David Schwarz says Jake Stringer needs to use the news that he is likely to be traded away from the Western Bulldogs as a “wakeup call” to become better.
The 23-year-old today spoke publically for the first time since coach Luke Beveridge confirmed the news, declaring he was "shocked and upset" to be put on the trade table, and never wanted to leave the club.
“What it should be for Jake is a massive wake-up call,” Schwarz said on SEN’s The Run Home.
“For a club who has invested everything into him, he’s a Premiership player, All-Australian from the year before, who is liked by most of his teammates, if they can say to him you’re not longer required that has got to be the biggest wake-up call.
“All of us face that time once or twice, or three times, or even a dozen times in their working life. It hurts, it’s painful, but for those who actually take it in the right way, it makes you want to be a better person, something more than what you have been.”
The former Melbourne Best and Fairest expects Stringer’s next club to be able to get the best out of him, based on his current feelings.
“Has he trained as hard as he could? Probably not. Has he played as well as he could? Probably not, but we can never all play well at the same time,” Schwarz added.
“Did he give one hundred percent all the time? No, he wouldn’t have.
“The next place he goes to will reap the rewards of how he’d be feeling right now.”
Former St Kilda forward Justin Koschitzke said he would welcome the 2015 All-Australian at the Saints, and believes he would be a major asset to their attack.
“He’s a multi-pronged player isn’t he?” he said on SEN Afternoons.
“He’s not one-dimensional, he can play deep forward, high, you can chuck him on the wing. He’s a good old-fashioned utility, forward of the ball player.
“Whatever he does is going to do something.”