Despite Stringer’s injury history, new captain Zach Merrett would not entertain whether the hamstring was a sign of any wider conditioning issue, instead pointing to Stringer’s role on the field.

“Jake, like every player, has his own program to an extent,” Merrett said.

“Him, [Jordan] De Goey, [Christian] Petracca; these guys that are super explosive and powerful are unique. I’m sure with that explosiveness he has injuries will pop up.

“We just want him to get back to that explosive power and impact on the scoreboard, and impact forward of centre.”

New coach Brad Scott said earlier this month the Bombers had reduced Stringer’s program to avoid him becoming injured.

“He had a lot of groin pain towards the end of last year, and everyone knows the influence Jake can have on games in a really short period of time,” Scott told 7News.

“So our priority has been to strip things back for Jake and build up his strength in all the right areas so that he can get back to full power and full strength.

“Our philosophy has been if that sets him back a little bit in terms of his conditioning in terms of round one and the early rounds, then we will live with that. I want to make sure he’s playing for us, he’s at his powerful best.”

Thirty-four Bombers players left for the Gold Coast on Wednesday for the side’s first chance to test changes brought in under Scott, who has made Essendon’s weak defence a focus.

Merrett said the Bombers were eager for feedback from an opponent. “It feels like you’re improving every day, but you don’t really know until you get against an opposition. So, the boys are buzzing to be on the plane and play a game.”

Tasmanian MPs oppose federal funds for AFL stadium

Jackson Graham

Ten Tasmanian politicians have written an open letter to AFL boss Gill McLachlan urging the league to grant the state a licence for a 19th team without taxpayers contributing federal funds for a new stadium.

The federal MPs, including six Liberals, two Greens Senators, Jacqui Lambie, Tammy Tyrrell and independent Andrew Wilkie, have timed the message to coincide with McLachlan being in Tasmania on Thursday.

“Tasmania is one of the founding football states and has a long history of making rich contributions to the national game,” the MPs write.

“That is why we deserve a team of our own without having to make taxpayers pay for a stadium … we are putting politics aside to make this plea: give Tasmania a licence.”

The AFL declined to comment when contacted on Wednesday.

The AFL has previously made clear it will only grant a new licence for Tasmania if a new stadium is built with the business case arguing the roofed stadium, which would seat 23,000 spectators, could be built by the end of 2028.

Under the proposal the Tasmanian government has committed $375 million and the AFL $15 million towards its construction. They are seeking $240 million federal funding and $85 million private investment.

Tasmanian Liberal Senator Jonno Duniam spoke out against federal funds being used in November last year, and started conversations with the other MPs to gain agreement over the joint statement.

Wilkie, who has also previously pushed back against the stadium, said on Wednesday that he wanted to see UTAS Stadium in Launceston and an upgraded Blundstone Arena used instead.

“If the federal government has hundreds of millions of dollars at its disposal, then my community is telling me loud and clear it wants that sort of money to go into really pressing problems,” he said

“We’ve got a health crisis, we’ve got a housing crisis, we’ve got chronic traffic congestion.”

He said the stadium should not become a “stumbling block” when the main priority ought to be Tasmania gaining an AFL side and growing additional infrastructure afterwards.

Why missing out on a leadership berth in 2020 has helped Merrett

Jackson Graham

A year left out of the Bombers’ leadership group helped Zach Merrett build relationships with teammates and be himself, the new captain says, as he describes himself as having a more holistic mindset now.

On Tuesday, Merrett replaced Dyson Heppell as Essendon’s captain after first joining the leadership group in 2016.

In early 2020, Merrett was dropped from the leadership group after a player vote. However, he now sees being outside the group – while the competition operated in COVID-19 hubs – as allowing him to work on relationships with teammates he hadn’t spent time with before.

“I think being in a leadership group in ’20, [you would be getting] pulled apart in a lot of ways in meetings formally all the time,” Merrett said at the Bombers’ training grounds on Wednesday.

“And guys probably don’t want to say things around you when you’re in those groups at that time. The three months, I was able to have coffees, informal chats, sit by the pool in the Gold Coast, and just have chats about footy and life.”

