From teammates to best mates.
Jayden Short is set to join his premiership teammate, Kamdyn McIntosh, in the elite 200 AFL games club, once he takes to the field on Friday night against Essendon.
McIntosh reflected on Short’s milestone achievement and how it was an honour to play alongside him at Richmond for all those years.
“It was obviously a privilege to play alongside Shorty,” McIntosh said.
“He is a very close mate of mine now, and he's just been such a good player for the footy Club, since he walked into the Club.
“I'm a couple of years older than him, so I remember the first day he ever came to the Club, and he was just like an energiser bunny. All the boys just fed off his energy, and they loved it.
“Then to go out there on game day, he just brings the same energy on the field.”
Short was drafted by Richmond in the 2015 rookie draft, where he instantly brought positivity to the way he approached the game.
Now in his 13th season at the Swinburne Centre, the 30-year-old has become a prominent leader within the Club, guiding the next crop of Tigers on their journey.
“There's definitely been times in my career as well, when things aren't going so good, and he was always there, had my back, and he'd check in with me,” McIntosh said on Short’s leadership.
“You want those sort of people around your Club, so it was pretty amazing to have him on my side during my career.
“Early days in his career, he was energetic, and he was working hard, and he learned off players like Trent Cotchin and Jack Riewoldt, and now he's one of those boys in the side.
“I feel like it just fits him perfectly, because he's such a humble and caring guy, and he's a big family man, and he is there for these young boys.
“He's there for your Sammy's [Lalor] and your Taj's [Hotton], and he's taken on that leadership, father figure role.
“I think that's the great thing about the Richmond Football Club, is that it's not about the person you are today, when we first drafted Shorty, but it's the person he's become, and we're very big on that at Richmond.”
McIntosh, who played in his 200th game last year with Richmond, acknowledged the effort required to maintain longevity at the highest level.
The pair have shared some core memories both on and off field, but it was their time in the Gold Coast hub in 2020, when Richmond won its 13th premiership, that McIntosh looks back on most fondly.
“He was living in Northcote at the time, and I moved to Preston, and I was renovating my house there. We became even closer during that time when I was only five minutes from him,” McIntosh said.
“He was always popping over to my joint and vice versa, and then COVID happened, and we had to go train down at the local park and all that stuff together.
“Then we moved up to the Gold Coast for 140-something days, and we just got tighter and tighter.
“We just had so much fun during that 2020 time together. We were always in the van, driving around Burleigh going down the beach. It was a pretty good year in terms of winning the flag, so it kind of made it a bit easier too.”
