Jake Stringer
Jake Stringer (born 25 April 1994) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Greater Western Sydney Giants in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Western Bulldogs from 2013 to 2017 and the Essendon Football Club from 2018 to 2024. Stringer was selected in the All-Australian team in 2015 and won an AFL premiership with the Bulldogs in 2016, the club's first in 62 years. He has also led his clubs' goalkicking on six occasions (three for the Western Bulldogs and three for Essendon).
| Jake Stringer | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Stringer playing for Essendon in 2018 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Jake Stringer | ||
| Nickname | The Package | ||
| Born |
25 April 1994 Maryborough, Victoria | ||
| Original team | Bendigo Gold (VFL) | ||
| Draft | No. 5, 2012 national draft | ||
| Debut | Round 4, 2013, Western Bulldogs vs. Adelaide, at AAMI Stadium | ||
| Height | 192 cm (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Weight | 92 kg (203 lb) | ||
| Position | Forward / midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Greater Western Sydney | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2013–2017 | Western Bulldogs | 89 (160) | |
| 2018–2024 | Essendon | 123 (207) | |
| 2025– | Greater Western Sydney | 19 (33) | |
| Total | 232 (401) | ||
| International team honours | |||
| Years | Team | Games (Goals) | |
| 2015 | Australia | 1 (0) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of round 5, 2026. 2 Representative statistics correct as of 2015. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Jake Stringer (born 25 April 1994) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Greater Western Sydney Giants in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Western Bulldogs from 2013 to 2017 and the Essendon Football Club from 2018 to 2024. Stringer was selected in the All-Australian team in 2015 and won an AFL premiership with the Bulldogs in 2016, the club's first in 62 years. He has also led his clubs' goalkicking on six occasions (three for the Western Bulldogs and three for Essendon).
Early life
[edit]Stringer played junior football with the Eaglehawk Football Club and played for the Bendigo Pioneers in the TAC Cup. After suffering a leg fracture in 2011, he was still able to show strong form for the Bendigo Gold in the VFL. He was drafted by the Bulldogs with the fifth overall selection in the 2012 national draft.
AFL career
[edit]
Western Bulldogs (2013–2017)
[edit]Stringer made his AFL debut against Adelaide in round 4 of the 2013 AFL season.[1] In 2014, Stringer's abilities improved dramatically, and he began to be known as "The Package".[2] He received a nomination for the 2014 AFL Rising Star award in round 20 after kicking a match-winning four goals against St Kilda.
In 2015, Stringer had his breakthrough season kicking 56 goals and averaging 14 disposals per game, cementing himself as one of the competition's most exciting young players. Stringer also played every game in the 2015 season except for one. His outstanding season was capped off with an All-Australian selection. He later represented Australia in the 2015 International Rules game.
In 2016, Stringer struggled with form which led to him being dropped at the end of the Home and Away season. Despite the inconsistent form, Stringer still kicked the most goals for the Bulldogs that year, 37. Stringer returned for the Bulldogs elimination Final against the Eagles, kicking one goal in the Bulldogs 47 point thrashing of the Eagles at Domain Stadium. He then played in the Dogs 23 point win over Hawthorn, contributing immensely kicking 3 goals. In the final minute of the Preliminary Final when the Dogs were leading by just 5 points, Stringer had the ball inside the attacking 50 and instead of having a shot for goal he crossed to teammate Tory Dickson. Dickson was then able to take time off the clock and then shoot just after the siren was called. This act of selflessness by Stringer helped slow down play and landed the Bulldogs into their first Grand Final in 55 years. In the 2016 AFL Grand Final the Bulldogs took on the minor premiers, Sydney Swans. Stringer had a quiet game, but kicked an important goal in the final term to stretch the Dogs lead over Sydney. The Bulldogs defeated Sydney by 22 points and won their 2nd Premiership in the club's history. On 14 April 2017, Stringer made history by kicking the first-ever AFL goal on a Good Friday.
Essendon (2018–2024)
[edit]Stringer was contracted until the end of the 2018 season,[3] but at the end of the 2017 season Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge confirmed that the club was looking to trade him.[4] He was officially traded to Essendon during the trade period.[5]
At Essendon, he regained his form and won the club's goal kicking award three times. After 4 seasons at the club and following a blistering run of form through the middle rounds of 2021, Stringer signed on with the club for a further 3 seasons. Leading into the opening round of the 2022 season, Stringer was ruled out after failing to overcome a groin injury.[6]
Stringer had a strong 2024 season, playing every game for the Bombers and kicking 42 goals. Stringer's strong season triggered a clause in his contract to extend his contract with Essendon until 2025.[7] However, Stringer was seeking a longer extension than that, which Essendon refused to offer him.[8] This led to trade speculation linking Stringer with a move away from Essendon.
