Beloved Richmond Tiger Jayden Short is in the sights of another Victorian powerhouse, with Collingwood circling the two-time premiership player.
The 30-year-old Short - a best and fairest winner in the Tigers' premiership year of 2020 - has relationships with key Collingwood movers and shakers, with Magpies coach Craig McRae and right-hand man Justin Leppitsch spending significant time at Punt Road before switching allegiances.
Per SEN, Short could be the next in a long recent lineage of mature-aged recruits joining the Pies, after the likes of Lachie Schultz, Dan Houston, Tim Membrey, Dan McStay and Billy Frampton found themselves in black and white stripes in recent years.
Short is contracted for 2027, necessitating a trade.
The Pies are believed to have all but secured the services of dual Brownlow Medallist Lachie Neale and Coleman Medallist Jesse Hogan, as they look to go all in on another premiership assault.
The acquisition of the Short would, in theory, free up Josh Daicos to ply his trade further up the field, as opposed to harvesting less damaging disposals in the back half.
The rumoured interest in Short comes as chatter persists that prized recruit Dan Houston is on the way out from Collingwood, after his high-profile move has failed to bear the fruit both the club and the player had hoped. Short would capably fill that void, as, similarly to Houston, his kicking is his greatest strength.
Short did experience some regression in 2025, unable to replicate the lofty standards set for himself as a younger man, under a different coach, earlier this decade. With a year left on his contract, a money-ball-type play from the Pies makes sense, as they cling to the end of their current premiership window.
