AFL Player #25: Jake Stringer - Dead-eye

[Lore]

Contract Status: Out of contract 2024
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 19, Harlequin

 

[Nicholas61]

Love him. Genuine game breaker. I liked when he tore the Eagles in Perth a couple of years back in the first quarter. There was a game last year where he had two players cannon into him near the boundary, would have bloody hurt - the mike picked up the clash it was huge. He got up straight away, dusted himself off and ran back to position no complaints.

 

[Seagrave_Holmes]

What part of Jake Stringers personality that you've seen so far leads you to believe he'd react well to ultimatums around skin folds and being pushed hard?

Was anyone complaining about his physique when he played for the dogs? His current condition says more about the club than it does him.

 

[boncer34]

Was anyone complaining about his physique when he played for the dogs? His current condition says more about the club than it does him.

No because they were winning and he was kicking goals.

Nobody complained before he did his ankle either. Because he was kicking goals and we were winning.

Jake's never been a physical specimen and he doesn't need to be. And he knows it, "pushing" him doesn't work, it's been tried

 

[Lore]

No because they were winning and he was kicking goals.

Nobody complained before he did his ankle either. Because he was kicking goals and we were winning.

Jake's never been a physical specimen and he doesn't need to be. And he knows it, "pushing" him doesn't work, it's been tried

No one cared until BRUCE anyway.

 

[TheFrenchCut]

It would be nice though if we could get him fit enough to play the role he was supposed to when we, you know, recruited him to the club.

 

[Seagrave_Holmes]

Jake's never been a physical specimen and he doesn't need to be. And he knows it, "pushing" him doesn't work, it's been tried

My original point is that standards need to be set for the whole team, instead having special exemptions for some players and not others.

Also objectively he looked much better in a bulldogs jumper and his lack of conditioning isn't a recent thing at Essendon. Do you recall his first season in 2018? To his credit he looked better in 2019.

I just want to see the best possible version of Jake. He has been a very good player for us, but could be even better if he was a bit lighter.

 

[boncer34]

My original point is that standards need to be set for the whole team, instead having special exemptions for some players and not others.

Also objectively he looked much better in a bulldogs jumper and his lack of conditioning isn't a recent thing at Essendon. Do you recall his first season in 2018? To his credit he looked better in 2019.

I just want to see the best possible version of Jake. He has been a very good player for us, but could be even better if he was a bit lighter.

Maybe the blue was more thinning?

I'm not disagreeing that he would be better if he got fit. But he doesn't respond to being pushed, you're more likely to see him do the opposite. A one size fits all approach in standards works if everyone is the same size.

We aren't the only club that let things slide for specific players.

 

[owen87]

Seems people forgot that at the start of 2020, and post-resumption, he looked fine.

He was very underdone when he came back, probably shouldn't have come back at all.

Jake is obviously not a guy who's ever going to look like a thoroughbred, but taking his shape at the end of the season, post-injury where he wouldn't have been able to run, as an indication he's not dedicated is very short term thinking.

 

[yodellinhank]

Seems people forgot that at the start of 2020, and post-resumption, he looked fine.

He was very underdone when he came back, probably shouldn't have come back at all.

Jake is obviously not a guy who's ever going to look like a thoroughbred, but taking his shape at the end of the season, post-injury where he wouldn't have been able to run, as an indication he's not dedicated is very short term thinking.

I think after 138 games and 8 seasons in the comp people are well aware of what Jake is about.

 

[owen87]

I think after 138 games and 8 seasons in the comp people are well aware of what Jake is about.

He's one of our few players who will actually chase and harass opposition players.

 

[Seagrave_Holmes]

Taking his shape at the end of the season, post-injury where he wouldn't have been able to run, as an indication he's not dedicated is very short term thinking.

It's not short term thinking when you also consider his 2018 season.

 

[owen87]

It's not short term thinking when you also consider his 2018 season.

You mean the one where he lead our goalkicking?

 

[Seagrave_Holmes]

Maybe the blue was more thinning?

I'm not disagreeing that he would be better if he got fit. But he doesn't respond to being pushed, you're more likely to see him do the opposite. A one size fits all approach in standards works if everyone is the same size.

We aren't the only club that let things slide for specific players.

I think technically black should be more slimming than blue.

And maybe we agree to disagree about the standards.

 

[Seagrave_Holmes]

You mean the one where he lead our goalkicking?

It was 30 goals in a forward line with McKernan and Brown, lol.

 

[Mercurial89]

I think technically black should be more slimming than blue.

And maybe we agree to disagree about the standards.

You are making the assumption though that his standards aren't high because of the way he looks. He could be training harder than other players who look a million bucks. He could be performing despite not training as hard than those that are champions of the training track and gym.

If he doesn't perform on the football field that is one thing, but when he is on the field (not coming off a bad lower leg injury in a stuffed up season with no off field structure) he has been performing. In fact he has been more consistent here than he ever was.

There has always been different standards for different players, that goes across all sports, all teams and across winning and losing teams. If you perform when your number is called you are ok. It takes all sorts. Now if he shows up and performs like he did coming of the injury next year, then sure, call him out on it. Otherwise get him in match shape and play him.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

He wasn’t fit when he arrived at the club and obviously wasn’t when coming off his injury this year. He seems to a bloke who gets his fitness on raceday.

