Essendon star Jake Stringer secretly welcomes a son with girlfriend Taylor McVeigh - four years after his VERY bitter split from blogger Abby Gilmore
AFL player Jake Stringer has become a father for the third time.
The Essendon Bombers star, 26, welcomed a son named River with his partner, Taylor McVeigh, in April - but the notoriously private couple have yet to formally announce the news.
The child's birth was mentioned in passing by Jake's close friend and teammate Devon Smith during a podcast interview in early May.
Congratulations! AFL player Jake Stringer has become a father for the third time. The Essendon Bombers star, 26, welcomed a son named River with his partner, Taylor McVeigh , in April - but the notoriously private couple have yet to formally announce the news
'Right now, is in a great spot. 'He's just had a new child, little River,' Devon said.
'I've been doing bits and pieces of training with him during . I still text him most days and he's mentally and physically in the best shape since I've seen him at the football club, so hopefully over the next two to three years, he really comes on the scene and becomes the player we know he can be.'
While most public figures announce births on social media, Jake doesn't appear to have a social media account and Taylor's profile is private.
Cat's out the bag! The child's birth was mentioned in passing by Jake's friend and teammate Devon Smith during a podcast interview in early May. While most public figures announce births on social media, Jake doesn't have a social media account and Taylor's profile is private
Daily Mail Australia first contacted Essendon about rumours surrounding the birth of Jake's son in late April, but didn't receive a response.
The media-shy sportsman and his long-term partner seem to have made a conscious decision to keep the child's arrival a secret.
Jake shares two daughters, Arlo and Milla, with his ex-girlfriend Abby Gilmore.
The couple split acrimoniously in 2016, and later became embroiled in a bitter public feud that was splashed across the Melbourne tabloids.
Abby, an outspoken blogger, is now in a relationship with Leighroy Wellington, who is the father of her one-year-old son, Mason James.
She spoke about her break-up with Jake on the Lemonade podcast, hosted by journalist and producer Elizabeth Anile, last year.
The stay-at-home mum revealed that the exes had agreed to 'put down their swords' and work together for their children.
'We are probably still going to have our hiccups,' she said.
'But we've got such a sense of maturity now, we know we operate best when we all operate together… and if one of us is angry, we know we need to get back to that special bond we're sharing because it works for the kids.'
Abby praised Jake's new girlfriend in the same interview.
'I love Taylor,' she said. 'She works so well with us and it's something that I've had to learn to love over time because there is this woman all of a sudden placed in the mix.
'We are conditioned to be intimidated and threatened by this person and I'm not. I think she's amazing and she has been this whole time.'
Jake is currently in the AFL's Queensland hub with his new partner and son. His two older children are staying with Abby in Victoria.