Jake Stringer blasts teammate 'love triangle' rumour

Western Bulldogs star Jake Stringer has angrily denied rumours of a 'love triangle' between his ex-partner and a teammate.

With the AFL premiers mired in a slump on the field, Melbourne Demons great David Schwarz earlier this week suggested off-field issues were a key factor.

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"There are players down there that aren't seeing eye-to-eye on a number of issues, and some of them aren't footy related," Schwarz said on SEN Radio.

"If this personal issue doesn't get sorted they need to move one of the players on."

Stringer has since taken to Instagram with a message to his almost 50,000 followers, slamming "bulls**t" rumours about his ex-partner Abby Gilmore and teammate Jason Johannisen.

"Let's all get one thing straight!!! Abby is the best mum to my little girls and has not done one thing WRONG EVER," Stringer wrote.

"Second of all Jason is a brother to ME. So if you wanna talk crap leave my family and mates alone go (somewhere) else cause it's all bulls--t!!"

Gilmore, who split with Stringer last year, also took aim at "useless articles about some love triangle" on social media, according to The Herald Sun.

"Jason is my best mate. That's it. That's literally it, there's no story,” Gilmore said in an Instagram story to her 92,000 followers.

"I don't get it, I don't know why people assume more ... I've never touched Jason and I never plan on it, just letting you know.

"He's one of my best mates, always will be.

"I would just like to set the record straight and you've heard it from me here that what happened with Jake and I had nothing to do with Jason, he wasn't even part of it so I don't know how this has started.

"We were friends before kids, we were friends during kids and we're friends while my kids are growing up, whether that be single or with someone so I don't see why this is all pointing at Jason. It's definitely to do with Jake and I and that's it."

Channel 7's Talking Footy program addressed Schwarz's comments on Monday.

"It's hard not to laugh at that to be honest," said Luke Darcy.

"That's what happens. You're a premiership side, you start losing and then people start generating stories out of nothing that don't exist."

The Bulldogs are currently sitting ninth on the ladder with six wins and six losses.