FOR THE first time in his career, Jack Ross has found consistency.
Consistency in his position on the field, in his spot in the best 22, and in his performance within games.
The 22-year-old Richmond midfielder managed seven consecutive games last year, and seven again in 2021, but the one-point win over Hawthorn on Saturday was his 12th straight game.
"It's been nice. I always had a feeling that if I could play consistent games, then I would start developing at a more rapid pace," Ross told afl.com.au.
"I probably plateaued there for a little bit, being in and out, but to come in now – I'm in my fifth year, I feel like I need to do something and take a step.
"I feel like I've embraced my position in the change to the wing. I've got awesome players to work off like Kamdyn (McIntosh) and Marlion (Pickett), young guys like 'Banksy' (Sam Banks) who play wing as well. Hopefully I can just keep building, it's been nice to play."
Ross captained Vic Metro at under-16 level, but wasn't selected for the under-18s state team, eventually picked up by Richmond with pick No.43 in 2018.
Having been a bit-part player for the Tigers prior to this year, filling in spots at half-forward and in the centre, he's found his home on the wing, where his steady head and neat sidestep have come to the fore, averaging 18.4 disposals and 5.6 marks.
Ross said being pushed out to substitute against Sydney – after a 21-disposal effort the week prior in the heavy loss to Brisbane – proved he played best when he has a point to make, kicking two goals to half-time after an early Jacob Bauer injury.
"I always play with a little bit of a chip on my shoulder, and I feel like I generally respond to being dropped or put out in a good manner. I just trust the coaches in what they want me to work on," Ross said.
"I try and train as hard as I can during the week to rectify and put my hand up.
"To get on as early as I did the other week, it was a blessing for me and a bit of a curse for Bauer to go down with a hamstring. But that was definitely a game I didn't want to let slip, and to capitalise as best as I could, I felt like I did that."
Richmond came from six goals down just before three-quarter time on Saturday to defeat Hawthorn by a solitary point.
The Dreamtime at the 'G loss to Essendon earlier this year – Damien Hardwick's final match in charge – marked the ninth-straight Tiger loss in games decided by less than a goal, with an additional three draws thrown in for good measure.
"We knew that come tight situations, it's crunch time. I think we needed to put a bit more time and effort during the week into preparing those situations. You're not guaranteed to go into them during games, but when you do, it's important to know you can do it in a calm manner," Ross said.
"I think in the past we might have been a bit hectic and a lot of messages and mixed signals. But we're very calm now, our coaches are awesome with directing those messages straight to us and everyone's around it now.
"It definitely helps when you have the Tiger army behind you and the stadium starts erupting. To handle the pressure the way we did is really, really pleasing. To come into crunch time at the end of the season, this is a massive step for us."
