Talented, tough teenager Jack Ross couldn’t have wished for a better senior debut with Richmond against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval last Saturday, from either an individual or team aspect.

Individually, Ross had a significant impact through the midfield, racking up 25 disposals, including 10 contested possessions, and looking right at home in the pressure-packed environment of AFL football.

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Team-wise, the Tigers were magnificent in overcoming the absence of the ‘Fab Four’ (Cotchin, Rance, Riewoldt and Martin) to secure a special win in enemy territory.

Ross, understandably, was over the moon with his first-up appearance at the game’s highest level, considering all the circumstances involved.

“The camaraderie around the team and the celebration that we had there in the post-game, I’ve never experienced anything like that . . . It was an awesome experience,” Ross told ‘Roar Vision’ in the rooms post-game.

The big-bodied 18-year-old approached the game with a maturity that matched his physique.

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“I just wanted to take it quarter by quarter, so I’m pretty happy with the end result. I just focused on doing the team things and hopefully getting over the line, which we did,” Ross said.

“I actually wasn’t really that nervous leading up to the game. I think the JLT games that I had earlier in the year held me in good stead.

“I just wanted to get around the boys when I felt a little bit nervous, just talk to them, see how they deal with it, and from there just led into the game.”