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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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Zach Package said:
My take away from that article is Essendon didn't even have the stones to tell him they were trading him because he was an aging mudguts. It certainly sounds like guilt by association because Stringer was good mates with Hind and they lent on that rather than having a difficult discussion.
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I don't quite buy it... "I just went to the cafe and who knows who was there..." Reeks of a kids excuse . If I recall correctly he was the first guy who fell under their spell when he was kissing the sky for Allah after each goal
 
ant555 said:
Has a skin fold clause in his contract.🙂
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Apparently he had one with us as well:


While these sort of contract clauses are rare across the AFL, Stringer did have a similar arrangement at Essendon before it was removed during Ben Rutten’s reign as coach.
 
I Remember Bluey said:
Apparently he had one with us as well:


While these sort of contract clauses are rare across the AFL, Stringer did have a similar arrangement at Essendon before it was removed during Ben Rutten’s reign as coach.
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So he had one at Essendon but they didn't end up enforcing it.

I thought his game on the weekend was okay. Created chances and didn't convert.
Good goal assist but could have won it for us.
First game...plenty to come
 

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PaythePerryman said:
So he had one at Essendon but they didn't end up enforcing it.

I thought his game on the weekend was okay. Created chances and didn't convert.
Good goal assist but could have won it for us.
First game...plenty to come
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That's just what he does, wins you a few games off his own boot, looks like he's about to blow other games apart , but reverts back to nearly games most often. Still, he's great box office
 
Howard Moon said:
I don't quite buy it... "I just went to the cafe and who knows who was there..." Reeks of a kids excuse . If I recall correctly he was the first guy who fell under their spell when he was kissing the sky for Allah after each goal
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Isn't it a cop out though? All of these associations and involvements being framed as the reason he's being moved on rather than just having an adult conversation
 
Howard Moon said:
That's just what he does, wins you a few games off his own boot, looks like he's about to blow other games apart , but reverts back to nearly games most often. Still, he's great box office
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I reckon the Giants only need him to win a couple off his own boot.
Hogan and Greene should be the focus and Stringer only a guest star.
As long as he plays team football at the Giants I'm happy.
 
Zach Package said:
Isn't it a cop out though? All of these associations and involvements being framed as the reason he's being moved on rather than just having an adult conversation
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I think he pretty much had it laid out for him when he said we are going this way (youth) if you want success you probably need to go that way. That's probably the adult part of the conversation there
 

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The irony of Essendon, the club who basically never get the best out of anyone, being the club to get the best out of Stringer is not lost in me.

The ultimate enigma and the ultimate enigma club were always a match made in heaven
 
Zach Package said:
The irony of Essendon, the club who basically never get the best out of anyone, being the club to get the best out of Stringer is not lost in me.

The ultimate enigma and the ultimate enigma club were always a match made in heaven
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2015 Jake still the best for mine.
 
boncer34 said:
2015 Jake still the best for mine.
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Over the course of a season, probably, but his back 3 quarters of the season after he picked up that injury in 2021 was unbelievable, even if it didn't necessarily last.
 
Zach Package said:
Over the course of a season, probably, but his back 3 quarters of the season after he picked up that injury in 2021 was unbelievable, even if it didn't necessarily last.
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he was robbed of a AA spot that year. Parish had a good season that year but I dont think we would have made finals without Jakes performances, genuine game changer when he was on.
Just couldnt do it regularly enough, although we are seeing with other similar type players its a pretty hard role to play, the power forward/mid hybrid, only the really elite guys like Martin/Danger/Trac have had consistent output, but alot of others have had pretty up and down seasons/careers (DeGoey being one of the best examples.).
 

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The Donners said:
Love Stringer but he’s done as a 25 game a season player.

Get him fit and play him the last 8-10 games of the season and he could win a final off his own boot for GWS.
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Don’t think it’s even possible for a player to only be match fit for the last 10 weeks of the year.

At the end of the day Stringer peaked a long time ago, 2021, that’s a lifetime in footy. He is a premiership player and has won games off his own boot, but imagine what he could’ve been if he had the off field standards of a Merrett or Pendles.
 
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Traded #25: Jake Stringer - 📦 Traded to GWS for Pick #53 - 16/10

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