RICHMOND premiership player Jayden Short has contrasting memories of his recent dates with the Giants.
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An emergency for the Tigers' 2017 grand final win over Adelaide, the rebound defender looked in danger of being a flag spectator again when he dislocated his elbow in round three against Greater Western Sydney last year.
But after nearly three months out he finally experience his taste of grand final glory in last year's belting of the Giants.
The 24-year-old, who signed a new two year deal this week, knows better than most few spots are guaranteed in the AFL benchmark's best squad, which is why he'll be giving everything in Sunday's pre-season clash against the Giants at Robertson Oval.
"Missing out in 2017, it did obviously drive me a bit so I can probably relate to how some of the younger boys feel and wanting to put their hand up in these games," Short said.
"We treat every game seriously. It's a practice match and the coaches will use them a bit to try a few things, but as a player you're always competitive and want to win.
"We'll prepare ourselves for round one and try and get as much out of it as we can.
"We've got some great players and there's only 22 spots. It's always great when you're being pushed by other people."
The Tigers are set to field a virtual full strength side in Wagga after giving plenty of young guns a chance in last week's loss to Collingwood at Wangaratta.
Superstars like Jack Riewoldt, Trent Cotchin and Dustin Martin will all return to the line-up after featuring in last week's state of origin clash.
"It's always good to get away with the boys and spend some time together in a new place like Wagga," Short said.
"It's pretty exciting for the town and it's exciting for us to get up there as well and give back a bit. We've got a lot of fans there and it's always good to play in country towns and engage with the locals."
Sunday's game gets underway at 12.40pm.
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