I watched the replay and documented every Short involvement (or notable non-involvement).
(Time codes are time remaining in each quarter.)
1st quarter
13.02 receives handball from Vlastuin. Runs 10 metres and under no pressure kicks the ball over Ellis’ head and out of bounds. This is the kind of play that irks me when people bring up his disposal numbers. Astbury had intercept-marked and switched to Vlastuin, who was 25 metres clear of anyone but Short, who ran past for the hand-off. Vlastuin didn’t need to give it to him, he could have played on and kicked it to Ellis himself. Yeah, everyone does it, but you can see why in my view it renders stats meaningless.
12.25 Picks up a loose ball deep in defence and throws it on the boot. Tumble punt lands outside 50, neither composed nor elite use. Lynch beats Carlisle to the ball, is tackled, wins free.
11.53 Receives short pass from Vlastuin – from centre square to wing (inside to out – overlap, not line-break). Uncontested chest mark, plays on, kicks high and long to Lynch vs Carlisle and Marshall. Marshall drops mark, Prestia soccers out on the full.
9.45 Ball on our forward 50, our press is up. Edwards gathers loose ball 70 from goal, spreads a wide handball for Short’s overlap. Confronted by an opponent, Short hooks a very high left-footer 40 metres, on top of Cotchin’s head. Ball spills, Rioli poor handball, Dunstan dives on the footy, Cotch wins free for holding the ball. Shot at goal is rushed through – score involvement for Short?
8.11 Astbury intercept marks on the wing, switches into the centre to Vlastuin, Short again runs past for handball receive, kicks short from inside the centre circle, aiming for Martin in between two Saints, 25-metre pass bounces 5 metres in front of him. Clark gathers and after a few fumbles under pressure, Saints clear.
7.25 Astbury wins free at right half-back. Switches to Houli, who completes the switch all the way across the ground for the unmanned Short to mark. He chips a 14-metre pass for Castagna to mark. Castagna plays on – to the inside – breaks a line and hits a leading Rioli lace out in the corridor.
4.19 Saints have a mark just forward of centre. Keep your eye on Short, he’s at the right edge of the frame as Patton switches to the left. Short jogs after his man Long back inside 50. When the next kick comes in, you see that Short has sagged off Long, 10-15 metres away from the contest. Long tackles Vlastuin, then a combination of Richmond’s defenders (minus Short but including Houli) plus Cotch, George, Graham, Lambert and Soldo battle with the Saints and the ball eventually goes out of bounds. Short does not get involved. Not even close. You can say “it’s his role” to stay clear of the action to be an outlet option, but when some of his biggest fans are also some of the harsher critics of the likes of George, KMac (also back helping out) and Brando, it wears a bit thin when those blokes bust their arses to cover for Short while he slinks off in the hope of an easy kick.
3.15 Bolton takes a good mark just behind the wing. Short runs past (on the outside again, on the boundary – line-breakers cut inside), receives the handball and kicks a high 45-metre ball that Dusty runs onto and marks. Dusty’s vision and skill lead Chol into a lace out chest mark he didn’t even know was coming, goal. Score involvement for Short.
2.00 Dunstan kicks inside 50, over the head of Short who is loose, guarding space. Astbury is clean bowled by the bouncing ball. Short watches from his front row seat as Ellis, Astbury, Broad and Grimes pressure the Saints and force a turnover. He was right there, did not impact the play or lay a finger on an opponent. Spectated.
1.20 Lambert wins holding the ball against Hannebery at half-forward. Short calls for the handball backwards, winds up and bombs long to the top of the goal square. Dusty in a 1-on-2, Marshall (ruckman) marks. 60 metres gained though! KPIs!
2nd quarter
15.36 Hannebery kicks long to the wing. Short in a 1-on-1 marking contest with Parker, holds front spot then falls over under slight physical contact. Parker is set to run away with it but Broad swoops in to save the day.
12.26 Prestia kicks from back pocket over Broad’s head, Marshall gathers 55 out and chips pass to Long, with Short five metres behind, watching him mark it 20 out straight in front without laying a glove on him. Goal Long.
