JAKE Stringer has been a better player this year than the critics have given him credit for, according to Essendon coach John Worsfold.
Stringer was one of the few bright sparks in Essendon's 71-point loss to Richmond in the Dreamtime at the 'G clash on Saturday night, playing his best game for more than a year to be the Bombers' best player.
In his 100th AFL game, the former Bulldog gathered career-high tallies of possessions (29 – also a team-high), contested possessions (16 – also a game-high) and clearances (nine, including five centre takeaways).
TIGERS CRUSH DONS Full match coverage and stats
The 24-year-old's game was marred by nine kicking clangers – easily a game-high – and a bad set-shot miss in the second quarter that would have dragged the Bombers back within seven points midway through the term, but it was certainly a big step in the right direction.
"He's been pretty solid. Everyone's questioned him all the way along but he's been a pretty good player for us in a lot of games this year," Worsfold said post-match.
"Tonight was probably his best game in terms of overall numbers.
"He's getting a feel for the group, we're starting to work out how we use him and where he adds the most value for us, and that's coming along well."
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Worsfold dismissed a suggestion Stringer had played predominantly in the midfield, insisting he had simply got his hands on the ball more when he was in the engine room.
"I asked (midfield coach) Hayden Skipworth if he spent a lot more time on-ball but he said he was just outstanding in there. He wasn't in there for a lot longer than he has been. That may be something that will build over time," Worsfold said.
Dusty Martin fends off Jake Stringer. Picture: AFL Photos
Over time, Worsfold is also hoping to build the Bombers into a formidable team and doesn't believe the hammering will affect confidence levels too significantly.
Following their disastrous loss to cellar dweller Carlton in round seven, the Dons unexpectedly won their next two games against Geelong and Greater Western Sydney.
"I don't think we were necessarily getting ahead of ourselves the last couple of weeks. We were conscious of the work we've got to do," he said.
"We're excited about training hard this week and continuing the growth of us as a group.
WATCH John Worsfold's full post-match media conference
But it's not a case of two steps forward and one step back.
"I'm not sure about that. A lot of learnings that for us, definitely," he said.
"Talking to the players post-game, they sort of understand what some of the issues were that we didn't cope with in terms of the way Richmond played.
"There's a really good opportunity to have a look at why we couldn't get a score on the board. The game was pretty even in a lot of the numbers except for kicking goals, basically.
"We'll have a look at why our forward line didn't function very well and why we couldn't hold them up as well as we would have liked.
"The ball we won in our front half, we couldn't score from. (That's) where you want to win it. We won 29 front-half turnovers for maybe three points (when) you would normally expect to kick six or seven goals."
The Dons will likely need to find a replacement for midfielder David Zaharakis, who suffered a suspected broken collarbone in the first quarter.
