together and if a screw comes loose or something how that can impact the surrounding tissue, and the impact of scar tissue and psychological factors related to the injury such as pain syndromes.

Would appear that some of the new people we’ve brought in have helped in terms of diet and biomechanics, which may also have benefited Francis if it had happened sooner. It would appear that people have different metabolic factors going on and don’t all respond the same way to the same diet and exercise regimes.

On top of that we’re not always privy to everything that goes on, like the concussion syndrome he had last preseason that wasn’t reported until much later.


I do think there are discipline and lifestyle factors at play with Jake but speaking in absolutes is not particularly conducive to conversation.
 
Kong said:
Don't disagree with the first 80% of it, but at some stage either Jake or the club has to take accountability for his evidently faulty body and inability to play stretches of games.

Let's hope these new staff have some answers.
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I think it is a combination of things. At the Dogs he was always on some sort of modified program. They knew the issues with his leg and did not push too hard. Then you have Jake not really looking after himself which lead to them parting ways despite him playing most games. He gets to us and he has never really had great training habits. He does pretty well in the first two years despite the fact he still really did not prepare well a lot of the time. We push him to train like a midfielder and he breaks down in 2020 and is left in Melbourne after breaking down before round 6 and he ends up way out of condition and motivation. He then plays very badly to finish out the season. Has a decent year in 2021 but the last two have had injury issues.
I think it is fair to say their are a few factors. Jake not always being professional. The Dogs for allowing him to just cruise through the first part of his career. The broken leg that has had an impact on how much training he can take and us for pushing past his breaking point a couple of times. I will say that my opinion is if he does not break his leg then maybe he does not play the first half of his career on modified programs and actually gets pushed harder early and he does fall into line.
 
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Traded #25: Jake Stringer - 📦 Traded to GWS for Pick #53 - 16/10

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