Jake Stringer talks why he wants to be a Bomber forever, ahead of early elimination final against Western Bulldogs
Jake Stringer has gained plenty of perspective since he joined the Bombers from the Bulldogs, and the livewire says it is part of the reason he wants to be a Bomber forever.
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Jake Stringer has revealed his desire to play out the rest of his AFL career with Essendon, saying he wants to help awaken “the sleeping giant” as the Bombers look to chase long-awaited September success.
Stringer, 29, is contracted to the Bombers until the end of 2024, but he told the Herald Sun on Thursday he is keen to extend his career in red and black for a number of years to come.
While talks on a new deal are unlikely to start until the end of this current season, the explosive forward-mid says he will forever be grateful to Essendon for taking him in when the Western Bulldogs decided to trade him just 12 months after he played a key role in the 2016 premiership.
“As I have learnt in footy, things can change very quickly, but ideally I would love to stay at this club … it is my home now,” Stringer said as he and the Bombers prepared to take on his former side at Marvel Stadium on Friday night in the club’s annual Challenge charity game.
“I can’t see myself ever leaving, especially under (coach) Brad (Scott), who I have loved working with since he came to the club.”
Stringer said the Bombers’ support helped him through a challenging period of his life and he wants to give more back to the club that helped him find maturity on and off the field since joining them in late 2017.
“They took me in during some of the hardest times in my life and I have flourished (on and off the field) under the Essendon banner,” he said.
“I probably came to the club when it was in a tough time, too. I’ve been fortunate to have made some awesome mates while I have been here – Devon Smith (since retired), Zach Merrett, Jayden Laverde and others. They are all very close to my heart.
“It has been an incredible journey, it feels like I have been here the whole time. It feels like a lifetime ago when I was running around for the Bulldogs.”
Stringer – and the Bombers – will take on the Bulldogs on Friday night in a clash which looms as an ‘early elimination final’, but is confident they can bounce back after the Cats gave them a reality check last week.
He hasn’t played in a winning final since that 2016 Bulldogs grand final win – and the Bombers haven’t won a final since 2004 – but he remains convinced the club is on the right trajectory under Scott.
“It is an old sleeping giant, Essendon, and when the time comes (for success), I want to be a part of that,” he said. “That’s the goal. We are working our backsides off week in and week out to go after it.”
Stringer says if Essendon needed a dose of perspective this week, it couldn’t have come from a more wholesome source nor at a more opportune time.
A gathering of 25 Challenge kids who have been fighting cancer and their parents brought some colour to The Hangar on Thursday, for a special up-close-and-personal meeting with the players at the Captain’s Run.
It was almost the perfect tonic ahead of Friday night’s crucial clash, so much so that coach Brad Scott referenced it to the players on Thursday in the wake of last week’s 77-point thrashing at the hands of Geelong – their heaviest loss of the season.
“We were really disappointed with our effort last week,” Stringer said. “But it has been a bit of a blessing in disguise having the kids come down which put that into perspective for us.”
“Brad spoke about it (to the group) that footy is the driver for these things (the club’s link with not-for-profit charity Challenge that supports children and their families living with cancer).
“We are fortunate to be in a position where we can give a bit back for the kids. We never lose sight of what our focus is, and that’s winning this week. It is another good opportunity to test ourselves against a good opposition.
“But for us to be able to make a child happy is something we don’t take for granted. It is a special connection for us.”
The Challenge kids handed over to the group the hand painted boots the players will wear against the Bulldogs, decorated and painted by the children themselves.
The signed and match-worn jumpers and painted boots will be auctioned off to support Challenge and kids with cancer.
Stringer’s connection runs deeper than most of the Essendon players, and that’s not just because he has four children – daughters Milla, Arlo and Gia, and son River.
It has just as much to do with the fact that his link to Essendon – and to Challenge – has played a significant role in his maturation as a person and as a player.
He had been shown the door from Western Bulldogs in late 2017 and he had to rebuild his career and his confidence at a new club.
Part of that revolved around maturing as a person, and two off-field meetings at the time played a significant part.
The first was when Essendon resolved to give him the best chance to make the most of his undoubted talent. The second was an approach from Challenge, the charity associated with the Bombers for the past 20 years.
Asked if those two connections helped to change his outlook on life, Stringer said: “100 per cent.”
“Paul Connors (Stringer’s manager) is close to (Challenge CEO) David (Rogers), so in my first couple of months at Essendon Dave asked if I was interested in coming down (to Challenge),” he said.
“I still remember walking in and seeing the first smile on the little kids’ faces who were going through a tough time.
“Probably the biggest wake-up call for me was having my own kids, and realising how fortunate you are to have kids who are healthy.
“It can be pretty confronting at times. There have been a lot of sad stories over the past six years, but there have also been some wonderful stories.
“I still see some of the kids I saw six years ago, and you can hardly recognise them now. It is mind-blowing the good work that Challenge does, and all the nurses …”
Stringer, who regularly visits the Royal Children’s Hospital along with teammates, insists he gets as much out of it now as the kids do.
He says the emotion of playing against his old side has long dissipated, especially given so many of the 2016 premiership Bulldogs teammates have either retired or moved on.
“It’s been a long time now,” he said of his controversial departure from the Bulldogs. “A lot of my close mates have moved on from my time there.
“I have got the premiership there, so there is always going to be that connection there. But I am (locked) into the Essendon culture and I am really enjoying my time here.”
He has now played more games for Essendon than the Bulldogs, and will reach his 100th game for the Bombers next week to add to his 87 from his former club.
Stringer said Brad Scott had made a significant difference to the Bombers since taking over as coach late last year, and had offered him plenty of support.
“He (Scott) has just embraced everything we do,” Stringer said. “He hasn’t tried to change who I am. It was very evident from very early on that he was like ‘Just do you!’
“I’ve really loved seeing some of the young kids emerge, and trying to help them out.”
He is confident the Bombers can take it up to the best teams on their day.
“We pushed Collingwood and we’ve pushed Port Adelaide twice, we just haven’t got the results yet,” he said.
“The good thing is we are right in the mix. We need to start winning a few of these games.”
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