As Essendon hold firm to their one-year contract offer to forward Jake Stringer, a surprise new suitor has emerged for the veteran’s services in 2025.
Stringer hit a contract trigger mid-season guaranteeing him an extension at the Bombers for the 2025 season by playin 36 games across 2023 and 2024, but the club and coach Brad Scott are adamant that is all they are prepared to offer the mercurial 30-year old.
As Stringer mulls a move elsewhere, minor premiers Sydney are among the most interested rival parties, according to AFL journalist Damian Barrett on afl.com.au.
“It’s line-ball as to whether he goes back to the Bombers,” Barrett said on Access All Areas on Monday.
“I can tell you a club of interest for his services is the Sydney Swans, who are about to embark on a finals series where they start in pole position.
“Their forward line is a concern and there’s a conversation to be had once this season is complete about whether he does fit that mix.”
Stringer’s 42 goals after playing every match in 2024 was second at the Bombers behind Kyle Langford (43), but is more than any single Swan managed in the home-and-away season.
Seven players at the club have kicked more than 25 goals, including five with between 30 and 40 – Joel Amartey (39), Will Hayward (38), Logan McDonald (34), star midfielder Chad Warner (32) and Tom Papley (30).
Stringer’s goal tally is his highest as a Bomber, and equal-best alongside his haul in 2016 as part of the Western Bulldogs’ premiership-winning team.
However, a 2015 All-Australian berth as a 21-year old is his only appearance in the team throughout his career, with the talented forward’s inconsistency and fitness issues causing frustration for Bombers fans across his seven years at the club.
While Bombers great Matthew Lloyd believes you ‘just can’t find those players too often’, he said a Stringer departure wouldn’t be the worst thing for them, either.
“It wouldn’t be the worst thing if he goes and I’m sure they’ll be fine without him,” Lloyd said on Access All Areas.
“But for a side like the Swans, it could be the difference again next year. He could kick 50 goals up there at the SCG.”
Jake Stringer celebrates a goal. (Photo by Morgan Hancock/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)
Geelong coach Chris Scott is offering Tom Hawkins and Cam Guthrie no guarantees as the experienced pair ramp up their bids to feature in the Cats’ AFL premiership push.
Hawkins (foot) and Guthrie (Achilles) are likely to return from long injury lay-offs in the Cats’ reserve team’s knockout VFL semi-final against Southport this weekend.
The positive news comes as Scott prepares his senior side for a qualifying final against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Thursday night.
Geelong have a history of taking conservative approaches with senior players returning from injury and Scott would like more time for Hawkins and Guthrie to build fitness.
But he concedes now is time to roll the dice on the veteran pair, while noting he doesn’t expect miracles in their comeback games.
“When guys haven’t played for a long period of time … I think it’s unreasonable to put high expectations on their performance when they come back,” Scott said.
“Clearly it’s better if they play well, but more importantly it’s how they move and how they get through and how they stand up in that game.
“It’s far from a lay down misere that if those guys get through that we would play them in an AFL game the next week. We don’t even know our fixture yet.
“But what will become important after that will be how well they train as well.”
(Photo by Will Russell/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
While hopeful three-time premiership hero Hawkins and his 2022 flag teammate Guthrie get through their VFL returns well, Scott is also wary of falling into a trap of picking the pair based on their past records.
“We’re optimistic and we’re positive and we’re leaving it on the table but we’re not in the position where we can get sidetracked by the quality of those names up on the magnet board,” Scott said.
“Clearly their best has been important to us and they’ve been two of our best players over a long period of time, but we’ve got to deal in the reality of the current situation.
“There’s just too many unknowns to be really specific about the likely outcome there.”
Hawkins, 36, has been sidelined by his foot injury for more than two months and announced in August he will retire at the end of the season.
Guthrie has managed just 10 games since the 2022 flag, including four appearances this year.
The 32-year-old had been out of action since round 10 because of an achilles issue.
Meanwhile, Scott is keeping his cards close to his chest as versatile tall Sam De Koning prepares to return from a knee injury against Port Adelaide.
De Koning shone as a ruckman during his comeback at VFL level last weekend but could also be deployed in defence.
Scott dismissed concerns over Tom Stewart (hamstring tightness) and Lawson Humphries (calf tightness), who both sat out the second half of the round-24 win over West Coast.
Both are available to play against Port Adelaide.
(AAP)
Inspirational Carlton utility Sam Docherty is firming for a stunning comeback from a knee reconstruction in what his captain says will be a huge boost for the Blues’ elimination final.
Docherty underwent a knee reconstruction after being injured in Carlton’s season-opener against Brisbane at the Gabba on March 8.
Ahead of a rematch of that fixture in an elimination final next Saturday night, Docherty trained strongly on Saturday to again impress his captain Patrick Cripps.
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“He was flying, wasn’t he,” Cripps told reporters after training.
“I reckon he will be knocking down (coach Michael Voss) Vossy’s door every day to selection.
“He is just a great story. He has done a lot of work … he has been doing that for a good month, six weeks, of training.
“He has put his hand up but the coaches have got to pick a side they think is best.
“Personally I love playing with him. He has been through a lot, we have been through a lot together and he is a guy you trust on a footy field.
“If he gets picked, you know he’s going to perform.”
Cripps said the potential return of Docherty, who has undergone three knee reconstructions and recovered from two bouts of cancer during his 168-game career, would be a massive boost for the Blues.
“You only get a finite time in footy so you have got to maximise every chance you get,” Cripps said.
“He got something taken away from him at the start of the year which takes a lot of people 12 months (to recover).
“But it’s amazing when you get the right mindset and you set a goal and you get after it like he has done, you can achieve amazing things.
“It will be a huge boost. But another thing that will really help us is he’s a great leader out there … you know he’s going to stand up in big moments and that is invaluable.
“He’s resilient … it takes a special person to do it.
Sam Docherty celebrates a goal. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
“He has obviously had the three knees (reconstructions) now and two bouts of cancer and one thing he has always done, when he comes back from those is he worked bloody hard and he performed straight away.
“So that just shows you a lot of mental resilience and mental toughness. He knows what it takes to perform at a high level.”
The Blues could also swing six other changes for the knockout final against the Lions.
Key forwards Charlie Curnow (ankle) and Harry McKay (thigh), defender Mitch McGovern (hamstring), Zac Williams (hamstring), ruckman Tom de Koning (foot) and on-baller Adam Cerra (hamstring) are all pressing to return from their respective injuries.
“That is where this (pre) finals bye has helped us … you have got time to actually get work in,” Cripps said.
“If these guys come back, which I reckon a lot of them will, they just know the role they have got to play, they don’t have to do anything special.”
(AAP)
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