Fox Footy's Redemption documentary reveals Trent Cotchin's pre-match present to injured teammate Jack Graham
Jack Graham was one of the hardluck stories of last year's Grand Final, missing out on Richmond's romp after being injured in the preliminary final. Skipper Trent Cotchin found a special way to help the tough on-baller feel he was part of the triumph.
Richmond captain Trent Cotchin presented injured teammate Jack Graham with a playing guernsey in the moments before last year’s Grand Final, determined to make the young midfielder feel part of the day.
AFL pre-season track watch: Players who have been hit by injury in the lead up to season 2020
Graham was heroic in the Tigers’ preliminary final the previous week, defying the wishes of coaching staff to play on after suffering a dislocated shoulder in the opening quarter against Geelong.
The injury meant Graham was sidelined for the premiership decider.
In Fox Footy’s Redemption – Richmond documentary, set to air for the first time tonight, Graham reveals he received an unexpected text message from Cotchin the night before last year’s Grand Final.
“Cotch actually sent me a message the night before saying, ‘Hey mate, I want you to be down in the rooms before we run out’,” Graham said.
“I was thinking, ‘All right, I hope he doesn’t get me to say anything, I’ll be a bit nervous’. But he actually prepared a guernsey for me so as the boys ran out I put on a guernsey which felt pretty special. Not many people know about this but it made me feel part of the team and that’s why Cotch is such a great leader and captain, because he cares about every single player.
“It was pretty nice. I think I might have even shedded a tear. But it was a pretty special moment and as much as I wasn’t going to be playing with the boys, I definitely felt a part of it.”
Redemption – Richmond premieres at 7.30pm Thursday on Fox Footy.
Watch every match of every round of the 2020 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE & On-Demand with KAYO. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >
Originally published as Fox Footy's Redemption documentary reveals Trent Cotchin's pre-match present to injured teammate Jack Graham
Gray the great: Modern champ headlines Port’s HOF inductees
He just about it achieved it all for Port Adelaide — now Robbie Gray’s name has been enshrined in the club’s history as one of the latest Hall of Fame inductees. See the full list here.
Track watch: Rachele lives up to hype, Crows SuperCoach intel
Plenty scoffed when Matthew Nicks said Josh Rachele was having the best pre-season he’d ever seen a player have. But as SIMEON THOMAS-WILSON reports, Nicks wasn’t exaggerating. See his track notes from Port Pirie here.