Jake Stringer reflects on his AFL career so far and what he is seeing in the young Bombers
Jake Stringer has lauded the impact of Essendon’s top-10 draftees and revealed why Nik Cox reminds him of Marcus Bontempelli in his early years.
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Jake Stringer wants to be a shield in the Essendon engine room.
After bursting on to the AFL scene as a powerful, game breaking forward at Western Bulldogs, Stringer has entered a new phase of his career this season stepping up as a protector and lead clearance winner in the Bombers’ midfield unit.
In a sense, life has come full circle for the father-of-three who is now only one of two dads at the club.
In between school drop-offs and bedtime stories throughout the week, Stringer is taking his football responsibilities seriously as a leader at Tullamarine.
And similar to his first few years at the kennel, Stringer sees unbridled young talent everywhere at Essendon.
There’s Nik Cox, who he says glides across the ground like a young Marcus Bontempelli, the man who “can be anything” Archie Perkins and the running machine Harry Jones who had the best game of his career reeling in five contested marks against Carlton on Sunday, among others.
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While Stringer was still dangerous in the forward half against the Blues, it’s in the middle in the absence of Dylan Shiel and Jye Caldwell that the matchwinner is wanting to have a profound impact with his physicality and aggression in the clinches.
And for an Essendon midfield which outpointed Patrick Cripps and co. in the centre clearance battle 21 to 13 on Sunday at the MCG, it seems to be working.
From Round 3, Stringer has won the second-most centre clearances for the red and black.
And the Bombers have scored from 15 per cent of those takeaways – ranked second of the top-25 midfielders in the league who have attended a centre bounce in that period.
“I’m trying to set an example and be strong around the ball, and be a big body in there,” Stringer told the Herald Sun.
“If I’m not putting myself over the ball, how can I expect the other young guys to do the same?
“I am at that age where I just turned 27 last week, so I’m enjoying the new challenge of being a senior player and helping guys like Perkins and Cox.
“Thinking back I was pretty lucky in 2015 and 16 when the Bulldogs were building really strongly.
“But to be honest, that really reminds me and it is really similar to where we are here at Essendon.
“The difference is I am at the other end of the scale and (it is my job to) nurture the younger ones now.
“I was really lucky in the sense I had ‘Gia’ (Daniel Giansiracusa) and he is here now helping me with my game and things like that so I think I’m starting to get back to my best footy.
“I still feel like I have five or six good years left in me.”
It is almost a Dustin Martin-style role for Stringer where he lends muscle in the centre bounce and then drifts forward in a 60-40 split, according to Champion Data.
For the Bombers, there are clearly going to be bumps in the road in 2021. Coach Ben Rutten saw it as the Bombers shot out to an early 21-point lead over Carlton only to cough up the ball, and the lead, in the second half.
And former Bombers’ linebreaker Adam Saad was the man who powered the comeback, having his best game of the season racking up a team-high 677m gained against his old team despite the jeers from the Bombers’ fans.
But what is clear at Essendon now is that for all of the ups and downs on the scoreboard and the patchy bits of play, there is a clearer direction, now.
In the game plan and in the list direction.
While they are not a serious premiership contender now, after smashing the draft with their early picks last year, the Bombers want to be down the track.
And the win over Collingwood on a big ANZAC Day stage combined with a strong half against Carlton at the MCG are encouraging signs Ben Rutten’s young crew are on track.
“That is what is exciting me, every day to go down to training and I’m just absolutely loving going into the club and working with these young guys,” Stringer said.
“There really are a lot of positives here.
“I mean, sometimes I’m coming off no sleep if the kids are up in the night and these boys are giving it to me.
“I’m glad Patty Ambrose just had a baby because he is the only other dad at the club.
“That just goes to show how young we are. The boys always get stuck into me about being a dad. (Being old and grumpy?) Yes (laughing). Exactly.
“But I’m loving it and going to training and I am in a good space.”
That personal element is important for a man who stood in a massive spotlight and attracted significant attention from the very start of his career.
He was All-Australian age 21 and premiership star at 22.
But his trade from Western Bulldogs was a turbulent period and the past few years at Essendon haven’t been easy either.
After an excellent start to the campaign last year, he carried a syndesmosis injury throughout the bulk of the season, putting on a brave face to try and help the team where he could in the hub.
Now he is fully-fit, Stringer is rejuvenated in a sense.
Like everyone, life has taught the 27-year-old plenty.
“If you look back at the person I was, I wasn’t a bad person I was just young and dumb and probably wasn’t ready for the spotlight that I had,” he said.
“And then obviously I have got three kids, and they are seven, five and one. And it is great.
“I love going and picking Milla up from school and doing all of those things you do for them and I am in a really good place in my life.
“And I think it is really showing in my footy now.”
For all of the heartbreak over last year’s trade period, the trio of star departures at Essendon has provided something of a clean slate.
