I’m going nowhere, Bomber insists
ESSENDON forward Orazio Fantasia has denied he will seek an AFL trade back to his native SA at the end of this season.
The AFL website has reported that though Fantasia signed a two-year deal last August, he had indicated a wish for a trade.
Asked yesterday if he would try to break his contract and head to either Port Adelaide or Adelaide later this year, Fantasia told reporters “no”.
“I read that today, it was a bit of a laugh,” he said.
“I signed last year in August, so I’m pretty sure that shows my commitment to this football club.
“It doesn’t annoy me, it’s pretty funny ... we came out of a meeting and the boys were [saying] ‘you’re going are you?’, so it was a bit of fun.”
Injuries have restricted the livewire Bombers forward to nine games this season, for a career total of 69. ESSENDON’S Jake Stringer is closing on an AFL return after a frustrating injury-enforced absence, the mercurial forward a chance to take on Sydney at the MCG on Saturday.
Stringer hasn’t played since the Bombers’ win over Hawthorn on June 14 when he suffered a heavy blow to his right shin. Initial fears he had suffered a break were allayed, but the 2015 All Australian’s attempts to return to the field have been thwarted by the onset of soreness after training.
“It was one of those injuries where he was pretty sore post-game, but he was thinking ‘ Don’t rule me out next week’,” coach John Worsfold said yesterday. “He quickly realised after three or four days he wasn’t going to get up. He couldn’t quite put the full body weight through it for longer periods, but it’s coming along.
“He’s done some running earlier in the week and is feeling pretty good so he’ll do some training today as part of assessing where he’s at. He’s a chance to be selected this week.”
Stringer’s availability would be a huge boost for Worsfold as he ponders an injury-enforced change to his onfield structure for Saturday’s game against the resurgent Swans.
Essendon’s delight at their stunning last-minute win over GWS has been tempered by the loss of No.1 ruckman Tom Bellchambers, who will be sidelined for six weeks.