Player Watch Jake Stringer, AFL'S biggest flop?

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If he trained hard and spent time on his diet and preparation, with his natural gifts he could have had an ‘A’ grade career. Instead he will retire with a ‘so so’ career behind him. Nothing wrong with that, but he has certainly largely wasted the talent he has.

And injuries are not an excuse .. he gets injured mostly because he doesn’t look after himself as an elite athlete should.


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He’s cooked…but will have a massive pre season all January and do a groin in February and will be firing for round 4, 2024

At least that will be enough time to get the annual Stringer is firing on the track and is fitter than he's ever been story.
 

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I'd suggest there have been bigger flops in the AFL than a guy who has a Premiership and All Australian selection.

Is he over the hill? Clearly.

A guy like Stringer is the cream on top in a good team. Essendon are far from that.
 
Wasted talent, still good for a 5 minute burst per year.

Literally the worst player you would want in a young team like Essendon. Not only does he have poor training habits, if he isn't contributing for four quarters, and you have so many players in that 40-80 games range, it's detrimental to the teams progress.

But on the flip side, throw Stringer in a team like Collingwood or Port Adelaide, and he would be quite handy during those mini bursts of his.
 
And injuries are not an excuse .. he gets injured mostly because he doesn’t look after himself as an elite athlete should.

Some players simply aren't made to be shuffled around to different positions on the ground. I know in today's era, it's what every player needs to do but for a guy like Stringer, he needed to be pigeonholed to the forward line throughout his entire career.
He is not a midfielder and never will adapt to that role.

LeCras could have made it as a damaging midfielder/forward but he remained forward and was brilliant.
As too the Hawks with Breust (lesser degree Gunston) and he is exceptional inside the forward fifty.

For me, this all falls squarely on the shoulders of Dodoro. They have needed a big-bodied brute of a midfielder for years. Literally go back to the Jobe Watson days.
It's piss poor and any wonder teams rip them apart in one single quarter of footy when you have a midfield comprised of fleet footed 5ft'10-6 footers up against heavyweights.
 
Some players simply aren't made to be shuffled around to different positions on the ground. I know in today's era, it's what every player needs to do but for a guy like Stringer, he needed to be pigeonholed to the forward line throughout his entire career.
He is not a midfielder and never will adapt to that role.

LeCras could have made it as a damaging midfielder/forward but he remained forward and was brilliant.
As too the Hawks with Breust (lesser degree Gunston) and he is exceptional inside the forward fifty.

For me, this all falls squarely on the shoulders of Dodoro. They have needed a big-bodied brute of a midfielder for years. Literally go back to the Jobe Watson days.
It's piss poor and any wonder teams rip them apart in one single quarter of footy when you have a midfield comprised of fleet footed 5ft'10-6 footers up against heavyweights.
He's a dinosaur. He's 192cm and doesn't beat his opponent on a lead or work them over with multiple leads. Wants an individual contest he can win on strength because he isn't big or good enough to give a decent contest in the air.

Makes a highlight reel or two when he gets isolation and wins a strength contest, but spends the majority of the game inviting numbers back to close space as he calls for it on the top of his head.

What it adds up to is he is a pseudo tall, and structure suffers from having him in the side.
 

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I was looking at some videos of his best year in 2015. Some players don't suit bulking up. The fallacy that 'he'd be great bursting out of the middle' never worked. If he was allowed (or prepared) to use his natural speed & eye for goal he'd have had a better career.



Watching the video , back then he was an exceptionally speedy & deadly mid sized forward in the mold of Toby Greene , and almost as good as him. He was a great crumber who could pick up the ball and hit the goal off a step. 56 goals and averaging 14 possessions a game in 2015. Serviceable in 2016.

Bulking him up into a fantasy of a hybrid mid/forward didn't work. Of course Jake isn't shy about off-duty bulking up on the sly.
 
I was looking at some videos of his best year in 2015. Some players don't suit bulking up. The fallacy that 'he'd be great bursting out of the middle' never worked. If he was allowed (or prepared) to use his natural speed & eye for goal he'd have had a better career.



Watching the video , back then he was an exceptionally speedy & deadly mid sized forward in the mold of Toby Greene , and almost as good as him. He was a great crumber who could pick up the ball and hit the goal off a step. 56 goals and averaging 14 possessions a game in 2015. Serviceable in 2016.

Bulking him up into a fantasy of a hybrid mid/forward didn't work. Of course Jake isn't shy about off-duty bulking up on the sly.


He was a freak back then. Absolute shame he ****ed it up for himself.
 

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