And as much as Saad carved up the Bombers off a half back flank, the enthusiasm around the futures of Cox, Perkins, Zach Reid and Jones has already painted a bright backdrop for the rest of the season.
Stringer believes Cox is special.
“Without putting too much pressure on him, he reminds me almost identical to Bontempelli in some ways when ‘Bont’ first walked through the door at the Bulldogs,” Stringer said.
“When he (Bontempelli) first came in and the first few training sessions you just knew straight away this kid is going to be a superstar in a year.
“It was almost the case straight away, and I think it is pretty similar to Coxy.
“I don’t want to put expectations or ceilings on him and more than anything you just want him to go out there and enjoy his footy.
“But I mean, seriously, the kid is 203cm and he can kick both feet and play anywhere. It is pretty impressive.”
Jones took a team-high five contested marks in only his second season and Perkins had an outstanding moment in the first term when he stood up under crunching physical pressure, keeping the ball alive for Cale Hooker to set up an Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti goal.
In all, Perkins had six score involvements for the first quarter and a game-high 12 for the match. Rutten declared it his best game of the season so far.
Stringer said the upside in Perkins’ game was enormous.
“He is as raw as anyone I have ever seen and the growth in his game could be as big as he wants it to be,” he said.
“That is completely up to him, and hopefully us older boys can help nurture him and put him on the right path.
“But I think he can see week-to-week the stuff he is working on in his game is starting to come out and it is exciting. Really exciting.
“You never know what is going to happen when he has got the ball and it is refreshing, I don’t mind it.”
KEY BLUE’S COVID SCARE, INJURIES SOUR TRIUMPH
Ronny Lerner
Harry McKay had to pass a COVID test in time, after waking up with a “24-hour bug” on Sunday, to play a key role in Carlton’s impressive comeback victory over Essendon at the MCG.
The young key forward had a quiet first half, but finished with a wet sail as he banged home four goals in the second to help the Blues execute a 37-point turnaround.
“I think it’s just a bit of gastro, nothing too bad,” Carlton coach David Teague said.
“He just woke up and he wasn’t feeling great and we had the conversation and he said, ‘Nah, I think I can get the job done for the team to a level we need’, and obviously he’s been in great form.
“He hit the scoreboard, gave us a contest and he’s a very hard man to defend because of his speed and height.
“I was super proud of Harry’s game … didn’t complain, didn’t tell any of his teammates, just went out there and kept competing.”
But the Blues didn’t escape the match unscathed with Mitch McGovern injuring his hamstring late and Paddy Dow having to be subbed out due to an eye injury which severely impaired his vision.
“I went up to him and he just shook his head, so he’s pretty disappointed,” Teague said of McGovern who will likely miss multiple weeks.
It’s unclear as to whether Dow will be fit to face the Western Bulldogs next week, but Zac Williams (soreness) and Marc Murphy (neck) are good chances to return.
Carlton dasher Adam Saad was roundly booed all game by Essendon supporters in his first game against his old side, and the sound was music to Teague’s ears.
“I loved the boos because they were quite regular so it meant he was getting the ball a bit,” Teague said of Saad who was one of Carlton’s best players.
Blues captain Patrick Cripps wasn’t overly influential in the first three quarters, but saved his best for last with a superb final term.
“At three-quarter time … he looked at me and said, ‘I’ve got this’, and when your leader does that, the way he played the last quarter [was great] and he’s a very important player to us,” Teague said.
After being jumped by the Bombers in the first 45 minutes to trail by 21 points, Teague said the Blues were able to change things up simply by defending better and subsequently becoming more potent in their attacking half.
Carlton won’t have to wait long to test their wares against the AFL’s best teams again. After being beaten by Richmond, Port Adelaide and the Brisbane Lions already in the first six weeks, they have the Western Bulldogs and Melbourne to look forward to over the next fortnight.
“We love those games and we want to play in those games,” Teague said.
“I think we’ve played three of the top four from last year and we haven’t got the job done so that’s our next step as a group.
“From a defensive point of view to beat these teams you can’t give them too many looks and we’ve got to get better.
“But I’m really confident if we play near our best … we can beat the Bulldogs or beat Melbourne.
“Our best is good enough to beat anyone, the challenge is going out there and executing under pressure.”
MATCH REPORT: BLUES WIN SHOOTOUT AS SAAD SILENCES BOMBERS
Carlton has got its faltering season back on track on Sunday with a 16-point victory over arch enemies Essendon in an entertaining contest at the MCG.
In a match that featured eight lead changes, the Bombers started the stronger and shot out to a 21-point lead early in the second quarter.
But for the remainder of the game, Carlton became more organised and methodical and eventually busted the contest open in the final quarter to open up a game-high 28-point lead.