Greater Western Sydney (2025–present)
[edit]During the 2024 trade period, he was traded to Greater Western Sydney in exchange for pick 53.[9]
In his first season for GWS, Stringer played 15 games, including their Elimination Final loss to Hawthorn. He missed games due to hamstring strains over three separate periods.[10] Despite these setbacks, he featured in some important late-season wins, kicking 10 goals across Rds 18–20 and receiving coaches' votes in all three games.[11]
Statistics
[edit]Updated to the end of round 5, 2026.[12]
G
|
Goals | K
|
Kicks | D
|
Disposals | T
|
Tackles |
B
|
Behinds | H
|
Handballs | M
|
Marks | ||
#
|
Played in that season's premiership team |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | Votes | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | |||||
| 2013 | Western Bulldogs | 9 | 10 | 12 | 7 | 47 | 37 | 84 | 31 | 20 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 4.7 | 3.7 | 8.4 | 3.1 | 2.0 | 0 |
| 2014 | Western Bulldogs | 9 | 18 | 26 | 15 | 133 | 87 | 220 | 55 | 43 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 7.4 | 4.8 | 12.2 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 0 |
| 2015 | Western Bulldogs | 9 | 22 | 56 | 32 | 236 | 78 | 314 | 77 | 59 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 10.7 | 3.5 | 14.3 | 3.5 | 2.7 | 3 |
| 2016# | Western Bulldogs | 9 | 23 | 42 | 23 | 182 | 141 | 323 | 77 | 48 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 7.9 | 6.1 | 14.0 | 3.3 | 2.1 | 4 |
| 2017 | Western Bulldogs | 9 | 16 | 24 | 26 | 124 | 74 | 198 | 48 | 29 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 7.8 | 4.6 | 12.4 | 3.0 | 1.8 | 3 |
| 2018 | Essendon | 25 | 20 | 30 | 23 | 191 | 100 | 291 | 74 | 53 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 9.6 | 5.0 | 14.6 | 3.7 | 2.7 | 1 |
| 2019 | Essendon | 25 | 19 | 33 | 27 | 178 | 55 | 233 | 57 | 63 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 9.4 | 2.9 | 12.3 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 2 |
| 2020[a] | Essendon | 25 | 10 | 15 | 7 | 57 | 16 | 73 | 18 | 19 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 5.7 | 1.6 | 7.3 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 2 |
| 2021 | Essendon | 25 | 19 | 41 | 18 | 210 | 102 | 312 | 55 | 76 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 11.1 | 5.4 | 16.4 | 2.9 | 4.0 | 8 |
| 2022 | Essendon | 25 | 15 | 25 | 19 | 136 | 60 | 196 | 33 | 45 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 9.1 | 4.0 | 13.1 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 2 |
| 2023 | Essendon | 25 | 17 | 21 | 23 | 145 | 83 | 228 | 45 | 51 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 8.5 | 4.9 | 13.4 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 3 |
| 2024 | Essendon | 25 | 23 | 42 | 25 | 203 | 88 | 291 | 89 | 58 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 8.8 | 3.8 | 12.7 | 3.9 | 2.5 | 1 |
| 2025 | Greater Western Sydney | 20 | 15 | 25 | 24 | 108 | 51 | 159 | 40 | 23 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 7.2 | 3.4 | 10.6 | 2.7 | 1.5 | 0 |
| 2026 | Greater Western Sydney | 20 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 46 | 17 | 63 | 19 | 11 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 9.2 | 3.4 | 12.6 | 3.8 | 2.2 | |
| Career | 232 | 401 | 277 | 1996 | 989 | 2985 | 718 | 598 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 8.6 | 4.3 | 12.9 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 29 | ||
Notes
- ^ The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Honours and achievements
[edit]Team
Individual
- All-Australian team: 2015
- 3× Western Bulldogs leading goalkicker: 2015, 2016, 2017
- 3× Essendon leading goalkicker: 2018, 2019, 2021
- AFL Rising Star nominee: 2014
References
[edit]- ^ Bourke, Adam (23 April 2013). "Stringer family enjoys watching Jake's AFL debut".
- ^ Beveridge, Riley (10 September 2015). "AFL finals: How does Adelaide keep Jake Stringer quiet at the MCG?". Fox Sports (Australia). Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ "Stringer and Macrae sign new deals". 8 April 2015.
- ^ King, Travis (13 September 2017). "Beveridge confirms Stringer is on trade table". AFL.com.au. Australian Football League. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
- ^ "Stringer finally becomes a Bomber – AFL.com.au". afl.com.au. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ Australian Associated Press (17 March 2022). "Dons talisman to miss opener, SSP signing a chance to debut". afl.com.au. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ "Stringer activates secret clause as Dons make call on Laverde". Herald Sun. 28 August 2024.
- ^ "'Insulting' detail of Essendon's Stringer contract gamble". News.com.au. 3 September 2024.
- ^ https://www.afl.com.au/news/1241701/essendon-bombers-forward-jake-stringer-secures-trade-to-greater-western-sydney-giants
- ^ "Stringer's season could be over after latest injury setback". AFL. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ https://www.wheeloratings.com/afl_match_stats_player.html?id=23007c&season=2025
- ^ "Jake Stringer". AFL Tables. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
External links
[edit]
- Jake Stringer's profile on the official website of the Greater Western Sydney Giants
- Jake Stringer's playing statistics from AFL Tables
- Jake Stringer at AustralianFootball.com
