Richmond player Jayden Short has received a vote of confidence from star teammate Alex Rance, with the All-Australian full-back saying he is ready to perform if he is selected in the Tigers round one lineup against Carlton.
The Tigers could see a late substitute shake up their premiership-winning defensive lineup before their season opener this week, with Nathan Broad currently serving a suspension, at the discretion of the team.
Broad was suspended by the Tigers following the infamous post-Grand Final incident which involved a topless woman wearing his premiership medallion in a photo that consequentially went viral online.
In his absence, Short has put forward a compelling argument to take Broad's spot in defense, performing well in his JLT Community Series campaign.
"Without putting too much pressure on 'Shorty', I've loved his pre-season," Rance told afl.com.au.
"I think he's shown, especially in the North Melbourne game, that he breaks lines (and) is really clean by foot on both feet."
The 22-year-old had himself a superb performance against North Melbourne during the pre-season, tallying 25 possessions and he also led the team in rebound 50s, which bodes well for his selection for round one.
"I'm not 100 per cent sure what is going to happen in the back six just yet because we’ve still got a couple of guys going through fitness tests," Rance said.
"I know he's ready to play if he does get called upon, but there's a couple of other guys in the mix for those spots too."
Richmond will take on Carlton at the MCG on Thursday night.
