Essendon hands Jake Stringer, Devon Smith numbers of former champions, gives Nathan Lovett-Murray closure through Adam Saad
ESSENDON recruits Jake Stringer and Devon Smith will wear numbers made famous by club champions while Adam Saad has given a troubled ex-player closure by taking on his old guernsey.
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JAKE Stringer says he is honoured to be handed the No.25 jumper of Scott Lucas, determined to wear it in Round 1 after a massive pre-season of toil.
And the legendary No.5 jumper of James Hird and Terry Daniher has been handed to new Bomber Devon Smith after the retirement of last year’s wearer Brent Stanton.
The Bombers yesterday handed their new players their jumper numbers, as Jobe Watson also passed his number to fourth-year Don Kyle Langford.
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It came as Nathan Lovett Murray told the Herald Sun he had attained closure after returning to the club to hand his No.42 jumper to dashing defender Adam Saad yesterday.
Lovett-Murray had threatened to sue Essendon and was the last of the 34 players to resolve his compensation claim with Essendon.
He was at Essendon for the first time yesterday since receiving an official apology from the club for its handling of the Essendon ASADA saga.
Former Bulldog Stringer, in amazing shape after losing 4kg over the off-season, mirrors Lucas’ ability to conjure a goal from any position.
He was told by coach John Worsfold he would inherit 25 after wearing No.9 in his five seasons at the Bulldogs.
“Woosha rang me and let me know that I was going to wear 25, and I was pretty excited,” Stringer said.
“Obviously having Roger Merrett and Scotty Lucas wear it before me, it’s always good to go in and understand the long history of great players that have worn the number before you.
“As a player to get your name cemented on the locker with a premiership is a huge honour, and I’ll go out there and make sure I have a good pre-season, and fingers crossed in round one I’m ready to go and can pull on the jumper.”
Stringer is set to let his football do the talking, keen to sidestep media appearances over the summer and early in the season until he puts some solid football together.
It comes as the Dons bulk up their welfare department, CEO Xavier Campbell revealing yesterday the club had added an extra welfare officer and a psychologist on site three days a week.
Lovett-Murray had fears for the health of his young daughter, suffering a mystery chest growth, and at one stage was preparing a $1 million Supreme Court damages claim.
He has settled his claim and said yesterday after meeting Saad he had put that painful chapter behind him.
“I was able to bring my son (Mara, 9) down here today and show him around the club and meet a few players and some of the guys I played with,’’ he said.
“It was important to be able to finally move on. I guess it’s good to feel comfortable within yourself and be able to come back to the club.
“The club has been supportive over the last few years with what’s going on and this is all part of the process and part of the healing.
“There was some frustration there but now it’s been cleared up and now I have moved on from it.”
Smith, who wore No.10 in the final five seasons of his time at GWS, was thrilled to inherit a jumper with such history.
“Terry Daniher has played 290-odd games, is a premiership captain and has more All-Australians than I’ve played games, so it’s pretty exciting,” Smith said.
“It’s a pretty cool feeling to look at the names on the back of your locker and see what they’ve done.
“I know many kids that used to run around thinking they were Hirdy with long sleeve jumper, and most recently Brent Stanton played 255 games, and in this day and age that’s a huge effort.”
Originally published as Essendon hands Jake Stringer, Devon Smith numbers of former champions, gives Nathan Lovett-Murray closure through Adam Saad