Former Richmond defender Jacob Blight has expressed his unwavering commitment to return to an AFL list, following his 2025 delisting.
The 10-game former Tiger fell one game short of triggering an automatic contract extension at Richmond last year and was brutally delisted after being picked up at the 2024 Mid-Season Rookie Draft.
He was on Collingwood's radar, but the Pies ultimately looked elsewhere, with Blight choosing to play for Subiaco under former Port Adelaide and West Coast Eagles assistant coach Jarrad Schofield.
A brilliant endurance athlete who took out Richmond's first time trial of last pre-season, a lack of speed has been referenced as an area of improvement in Blight's game, and he revealed he has put an emphasis on improving his footwork to allow him to make breakthroughs.
“I'm still extremely hell bent on getting back on a list: that is my number one goal right now," the hulking 196cm defender told Zero Hanger.
“The biggest learning I took coming out of the system was there's a lot you can't control as a player.
“No matter how well you play or how well you train, things can still not go your way.
“I don't put much of an emphasis on thinking about it, because it's out of my control.
“I feel like I'm definitely well and truly good enough and have a lot of attributes that would keep you in the level, but the list managers are the ones who call out your name.
“I hope I can be a good fit for a team at some point this year.
“If not, then I'll keep I'll keep pushing. I'll keep pursuing it until the wheels fall off."
Blight was forced to grind away in the WAFL before getting his opportunity.
While he showed promise across 18 months at Richmond, and was given exposure across all three key-position posts, he was never able to lock down a permanent AFL spot and fell out of favour last year.
“The support and feedback I've received has been very positive and very assuring," Blight said.
“A lot of people were really surprised that I was delisted.
“I think a lot of people see my ability and see what I could be capable of.
“For me, it's about getting an environment, having continuity in one position, feeling accepted and feeling like I'm going to make a good contribution to the team.
“My biggest thing is my footwork and change direction and nuances which can be exposed on bigger, better forwards because I think my strength and contest is very much up there.”
Across the course of a 30-minute conversation, Blight presents as articulate, intellectual, driven and personable, but he is aware that his personality can be misconstrued.
“I think because of how driven I am and coming from a background where I was constantly put down and believing what I want to believe in (means I've been misunderstood),” he said.
“Because I come from such a small place, where there weren't many people who believed that I would do it, my nature has been to go full throttle to everything I have.
“I have that tenacity and I think on a surface level, I'm extremely driven and focused on what I need to do and sometimes for people who don't understand my story, or what I'm trying to achieve from these opportunities, that can be seen as selfishness or arrogance because I'm wanting to achieve something great for myself.
“We all have things to work on and definitely an area of mine is showing a bit more compassion and understanding for others and showing more of a vulnerable side to myself, as opposed to being very uptight and military-like."
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Since his transition off a list, Blight has developed a training, mindset, mentorship and performance platform, Blyt Development, and reflects his increasing personal focus.
It also provides him with a vehicle to share with like-minded athletes the mindset with which he's approaching his career.
Leveraging Perth High Performance facility Off the Field, it is informed by the expertise the 24-year-old gained through secondary school education, business and coaching courses, conversations with psychologists and his experience at the top level.
Having grown up in far southern Western Australia, Blight understands the challenges associated with dreaming big in a small town, which has guided his thinking around Blyt Development, available Australia-wide.
“Post-delisting, I wanted to build a brand and business that put my skillsets together,” Blight said.
“Blyt Development is an online platform where I can service strength and conditioning programs and allows me to share what I learned in my pathway to the AFL and philosophies and frameworks I use daily to optimise my performance.
"My journey was far from easy, and I overcame a lot of hardship and hurdles to get to the level, so I wanted to create a platform that gives belief and structure to and resonates with athletes who have a similar goal.”
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Blight looks to Gold Coast backman Sam Collins' taxing journey to becoming a premiere AFL defender as inspiration for where he can get to.
Collins was first drafted as a 21-year-old to Fremantle, where he played 14 games across two seasons, before being delisted and spending a year playing state league when Gold Coast pounced, where he has added 135 games.
“The message that I want to send is no dream is unrealistic, and being realistic is the most commonly taken path to mediocrity,” the Western Australian said.
“Giving up was never an alternative, because there was nothing else I was going to do if I didn't play footy.
“Quitting brings no fulfillment or sense of pride within yourself, so why do it?”
Key philosophies driving Blyt Development
Build your evidence: "Confidence doesn't come from what you tell yourself, it comes from what you see within yourself. You need to prove to yourself that you're training harder than everyone. People won't get there straight away but work ethic separates you from others and the compound effect of hard work will eventually prevail."
Reactive v Proactive theory: "A response mechanism to setbacks. One thing I found in myself and a lot of people is when we're reactive, we're very impulsive, spiteful and emotional about a situation that may not go our way. Whereas the proactive theory that I've instilled is instead of bagging the coach out, ask the coach why, or instead of sulking about it, the priority approach would be to refine the skills that you need to improve on. Ask more questions and seek more support.”
Perception shapes your reality: “Whether you believe you can, or you believe you can't, you're usually right either way. Comparison is the thief of joy and what that means is you get so discredited seeing other people succeed, that you lose sight of who you are. Your comparison can also be the motivating factor to encourage you to make a change or to be better. From my point-of-view, seeing other people get drafted before me, or seeing other people do what I want to do, I never got discouraged; I convinced myself that ‘if that guy made it, then why can't I?' Your mind is either your biggest ally or your biggest enemy. That's your choice.”
