Essendon have thrown their support behind injury-prone forward Jake Stringer, after recent criticism of the enigmatic Bomber’s fitness heading into the season.
Stringer will miss the club’s season opener on Sunday afternoon against Hawthorn, as he continues to recover from a hamstring problem that has dogged him throughout the pre-season.
Not for the first time, his appearance has seen the 28-year old criticised in AFL media circles, with former great Kane Cornes scathing in an article for SEN.
“By an elite athlete’s standards, he was overweight. Again,” Cornes wrote.
“And now he’s injured, and his pre-season has been interrupted. Again.
“Until Stringer achieves strict fitness and body measurement goals, [Essendon coach Brad] Scott should not consider picking him in the senior team.”
Teammate Dylan Shiel has defended Stringer, saying his unique physique is an asset he brings to the Bombers, rather than something holding him back.
“We’ve been pretty hard on Jake all through his career,” Shiel said on Wednesday.
“Everyone is different; everyone’s body responds differently to training.
“What Jake lacks, he makes up in other aspects of the game, with his ability to be strong and powerful.”
“There’s certainly improvement there for him to make, but sometimes you get to a point in someone’s career where you’ve got to celebrate what they’re bringing and not so much shame them for what they’re lacking.”
Save for a superb 2021 season in which he vaulted into All-Australian consideration with 41 goals, Stringer has struggled to build on the early-career promise that saw him earn Gary Ablett Sr comparisons during his time with the Western Bulldogs.
Having managed just 15 games in 2022 as he battled injuries, his absence was a major reason for the Bombers’ slide from a finals berth the year before to 16th on the ladder, leading to then-coach Ben Rutten’s axing.
Despite Stringer’s absence, the Bombers are favourites to account for old foes Hawthorn at the MCG in Round 1.
Exciting father-son recruit Alwyn Davey Jr has been named to debut, while the Hawks are expected to name at least four first-time players, including top draft pick Cam Mackenzie and trade period signings Karl Amon and Lloyd Meek.
Jake Stringer of Essendon looks dejected after losing to Carlton. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
St Kilda have their eyes set on luring Carlton ruckman Tom De Koning to Moorabbin at season’s end.
The 23-year old tall, who has shown encouraging signs at the Blues since making his debut in 2018, has already attracted multiple suitors ahead of the final year of his contract in 2022, with Sydney among those vying for his signature.
According to Footy Classified journalist Damian Barrett, the Saints are prepared to hand De Koning ‘an offer that may just be impossible to refuse’, with list boss Stephen Silvagni, who drafted the young gun to Carlton in the first place, heavily involved.
In an interview with Barrett on Footy Classified, Saints coach Ross Lyon was cryptic when asked about the club’s interest in De Koning, but hinted that the Saints have interest in a number of Blues, ‘not just Tom’.
“I’ve always liked him,” Lyon said of De Koning.
“I’m really pleased with what we’ve got… but clearly, we pay the same amount of money as Geelong did last year, and they won a flag and won 16 in a row, so we need to add some capability.
“We’ve got a lot of running players and we do like it. I wouldn’t specifically say him [De Koning] – if SOS has got the door open, well…”
Lyon also revealed star forward Max King has suffered a hamstring injury at training, further delaying his start to 2023 already hampered by a shoulder injury.
Hawthorn triple-premiership great Jordan Lewis has thrown his support behind extending the AFL’s mandatory concussion stand-down period beyond 12 days, as the league’s head injury protocols come under the microscope.
A class action lawsuit has been initiated against the league by players claiming serious long-term ramifications from repeated head knocks sustained during their careers, with more than 60 former players including Geelong’s Max Rooke signing on.
The AFL has pledged $25 million to fund a study into concussion and its long-term impact, but could be forced into more drastic measures in the short term, with extending the mandatory concussion lay-off from 12 to 26 days thought to be in consideration.
Lewis, who suffered one of the AFL’s most brutal concussions in a collision with Western Bulldog Jarrod Harbrow in 2010, yet returned to the field in the same match, would back changes to improve mandates in the AFL, saying concussion protocols 12 years ago fell a long way short of what is acceptable today.
“Back then the protocol was they gave you three words to remember, there wasn’t a baseline test or anything like that,” Lewis said on AFL 360.
“I had a bit of help probably remembering the words. I’m not in the right frame of mind to be thinking quite straight. It was like telephone, girlfriend and horse – pretty basic words.
“When you’re in that situation you can’t remember really anything, your own name. I remember going back out and thinking I needed to prove I was OK to come back on. It was quite stupid.
“I felt fine. No worries at all, no headaches, nothing. When I got back to game day and it was that heightened intensity… I felt like I was 10 to 15 per cent off, and that went on for three weeks, possibly four weeks.”
When asked about the 26-day stand-down proposition, Lewis was in favour.
“When they talk about introducing possibly a longer lay-off time, I’d be an advocate for it,” he said.
“That’s no scientific background nothing – just my own experience. [After] 28 days, I would have been just OK to play [following my concussion].
“Everything else during the week suggested I was fine to return to the field – I felt like I’d had three or four beers.
“I worry about it – the more it gets brought up, you think about it and recollect your career.”
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.
We’re taking a look at one player from each team that needs to make a difference this week, starting with the ANZAC Day games.
Jonathan Brown has made a passionate plea to the AFL on On the Couch to give players leeway as they make split-second decisions, following…
Brisbane star Charlie Cameron is free to face Geelong on Saturday after the AFL Tribunal used its discretion to turn his one-game suspension into…
Round 5 of the AFL provided plenty of action, from big scorelines to upset wins and pressure starting to build on some clubs and coaches already.
There's plenty of time left in the 2024 season, so there's a chance we will see a better win than what Adelaide produced to…
Geelong has been crafty and creative in its list management and has quietly assembled a very exciting young group of midfielders and half-forwards.