Carlton had 11 of the first 16 inside 50s, but failed to make hay while the sun shone and the Bombers proceeded to dominate the ball to finish with 16 of the last 19 forward entries of the opening term.
After trailing by four points at the 20-minute mark, they booted five of the next seven goals to take a 20-point lead early in the second quarter.
Essendon more than tripled the Blues for uncontested marks in the first stanza (31-10) and picked holes in Carlton’s defence routinely. Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti was the biggest beneficiary with three of his team’s first six majors.
But Carlton successfully managed to slow down the frenetic pace of the match and shut down the Bombers’ space, helping themselves to five consecutive goals to take a 10-point lead early in the third term on the back of more considered ball use.
The Bombers had the first 12 clearances of the third quarter, and capitalised by kicking the next three majors. However, Carlton’s increased pressure levels helped them wrest control back and turn a three-point deficit into a 28-point lead early in the final quarter, on the back of four consecutive goals, to shut the door on Essendon for good.
WALSH, CURNOW INSTRUMENTAL
Walsh was Carlton’s best player with 33 disposals (13 contested), eight clearances, eight score involvements, 510 metres gained, a goal and two goal assists and his third quarter, in particular, was massive as he gathered nine disposals to help turn the tide Carlton’s way. Ed Curnow was also instrumental in the third term, collecting 11 of his 26 touches while keeping Zach Merrett to just two after the star Bomber had 16 of his 25 disposals in the first half.
HARRISON JONES BREAKS OUT
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Bombers with young key forward Harrison Jones having a breakout game.
He had shown glimpses throughout the early parts of the season of his enormous potential and on Sunday it all came together for him as he pulled in a game-high five contested marks as well as 10 touches, three goals.
Essendon coach Rutten said the 20-year-old, who was taken pick No. 30 in 2019, had his best game for the club and proved on Sunday he could match it with the league’s top defenders.
“He’s been an important player in our forward line, but I thought some of those contested marks (were excellent),” Rutten said.
“One of the goals he kicked I think he had three Carlton defenders jump up to spoil and Jonesy comes down with the mark, and then he has the ability to finish in front of goal.
“They’re the sorts of things we are seeing more and more from him and hopefully tonight gives him the confidence and belief he can match it with (the best).
“They’ve got some pretty good defenders in (Jacob) Weitering and (Liam) Jones, and the like, so hopefully tonight is something he can really bank and we see more of that from him.”
SAAD SILENCES THE MASSES
Carlton speedster Adam Saad copped boos all day long from the crowd in his first game against his old side, and Essendon fans had plenty to boo about, especially late in the first term when he ran to 52m out and sent a beautiful long bomb over the goal umpire’s hat.
The star defender was involved in numerous meaningful plays, finishing with an equal team-high eight score involvements, to go with 21 disposals, a game-high 679 metres gained and six intercepts.
Rutten downplayed the influence Saad had on the contest saying he didn’t think the former Bombers’ linebreaker was “a huge factor in the game” or a “major concern”, despite racking up a team-high 677 metres gained from his 21 disposals
Adam Saad from a looooong way out for his first goal as a Blue!#AFLDonsBluespic.twitter.com/0MdJu8kcyZ
— AFL (@AFL) May 2, 2021
CARLTON OWIES HIM ONE
With Carlton up by 11 points in the first minute of the final term, Nik Cox had the chance to put the Bombers within five points, but second-gamer Matthew Owies laid a crucial tackle from behind in the goal square, forcing the ball to hit the No. 8 pick’s knee and dribble over for a rushed behind.
Owies played a key role with three majors.
TEMPERS FLARE
There was no love lost between arch rivals Essendon and Carlton.
A goal to second-game Blue Matthew Owies saw a spotfire erupt with players from both sides rushing in to back-up their teammates.
There's some feeling in this one 🌶#AFLDonsBluespic.twitter.com/wi6hkdOtCI
— AFL (@AFL) May 2, 2021
BOMBERS 6.4 8.7 12.8 16.11 (107)
BLUES 4.2 8.5 14.7 19.9 (123)
LERNER’S BEST
Bombers: Hooker, Stringer, McDonald-Tipungwuti, Jones, Laverde, Heppell.
Blues: Walsh, Saad, E.Curnow, Weitering, McKay, Cuningham, Cripps.
GOALS Bombers: Hooker 5, McDonald-Tipungwuti 4, Jones 3, Stringer 3, Smith.
Blues: McKay 4, Owies 3, Betts 3, Fogarty 2, Cuningham 2, McGovern, Walsh, Saad, E.Curnow, Cripps.
INJURIES
Bombers: Nil.
Blues: Dow (right eye), McGovern (hamstring).
UMPIRES Howorth, Findlay, Fleer
VENUE MCG
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
LERNER’S VOTES
3 S.Walsh (Carl)
2 A.Saad (Carl)
1 E.Curnow (Carl)
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