Stringer's 200th milestone game a testament to his resilience: Proud Dad

Jake Stringer will play AFL game No.200 on Saturday night when he lines up for Essendon against Richmond in the annual Dreamtime at the G clash.

Stringer will become just the 13th graduate from the Bendigo Pioneers to play 200 games in what has so far been a career of two chapters - the first at the Western Bulldogs (2013-17) and the second at Essendon (2018-).

The 30-year-old played 89 games for the Western Bulldogs, who drafted Stringer from the Bendigo Pioneers in 2012, while the explosive midfielder/forward has since played 110 and counting with the Bombers.

"It's obviously a big week for Jake and we're just happy for him that he has got this far," John said this week.

"From the family perspective, this week is a testament to his resilience more than anything else.

"Not too many people get to play one AFL game, let alone 50, 100, 150 or 200.

"By the time you get to 200 games you've got to go through the struggles of ups and downs with injury and so forth, so to get to 200 you're just happy that he has achieved it.

"Looking back, he has had a couple of nasty injuries along the way.

"The foot injury last year was a shocker and one that he probably should have stopped playing earlier.

"He had syndesmosis surgery during the COVID year in 2020 and that was a big setback for him, but one of the biggest problems is he has had some injury worries that he has carried into the start of some pre-seasons.

"I remember there was a head knock he got against Richmond one year and he had concussion symptoms all through the next pre-season that stopped him from running and then you've got the AFL media putting its own spin on issues to make it into something else.

"I'm not sure what the fascination is, but unfortunately for Jake he is good for a click, which is the modern media landscape these days."

Prior to becoming known as 'The Package' and one of the headline-grabbing players of the AFL, Stringer played junior football in Maryborough, at Quarry Hill and Golden Square before spending three years with the Bendigo Pioneers.

His second season with the Pioneers in 2011 was over after just one game after he badly broke his leg in the opening round of the TAC Cup against North Ballarat in Ballarat.

"It's unbelievable... it was an action he would have done hundreds of times in games of footy," Pioneers regional manager at the time Ray Byrne said of Stringer's broken leg.

"He was just trying to kick the ball and as soon as he fell to the ground we knew he was in a lot of trouble. He was in a lot of pain, the poor kid.

"The operation went for a long time. The surgeons in Ballarat inserted some rods into his leg and they were very happy with the way it went.

"He's as good a prospect as we've had for a while. The good thing is he's young enough to bounce back from this and get ready for next year."

And bounce back Stringer did.

In his first game since breaking his leg just over a year earlier Stringer kicked 10 goals for the Pioneers in a 100-point win over the Northern Knights in round four of the 2012 TAC Cup season.

Also a highly talented basketball player, Stringer was the first Pioneer player since Steven Reaper in the mid-1990s to kick 10 goals in a game.

No Pioneer player has kicked more than six goals in a game since.

Stringer was the Pioneers' leading goalkicker that 2012 season with 26 before he and team-mate Ollie Wines were both early selections in November's AFL National Draft.

Stringer went first at selection No.5 to the Western Bulldogs; Wines two picks later at No.7 to Port Adelaide.

Like Stringer will become on Saturday night, Wines - who captained the Pioneers in 2012 under coach David Newett - is also a 200-gamer having played 237 matches for the Power, with his resume highlighted by the 2021 Brownlow Medal.

Throughout that 2012 season Stringer also got a taste of senior football with the Bendigo Gold in the VFL, including playing in the elimination final loss against Williamstown as the 23^rd player, while he also played a one-off game in the BFNL with Eaglehawk alongside older brother Brad.

That BFNL game was a 13-point victory for the Hawks over Strathfieldsaye at Canterbury Park in which he kicked two goals and featured among the best players.

Having joined the Bulldogs - coached at the time by Brendan McCartney - in November of 2012 Stringer made his AFL debut in round four of 2013 against Adelaide at Football Park on a dreary Sunday afternoon.

"I remember Jake and Jack Macrae debuted in the same game and that it was a pretty ordinary day... rainy and windy," John said.

"I'm pretty sure Jake lined up on Ben Rutten when he went on, so there's a bit of irony there."

Then an Adelaide defender, Rutten would later coach Stringer at Essendon.

Stringer started the game as the Bulldogs' substitute before taking to the field late in the third quarter.

He ended the match with two kicks, three handballs and two tackles in a game the Bulldogs lost 12.8 (80) to 4.4 (28) in front of a crowd of 24,684.

That debut against the Adelaide was the first of the 89 games Stringer played for the Bulldogs between 2013 and 2017, with the pinnacle during his time at the Whitten Oval coming in 2016 when he played in the drought-breaking premiership.

In what was a remarkable September run in which they came from seventh and had to win three cut-throat finals to reach the grand final, the Bulldogs defeated Sydney 13.11 (89) to 10.7 (67) to win the club's first flag since 1954.

