Chatty Jayden Short lifts Tigers flag tiltPeter Ryan
The Age
15 September 2019Talking comes easily to running Richmond defender Jayden Short, who could be never be accused of being short of a word.
He loves chatting almost as much as his mates and the game he plays with them each winter, and that characteristic has helped endear him to everyone at the Tigers.
On the training track at Punt Road, Short's voice is the loudest, the constant hum of traffic and rattling of trains nearby not enough to drown him out as he encourages his teammates telling them, in his words, "how good they are".
In the rare times he becomes nervous in the lead-up to a big game he talks even more, often trying to change the subject to distract himself while keeping energy levels high.
"I do like to bring voice to the group," Short said.
"I like to encourage them and try to get the boys up as much as I can.
"I think that is just me as a person - a little bit upbeat and wanting to have a bit of fun. I like to have a chat. I can talk to anyone."
He laughs in a self-deprecating manner when asked whether he curtailed that side of his personality at all when he arrived new to the group as a raw-boned rookie in 2015.
"I would like to say it took a while but I am not sure it did. I think I probably came in a little bit too hot," Short said.
"That is probably the greatest part about Richmond: you are allowed to be yourself and you are encouraged to be you."
Who Jayden Short is in a football sense has emerged over the past two seasons. He found a niche for himself last year in the Tigers' defence after being an emergency for the grand final.
He led the competition in metres gained in 2018 and showed exquisite skills on both sides of the body as he added a dimension to the Tigers' back line. Such was his importance that there was no question this season that he would slot straight back in after an elbow injury sustained in round three forced him to miss 10 games.
He returned after the bye to be a vital member of Richmond's 10-game winning streak that has taken the team back to the preliminary final next Friday night against Geelong.
Short has had to work hard to be a key part of the Tigers' push to atone for last year's disappointment and win the flag in 2019.
His foot skills were refined as a child in the front yard of the family home in Mill Park when his dad Greg used to make him kick on each side of his body, encouraging him to use his non-preferred side in games and teaching him the value of hard work.
Life lessons were then reinforced in the time he spent working as a builder's labourer as an 18-year-old before being recruited to the Tigers' rookie list. "I worked for a year, waking up at six o'clock and busting your arse on the tools all day," Short said.
The experience has made him grateful for the opportunity to play with Richmond and work on his craft as an AFL player.
He still pinches himself to think that he gets to spend each day with 44 mates at a place where lunch is provided.
"It is unbelievable the difference and how lucky we are to do it," Short said.
When he was working he stuck to the "tradies diet" rather than that of a potential professional athlete, so he had work to do when he arrived at the club to meet the standards expected.
He began living with Kane Lambert, who went from the rookie list to third-placed in a best and fairest in a premiership year, and was shown how a good work ethic could help him become a better player. Even in their downtime Lambert would find a way to stay in shape.
Short remembers the pair holidaying in Hoi An, Vietnam and Lambert taking him on 10-kilometre runs through the picturesque region, even with humidity sitting on their shoulders like an electric blanket.
"We would get eight kilometres in and he would start to take off from me and then from there I wanted to stay with him," Short said.
"Then every off-season I wanted to be on his arse or beat him for a little bit of competition. I just see how hard he works and the benefits he gets from that."
Short hopes all the hard work can translate into a premiership with the the Tigers fighting again for a spot in the grand final. It eluded the Tigers last season when they lost the preliminary final to Collingwood, a defeat that took time for Short to process - particularly after he missed out on selection in the grand final the season before - but one the club copped on the chin.
"It was obviously not good to lose and you never want to lose but Collingwood played a great game and we just weren't up to it last year and we let that one slip," Short said.
"It was just one of those things we had to accept.
"We stuck together and obviously wanted to do good things over the pre-season."
Dragging the bottom lip for too long around Short's infectious personality, however, would be difficult to do as he has a way of making the mundane fun.
That he has never upgraded from the ute he bought when he turned 18 is still a source of great amusement for his teammates, who like to rib him about why he keeps rocking up in the XR6 Ford ute.
Last week star forward Tom Lynch borrowed it to move some cabinets, Short sheepishly admitting it's only the second time the tray has been used since he bought it.
"I have helped Dave Astbury get rid of some steel but I have not used it myself," Short said.
As the defender began to sense that the line of questioning may have been generated by someone trying to take the mickey out of him, Short quickly turned defence into attack.
"I am keeping it to help the boys," Short said.
"It's always there if someone needs it. I don't use it. I've been told about a million times I need to buy a new car but I have been told that so many times now I want to keep it and hang on to it."
Having only two seats in the front has its advantages too for a 23-year-old who just bought his first house, Short laughing as he plays up to the banter.
"I can never drive to lunch or anything. I am always jumping in with someone else. I don't mind that I am never driving. It is good to save on petrol," Short said.
The Tigers have been able to save on petrol this weekend as they head into their third consecutive preliminary final after a week break.
Richmond are 1-1 after two preliminary finals in the past two seasons and Short hopes to break the deadlock in positive fashion this week against the Cats to head into his first grand final.
When he is not talking he will hear one message ringing in his ears.
"Just play to your strengths," Short said. "We will prepare like any other game and go out and have fun."
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/chatty-jayden-short-lifts-tigers-flag-tilt-20190914-p52r9d.html
