Frustrations over Jake Stringer had built "for a couple of years" according to former Western Bulldogs captain Bob Murphy, who said the talented up-for-trade forward "is not yet a fanatic for the daily grind".
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Stringer revealed on Tuesday that he was shocked and upset when told by the Western Bulldogs, who he won the premiership with in 2016, that he would be traded. The 23-year-old said he had not been given a reason by coach Luke Beveridge for the decision.
Geelong and Essendon are among the suitors for the Bulldog, who will only join a Victorian club.
Murphy, speaking on SEN, expressed surprise at how quickly the break between player and club had escalated but not at the underlying tensions.
"There's been a frustration for a couple of years and you know that after a poor year that change can happen??? I think he would also acknowledge that there has been a sense of frustration over the past couple of years," Murphy said.
"Saying that, I'm still surprised at how quickly it has escalated. I think a young bloke who is put up for trade there will always be a sense of shock.
"A lot has escalated in the past couple of weeks??? I have been taken aback about how much it has escalated since we got bundled out of the finals in round 23."
Stringer said on Tuesday that he had had no inkling the Dogs wanted him out. "I was just looking forward to putting my head down over the pre-season and working hard. But unfortunately things have changed."
Murphy said it was "jarring" that Stringer was shocked by what the Bulldogs had told him.
"The internal pressure and scrutiny of standards for AFL players these days is as focused as any industry in the country," said Murphy.
"The idea that a player could get to the end of a season and be shocked about where they're at, that doesn't sit well with me. I find that jarring. I can't quite see how that would possibly go.
"I think the inference is that they pulled their punches in the exit meeting and from what I know of Luke and the other management team, that doesn't strike me as accurate."
Murphy expressed some hope that the relationship "could be patched up", but Stringer had said on Tuesday that it was too late to seek answers from Beveridge and the club.
"Particularly those of us who are in positions of leadership this year will have a sense of disappointment and failure that it hasn't worked. We all need to shoulder that responsibility," Murphy said.
"He's high talent, he's got huge self-belief but he is not yet a fanatic for the daily grind."
???