11.29 Ball in our 50, Bruce handballs forwards, lands between Short and a Saint. Saint attacks it, Short short-steps and lays an ineffective tackle, allowing a sweeping 15-metre handball onto the tit of Billings. Saints run it up for Sinclair to find Hind with his 9-metre centering kick for a mark and goal.
10.05 Long ball by Acres out of defence to the wing. Short again holds front spot, again goes to ground in the marking contest. Just falls over under the slightest of contact. Out of the play, man down. Saints run it up and Hind goals again.
9.32 Long marks on the lead metres in front of Short again. Wheels and hits Membrey. Goal.
Four goals in three minutes of playing time, all after Short couldn’t hold his ground, hold a tackle, or keep up with his man.
8.20 The Saints kick the ball inside their 50. Short's man goes to the contest, Short goes the opposite way. He leaves us a man down at the contest so he can get an easy kick if and when we win it - calculated gamble. Vlastuin wins it, handballs under pressure to Houli, who under pressure, punches it to Broad, who has a bit of time to handball to Prestia who chips to Lambert on the wing, who handballs to Short in space. He bombs long to a pack of four Saints, Lynch and Chol. Lynch is behind and forced to spoil, it falls to Bolton and he goals. Score involvement.
6.24 Centre bounce ball kicked to the wing. Brando is on his own so Short’s man goes to him, allowing Ellis to handball backwards to the free Short. Dodges this way and that then bombs a long high left-footer 50-odd metres to half-forward. Lambert is caught behind and has to spoil.
4.59 Gresham set shot sprays out on the full. Short takes the free kick. Runs his 15 and kicks high and long to a pack on the wing. Unearned disposal, 75 metres gained.
2.45 Wilkie bombs out of defence straight to Short. The kid Patton arrives late and does enough to cause Short to drop what for an AFL footballer is a sitter. Stays upright though, gathers the spill and handballs while being ragdolled, misses Ellis, it bounces off the hands of a Saints player, ending with Dusty, to Ellis, to Lambert, to George, to Stack, goal. Score involvement! Count it!
3rd quarter
11.25 Membrey set shot across goal marked by Chol, little handball to Short, runs a bit hesitantly, looks inside, then kicks long and high to the wing where Lynch is outnumbered and Carlisle marks. Another 70 metres gained!
10.40 Long bomb into St Kilda forward line. Ball comes to ground. Short is near the ball, near Gresham, but ignores Gresham and follows the ball. Doesn’t get near it, just hovers in case it comes his way. Parker kicks it 40 metres backwards when Gresham and another Saint are basically unattended 25 out. Ball comes back and Long marks on the lead on 50. Short is nowhere to be seen so I guess Long wasn’t his man at this point. Or Short’s unaccountable, you pick. (Grimes comes off Membrey to try to affect the spoil.) Long sprays torp, Caddy gathers contested ball, hands off to George who bombs long to Dusty in a 1-on-2, Coffield marks.
8.40 Ross kicks a point. Short wants to take the kick-in, Shedda tells him to get lost. Sheds shortpass to Astbury, another to Caddy, handball wide to Short (always wide), Short runs to D50 and his short pass aimed for Cotchin hits McKenzie on the chest.
6.50 Prestia is smashed in a marking contest, play on, Houli picks up loose, handpass to unmanned Short who chips across half back to Astbury. Astbury's 16-metre pass to Vlastuin is deemed to not have gone as far as the 8-metre ones they pay all the time, turnover, but Tiger defenders (except Short, he’s exempt) get back and recover the ball.
4.50 Parker kick to Ross is called not 15, Short runs past him and maybe touches him with a finger of his outstretched left arm. Maybe.
3.50 Gresham kicks long to the pocket. Short does ok to keep Parker out of the contest but stands flat-footed as Marshall marks. I’m not hanging him for that, tough for him to do anything. However, Short then stands the mark and doesn’t hand over Parker to anyone. Parker sneaks forward, receives a short pass and kicks an easy goal.
