Jacob Blight has a fierce desire to succeed in his AFL career at Richmond.

Taken by the Tigers at pick two overall in this year’s mid-season rookie draft, Blight is leaving no stone unturned as he strives to significantly build on the three senior appearances he managed late in the 2024 season.

The strongly-built, 196cm, intercepting key defender, recruited from WAFL club Peel Thunder, devoted his off-season to tough training, and subsequently returned to the Club for the start of pre-season training in top condition.

To highlight the impressive improvement in his fitness levels, Blight won Richmond’s two-kilometre time trial at the start of the pre-season.

“I had a very strong emphasis to train hard (during the off-season) and thankfully had a lot of good friends in my corner,” Blight told Richmond Media.

“Shout out to one of my good mates, Luke Burrows, who’s my running coach as well. He put me in a pretty gruelling program. Credit to him, and that’s how I came back in pretty good shape.

“I had a really strong focus on it, and I have very high ambitions for next season.

“There wasn’t too much down time, it was straight back to work.

“Glad it’s holding me in relatively good stead so far.”

Blight, who turns 23 today (December 14), has his sights firmly set on a place in Richmond’s team for the opening round of the 2025 season against Carlton at the MCG.

“I have a lot of high aspirations and expectations on myself, so I’d be lying if I wasn’t eyeing off Round 1 straight away and trying to set myself up for a really good year,” he said.

“I want to be more of a consistent player and lock down a role down there (in defence), but obviously the first pre-season there’s a lot to learn . . .

“The goal is to play a lot more games and win a lot more games.”

Blight also acknowledged the influence esteemed Richmond veterans Nathan Broad and Kamdyn McIntosh had on the way he is tackling the pre-season period.

“They’re two of my bigger role models at the Club with their character and integrity, the way they behave around the Club and their values. But, also, the way they attack training,” Blight said.

“They’ve been here for 10-plus years, both of them, and they still train just as hard as anyone here.

“So, I very much look up to them and try and get as much help and advice from them as possible.”