Jake Aarts definitely didn’t look out of place at the MCG yesterday in his AFL debut with Richmond against Melbourne.
The 25-year-old, tenacious small forward made the most of his long-awaited opportunity at the game’s highest level.
He finished the match with 15 disposals, three marks, three score involvements, three intercepts and 159 metres gained.
Most importantly from a Tigers’ game-style perspective, he applied plenty of pressure to the Demon defenders.
Aarts drew praise from Richmond captain Trent Cotchin for his valuable contribution to the Tigers’ 27-point win.
“He was outstanding,” Cotchin told Channel Seven.
A childhood dream come true ????#AFLDeesTigers #gotiges pic.twitter.com/VYlVFJ4EPm
— Richmond FC ???? (@Richmond_FC) July 5, 2020
“I think we saw exactly why he was picked.
“His contest work for a little man is very good and he always shows up . . .
“I think he really performed well tonight and has slotted nicely into the team.”