"We went to all those finals and it was just unbelievable," John said.

"The boys built a bit of belief after going over to Perth and beating West Coast in the first final and the rest is history as they say.

"The grand final was obviously an amazing day, but I think for a lot of the parents the GWS game (six-point preliminary final win the previous week) was a game for the ages.

"If you watch it back now it's just an unbelievable game of footy and then the grand final week that followed was just a whirlwind."

Then aged 22 and playing in game No.73, Stringer ended the grand final with 12 disposals, one goal and one mark.

While his influence was nullified for much of the day, he had two pivotal moments in the final quarter that helped the Bulldogs break the shackles of the Swans.

The first was with 11:43 to go when he was fed a handball from Jack Macrae and amidst a cluster of players got boot to ball and snapped a goal to put the Bulldogs up 67-60.

And later with 2:18 left on the clock Stringer received a handball from Caleb Daniel on the forward flank.

Stringer had a bounce, but rather than blaze away, he centred to Liam Picken in the goalsquare, resulting in the goal that moved the Bulldogs 21 points clear.

"You dream of winning premierships when you're a little kid and to be able to now live out that dream at a club that had been starved of success for 62 years; it just doesn't get any better," Stringer told the Bendigo Advertiser in the aftermath of the premiership victory.

"I don't know when it will sink in, maybe when I'm driving back up to Bendigo and get a bit of a chance to reflect back on it.

"I looked at the photo last night of us celebrating around the cup and to see all the smiles and joy on everyone's faces is just incredible."

The 2016 grand final victory came 12 months after Stringer earned All-Australian selection for a 2015 season in which he topped the Bulldogs' goalkicking with 56 and finished fifth in the Coleman Medal.

Stringer was named on a half-forward flank in the 2015 All-Australian team in what was an achievement he said at the time left him lost for words.

"Being so young, to be standing up there alongside players who I'd been watching week in, week out since I was 15 and really wanted to play AFL football... it's hard to explain and was a bit surreal," Stringer told the Bendigo Advertiser the day after his selection.

"It's hard to put into words, but it's nice to be recognised for the year that I and the Western Bulldogs have had."

As well as his 2015 All-Australian selection, Stringer was also named captain of the AFL's 22Under22 team that year, while he also represented Australia against Ireland in the 2015 International Rules game.

"This year is the first year where I've felt free in body and mind and feel like I can do anything," Stringer said.

"Whereas in my first couple of years I was a bit hesitant and wasn't sure whether I belonged in the AFL.

"The belief wasn't quite there, but then Bevo (coach Luke Beveridge) came to the club and just drummed it into me and it took off.

"It's nice to finally play a full season since I broke my leg and to be able to do what I've done is not only a credit to the club and myself, but also my family, who have been there the whole time."

While that All-Australian selection came a year prior to the premiership victory, just over a year after the grand final triumph with the Bulldogs Stringer had become a Bomber, joining Essendon during the 2017 trade period.

The bargaining between the Bombers and Bulldogs - with whom Stringer kicked 160 goals during his 89 games - went the distance, with the deal not finalised until just over an hour remaining of the trade period.

"The move to Essendon is a great opportunity and a new beginning for me both on and off the field," Stringer said after the trade was finalised.

"I'm excited about the opportunity at Essendon. They play a great brand of football and I can't wait to get in and start earning the respect of my new teammates."

Since joining the Bombers Stringer has kicked 184 goals in 110 games - giving him a career tally of 344 - and been the club's leading goalkicker three times in 2018 (30), 2019 (33) and 2021 (41).

Speaking on the Essendon Football Club website this week, Stringer described reaching the 200 game milestone as "surreal".

In a milestone quirk, it's the second match of significance for Stringer that has coincided with the Dreamtime at the G game against Richmond.

His 100^th AFL game back in 2018 was also a Dreamtime at the G clash, with the Bombers losing to the Tigers that night by 71 points.

"I'm looking forward to the moment and being able to share that my moment with my kids and family and the rest of the boys," Stringer said.

"But once you run out it's game time and that's the part I'm looking forward to.

"It has been a long journey for myself; a severe broken leg when I was 17 and was pretty much written off that I'd probably never play footy again, so to be able to work through that as a young kid and then to be able to play early at the Bulldogs and win a premiership there was a great chapter in my life.

"But I'm probably more proud of the work I've done at Essendon since coming to the club and I feel like I'm a really valued member of the community here.

"I'm really enjoying my time and loving my footy at the minute. This club has offered me so much and, hopefully, I can give something back."

Stringer is one of two former Bendigo Pioneers playing a milestone AFL game this weekend.

Collingwood's Lachie Schultz, from Moama, plays his 100^th AFL game tonight against his former team, Fremantle, at Perth Stadium.