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We all love the Pendleburys, Fyfes and the Abletts, the hard-running midfielders who consistently rake in 30+ possessions a game.
We may still adore what these players do and their undeniable work, but it’s indisputable that we all love something more about AFL. Something that keeps drawing us back to the footy every week, something other than our undying love of the team that we support.
Those players who may only get 10 possessions but can turn the game in the space of a single play. The players who set the game alight and make the AFL such an enjoyable and unpredictable sport. These players can make a play out of just about anything, the freaks and rarities of our game that only surface once every couple of years.
They are the showstoppers.
Eddie Betts, Cyril Rioli, Chad Wingard. The guys that attract non AFL fans to our great game. When Rioli and Betts leave, we ask ourselves – who will be footy’s next freak? Who will be our next showstopper?
Wingard is no doubt in the mix and we all love how he goes about it – taking hangers and kicking miraculous goals along with his clever flicks, taps and handballs.
An eye catcher is Wingard, a future superstar of our game no doubt.
As an Essendon supporter this year I have watched a lot of football, my own team included, but many games from other teams.
The Western Bulldogs have no doubt been my second favourite team in the AFL, but it’s been one of their young players that has caught my eye the most.
So much so that I find myself in the situation of wanting to watch him play every week, missing other commitments has become a ritual, and watching the Dogs has been my top priority.
Jake Stringer is currently my favourite player in the AFL. Finishing fifth in overall goals kicked when your only 21 is a fantastic achievement. A recent accolade that he has received has been his inaugural introduction into the ’22 Under 22′ team, also being named as the captain.
At 192cm, he can play anywhere. Highlighted by a Round 22 game where he collected the centre clearance and dashed away brushing off North Melbourne players as if they were flies. He can play tall or small, is quick, cannot be tackled and is an impossible match up for the opposition.
After breaking his leg in the lead up to the draft, he dropped down to pick number 5 and the dogs snatched him up in the 2012 national draft. His 2015 season was highlighted by his 6 goals against Adelaide before being subbed out in the third quarter of the game, only managing 58 per cent game time. ‘The Package’ is known for his inside 50 tackling pressure and his football smarts around goals.
Stringer has the potential to be the next freak show of the AFL. Over the last six weeks of the AFL season he kicked more than any other player, highlighting his elite skill.
Although Stringer only averages a mere 14 disposals a game, every time he gets near it you know something special is going to happen.
There is no doubt that ‘the package’ can be the AFL’s next showstopper.
Everything he does leaves you on the edge of your seat, wishing to see more of the masterclass. But does he have some major competition in Wingard, Dangerfield and maybe even Nic Naitanui.
Who else is in the game’s showstopper class?
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