Cornes: Are Bombers under-training or has Stringer not committed?

Are training standards at Essendon an issue or has Jake Stringer never fully committed to what it takes to be a professional football player?

It's a question being asked by Kane Cornes following revelations about how much Stringer struggled with the intensity of training at the Giants.

The 30-year-old was handed a brutal reality check after leaving the Bombers during the 2024 trade period, with Giants coach Adam Kingsley making it clear to his newest recruit that he needed to adapt.

According to Cornes, Stringer’s skinfold measurements signalled a need for change and by the end of the Christmas break, the star was measuring almost a centimetre down.

The drastic change under two club’s differing training regimes prompted Cornes to question whether Stringer’s form was down to a subpar level of intensity at Essendon or signs that the player has never quite taken things as seriously as he should.

“Have Essendon done the right thing by letting go of Stringer or are the standards at Essendon an issue?" Cornes asked onSEN Breakfast.

“In the off-season he (Stringer) lost a bit of weight but his skin folds had gone up and it was a shock to Jake Stringer how hard the Giants train when he got there.

"So does that say Essendon standards aren’t as good as the Giants? Or does it say that it’s taken far too long for Stringer at 30 to understand what is required for a player?

“So Stringer’s weight went down, his folds went up, then in the Christmas break they were lauding him because his skin folds went down 9mm in three weeks, which is a lot, like going from 60-50.

“What do you think? Standards at Essendon no good or Jake Stringer may just never get it? At age 30 he’s still working out what it requires to be a professional football player.”

Weighing into the debate, David King suggested the issue probably lies with Stringer.

"I mean this in the nicest possible way, but Jake's probably not the person we should be judging football clubs upon," King said.

"Jake is Jake. There would be players like Merrett at Essendon that drive standards.

"The Giants ran me through their running profile in training and it's challenging them physically to the point of strain, the point of breaking. I would hate to be walking into that underprepared."

Unfortunately for Stringer, a tough pre-season got worse when he was hospitalised with a virus which saw him sit out his side’s pre-season clashes with Sydney and Carlton.

He spent 24 hours under observation before being released.

Stringer also missed his side’s Opening Round win against Collingwood on Sunday after he picked up a low-grade hamstring strain during a pre-season VFL practice match.