It was vintage Jake Stringer.
With six and a half minutes to play in last Friday night’s arm wrestle with Sydney, Stringer burst out the middle and launched one from just inside the centre square.
The crowd went up, as did that familiar one finger celebration and the game was over - the Dogs eventually running out 23-point winners over the Swans take their record to 2-0 on the season.
For the neutrals it was footy poetry, but for the Bulldogs fans it was something more. It was one of multiple times this season he has moved into the middle and had an impact.
By his own admission, the 22-year-old Stringer had an up and down 2016 season, and despite his team’s success, he went into the offseason determined to grow his game, and so far, the signs are good.
To get to the next level as a player he wanted to add versatility and to do that, he needed to increase his running power.
Enter Lachie Hunter.
“I did a lot of running with Lachie, who’s an elite runner and one of my best mates,” he told SEN recently.
“He put me through the works during the pre-season, he really set me up to be able to run out games and to get myself into the midfield.
“It’s just a lot of hard work that’s got me to be able to go through the midfield and get a couple of kicks.”
Stringer returned looking svelte, yet powerful, and when coach Luke Beveridge has asked him to go into the middle of the ground this season, good things are happening.
In the two opening games of the season he has recorded career highs in disposals, marks and on the back of more time in the centre square, he has doubled his inside 50s.
So what does the future hold for Jake Stringer? Is he a lead-up forward, an explosive midfielder or is a combination of both – a player able to impact the contest in all areas of the ground, across four quarters
He hasn’t had to look far for inspiration.
“[A versatile player is] something that I’m aspiring to be,” Stringer said.
“Bonti [Marcus Bontempelli] is at that stage where he can do that now so that’s where I’m trying to get my base to…. I just want to be as versatile as I can for the team.”
While the Stringer highlights package is as good as anybody’s, it’s his potential evolution into a more complete package that should really excite Bulldogs fans.
