A strong, physical presence has been a significant factor in enabling young defender Jake Batchelor to cement a spot in Richmond’s senior side over the past few weeks, according to his teammate Brett Deledio.

It took Batchelor until the Round 12 clash with North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium to break through for his first AFL game of season 2014, but he’s been a solid contributor in the Tigers’ back half since then.

“He had his troubles early in the season, but his physicality’s probably the thing that got him into the side, and kept him in the side,” Deledio said on this week’s edition of the Club’s official podcast, ‘Talking Tigers’.

“He’s not having huge possession games, but his physicality in his shutdown jobs, that he’s been doing for us off half-back, has been really impressive.

“I love his physicality . . . when teams are running forward, he’s the one that’s putting on those big ‘bumper-bars’ and laying a few blokes out, which is something that we haven’t really done across half-back.

“So, that’s what’s keeping him in the side, and will keep him in the side.”

Batchelor’s ability to take important intercept marks across the backline is another key feature of his game.

“He can chop-out mark, and he doesn’t just play on the ‘smalls’ or give us just run.  He can float across and take a mark and give ‘Rancey’ (Alex Rance), ‘Grimesy’ (Dylan Grimes) and ‘Chappy’ (Troy Chaplin) a bit of a chop-out,” Deledio said.