Some of those teammates have moved on from the club, but it was the opportunity to show more of himself that Merrett now prizes.

“It was an opportunity for me to be myself more and open up a little bit more and give those guys more of an ‘in’ to me,” he said.

“It [was] probably a great … opportunity to practise those things, and now I have utilised [that] in the last two or three years.”

Roles as vice captain and match-day captain early in his career seem “a long time ago now” and his leadership style has matured.

“At that age, you’re still just taking everything in as much as you can. Now, I’ve probably got a bit more of a holistic approach, a better understanding of a lot of things.”

Merrett praised former skipper Heppell, who last week stepped down from the role after six years, for his leadership and support of him as a young player. He said he was excited to be part of a wider turnover of captains at several AFL clubs.

“There’s been a lot of turnover across the competition this year for whatever reasons, amazing leaders that I’ve idolised from other clubs finishing up,” Merrett said.

“It’s just a great chance for us, and for me and for those guys, to take over. What that looks like I’m sure will evolve … I’m not exactly set on what I’ll be like.”

The Bombers have struggled for several years to stop their opponents transitioning the ball, and new coach Brad Scott has spent the preseason focusing on bolstering the side defensively.

Merrett said his approach to speaking to players on the field if their defending failed to meet expectations was challenging because in that moment “you’re doing everything to win”.

“It’s hard to stop and pause the game and know who isn’t defending,” he said. “We always want to defend and I’m sure we will continue to get better at it.”

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He expects some changes made during the preseason to be noticeable when the side tests itself against the Suns in Gold Coast on Thursday.

“We’re at the stage now where we have implemented a lot of change, we need to get some feedback from an opposition, so I’m pretty keen to play,” Merrett said.

“It’s good chance for [Sam] Weideman and the centre-field guys who have come into the club to actually play.”

Pies star Molloy leaves, set to join Swans

Claire Siracusa

Collingwood star Chloe Molloy has informed the Pies she will be leaving and is on the verge of joining the Swans when the AFLW priority signing period opens in March.

Earlier this week, the league finalised terms for player movement this off-season. The four expansion teams from season seven – Essendon, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide and Sydney – will be able to sign priority signing period players without a trade.

The Swans were granted three additional list spots for the upcoming season eight, which will be reduced to two for season nine, and permitted to sign up to five players during the priority signing period.

Sydney were also offered the ability to offer a longer-term contract with an additional two seasons more than allowed in the season eight list rules for two players. They are also permitted to offer a longer-term contract with an additional one season more than allowed in season eight list rules for three players.

The number of priority signing players a club can lose is based on where they finished on the ladder in season seven.

Molloy, who was taken at pick three in the 2017 draft, has played 47 games since making her debut in 2018 and been All-Australian twice. She was named Rising Star in 2018 and won the Pies’ best and fairest that same year.

The Swans released a statement confirming Molloy had “indicated an interest” in signing with them.

“We will continue working with Chloe and the AFL to bring her to Sydney through the mechanisms provided by the AFL,” the statement said.

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“The club will provide a further update when the AFLW priority signing period opens on March 1.”

Collingwood’s head of women’s football, Jess Burger, thanked Molloy for her outstanding contribution to the club.

“Since being drafted to Collingwood, ‘Moy’ has been a valued member of our program,” Burger said.

“Over the past five years, Chloe has been a great ambassador for our club and the wider AFLW competition, and it’s been great to watch her grow and develop as both a player and person over the course of that time.

“Not only has Chloe demonstrated outstanding talent on the field, but she has also made strong contributions off field including as an opposition analyst during her time on the sidelines with a Lisfranc injury in 2019.

“In this situation, we understand that she was interested in seeking an opportunity interstate in pursuit of a new lifestyle.

“Whilst we’re disappointed Chloe won’t be a part of the continued growth of our program, we are confident in the depth and talent of our playing list to ensure continued improvement in the 2023 season and beyond.

“On behalf of everyone at Collingwood, we would like to thank Chloe for all she has brought to our club and we wish her all the best for this next chapter of her career.”

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