‘The guy can play’: Four clubs urged to consider unwanted star
The AFL has a player who kicked just under 50 goals across the 2026 season, was unlucky to miss the All-Australian squad and is available to every team in the competition for zero trade cost – and he is looking likely to be without a home in 2027.
That is Jake Stringer, who was delisted by GWS after they informed the 32-year-old they would not be offering him a contract for next season.
Jake Stringer is currently without a home for 2027. Getty
However, it has been reported that rivals clubs have shown little to no interest in him, and his chances of being on a list in 2027 are low.
Trade Radio’s Tom Morris reported that Stringer wants to play in Victoria and is willing to sign a team-friendly one-year contract to extend his career.
The veteran forward has played for three teams across his career, winning a premiership with the Bulldogs in 2016 before joining Essendon for a number of years and then winding up at the Giants.
His presence from a locker-room standpoint has been called into question repeatedly across his career. In 2026, a financial venture he pushed with GWS teammates and coaches went wrong, leading to an alleged falling out.
The Bombers, meanwhile, raised concerns about friends he was bringing into the team rooms after games.
There’s no question about what he can bring on the field, however, after 250 games and 440 goals, including a bag of seven against Fremantle, six against Adelaide and five on Brisbane and Hawthorn in 2026 – not exactly beating up on the lower-ranked teams.
And 2018 Brownlow Medallist Tom Mitchell believes a couple of Victorian clubs should absolutely roll the dice on Stringer as a delisted free agent.
"Yes, I would (take a punt on Jake Stringer)," Mitchell told AFL Trade Radio on Tuesday morning.
“Is it the Demons? … You’d have to be a contender.
“He kicked 50 goals this year, it is clearly not a football performance issue. It would need to be with a (premiership) contender.
"There's clearly issues away from football that clubs are worried about. This is now the third club that has moved on from him.
"He can kick six goals in a game. Could you say 'Jake, train with us until February, show us you're going to come in with a good attitude and if you're happy to play for minimum chips, here you go'."
If he wants to be in Victoria, it’s a pretty simple exercise to narrow down the options.
He won’t be returning to Essendon or the Bulldogs; Richmond at the start of their rebuild makes no sense; Collingwood have already said they’re likely not interested; Hawthorn has all the forward line firepower they need; and Geelong just signed Toby Greene to fill the same void.
That leaves Carlton – extremely unlikely given their push towards youth – as well as Melbourne, North Melbourne and St Kilda.
Jake Stringer kicked 48 goals in 2026. Getty Images
The Demons have spent the last two seasons removing potential locker room question marks like Clayton Oliver, who thrived at GWS in 2026 alongside Stringer, and Steven May. It’s difficult to imagine them going down this path.
North Melbourne could see it as adding a proven veteran forward to their mix as they look to climb the ladder under a new coach in 2027.
The team Mitchell is most interested in is St Kilda. The Saints have already proven to be a trade wildcard, bringing in Jack Silvagni, Tom De Koning, Sam Flanders and Liam Ryan on big-money deals last year.
With veteran coach Ross Lyon in the final year of his contract and the Saints under enormous pressure to make finals next year, he believes Stringer could be a decent gamble for them.
"They consider themselves in a premiership window, the way they've spent money on Jack Silvagni, Tom De Koning, all these players," Mitchell said.
"They need do something, really. Coming into the final year of Ross Lyon's contract and they need to play finals next year. He could probably help them get there."
Western Bulldogs champion Brad Johnson believes Stringer falling out of the AFL system like this would be “a shame”.
“The guy can play. He’s a 40-plus (goals) per year goal kicker,” Johnson told Trade Radio on Monday.
"From that point of view, that's the temptation.
"It gets a bit harder (after three clubs have moved him on), but it's a shame because you'd think someone who kicks 50 goals a year, that there would be some demand for that player to enter your footy club and have an immediate impact for you.
“For a middle-of-the-rung team, it’s a lot of goals. He’s still got it, there’s no question in that. It’s the more rounded person discussion than the talent. He’s old enough that it should have clicked, but we’ll have to wait and see.”
As a delisted free agent, Stringer can be signed by any team at any time before the start of the 2027 season.
It’s a strange off-season for GWS, who have moved on from Stringer, Greene, Jesse Hogan and Kieren Briggs, with Lachie Whitfield now also likely on the way out.
They are losing three of the six oldest players on their list and the majority of their goal kicking firepower, coming off a tough season.