Nothing wrong with getting him fitter than he’s ever been for us for next season. But it’s not about shaming him into it with skinfolds etc. It’s about setting him up to succeed. He knows himself, so sit him down and work out how to do that. If he struggles to get motivated himself - plenty do - then get him in an off season running program with others who’ll make sure he does every session.

Not sure if Ambrose is fit yet but I like the idea of him dragging around Stringer and Francis over summer.

 

[yodellinhank]

If he doesn't perform on the football field that is one thing, but when he is on the field (not coming off a bad lower leg injury in a stuffed up season with no off field structure) he has been performing. In fact he has been more consistent here than he ever was.

Yeah but he had injury and fitness trouble at the bulldogs. If you look at the games he played at the bulldogs without injury and fitness trouble he was a very consistent performer.

 

[owen87]

Nothing wrong with getting him fitter than he’s ever been for us for next season. But it’s not about shaming him into it with skinfolds etc. It’s about setting him up to succeed. He knows himself, so sit him down and work out how to do that. If he struggles to get motivated himself - plenty do - then get him in an off season running program with others who’ll make sure he does every session.

Exactly; he doesn't seem like the type who'd respond to "Jake! Your skinfolds are too high, they need to be down at this number or you don't play!" or shaming his body shape - as an aside, can you imagine what would happen if they spoke about AFLW players the way they spoke about Stringer?

He seems like the kind of guy who if you pair him up with a group, will do the work. So put him with some guys who are good trainers, a Zaharakis or Ambrose type who sets high standards of fitness.

 

[yodellinhank]

He wasn’t fit when he arrived at the club and obviously wasn’t when coming off his injury this year. He seems to a bloke who gets his fitness on raceday.

Nothing wrong with getting him fitter than he’s ever been for us for next season. But it’s not about shaming him into it with skinfolds etc. It’s about setting him up to succeed. He knows himself, so sit him down and work out how to do that. If he struggles to get motivated himself - plenty do - then get him in an off season running program with others who’ll make sure he does every session.

Not sure if Ambrose is fit yet but I like the idea of him dragging around Stringer and Francis over summer.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

View attachment 984174

View attachment 984173

A gyme!?

What the hell is a gyme?

 

[MarkJohnson#1]

Just watched some highlights of Stringer back in 2016 at the Dogs, he was notably trimmer and had outstanding accelleration and speed, not to dissimilar to a De Goey/Martin. He'd need to drop at least 5kgs to get back to that sort of condition but I woudn't put it beyond him.

 

[MiguelM]

Just watched some highlights of Stringer back in 2016 at the Dogs, he was notably trimmer and had outstanding accelleration and speed, not to dissimilar to a De Goey/Martin. He'd need to drop at least 5kgs to get back to that sort of condition but I woudn't put it beyond him.

But was he as strong as a tackle breaker in the midfield?

 

[MarkJohnson#1]

But was he as strong as a tackle breaker in the midfield?

I'd say yes from the footage I saw. The benefit of being a bit lighter is that extra yard of pace that allows him to burst away from opponents. Carrying the extra bulk makes him stronger and harder to tackle but limits his speed and acceleration. 5kgs off would still put him as one of the heavier mids in the competition.

 

[BomberDog]

I'd say yes from the footage I saw. The benefit of being a bit lighter is that extra yard of pace that allows him to burst away from opponents. Carrying the extra bulk makes him stronger and harder to tackle but limits his speed and acceleration. 5kgs off would still put him as one of the heavier mids in the competition.

As a Dogs supporter who always loved Jake it is so obvious that he has put on a heap of weight since he was with us. He was always quite lean but still strong. I reckon you tried to bulk him up to be that burst player in the midfield but he has struggled to lose the weight. He always has struggled to get over injuries and apparently he is not the best eater and trainer. He was fat last year and in the pre season before the injury. It just seems to be his current level. He had that horrific leg break as a junior that I always feared would reappear. Hopefully this extra weight doesn’t cause any further worries with the leg. Would love to see him back at his 2015 best. Not sure if we will ever will.

 

[Vander18]

He wasn’t fit when he arrived at the club and obviously wasn’t when coming off his injury this year. He seems to a bloke who gets his fitness on raceday.

Nothing wrong with getting him fitter than he’s ever been for us for next season. But it’s not about shaming him into it with skinfolds etc. It’s about setting him up to succeed. He knows himself, so sit him down and work out how to do that. If he struggles to get motivated himself - plenty do - then get him in an off season running program with others who’ll make sure he does every session.

Not sure if Ambrose is fit yet but I like the idea of him dragging around Stringer and Francis over summer.

This is the sort of thing that happens at the more successful clubs right....Cotchin taking Martin under his wing is one example, Players putting it on GAJ to lift at Geelong is another.

Player driven outcomes.....tbh you just can’t imagine those sorts of things happening at Essendon. God I’d love to read something about Ambrose getting hold of the two you mention over summer.....