Trent Cotchin named Richmond captain for 2017, Jack Riewoldt joins leadership group

TRENT Cotchin has defended his role as Richmond captain after being named skipper again for 2017 with Jack Riewoldt part of a new-look leadership team.

TRENT Cotchin will captain Richmond for a fifth season after he was emphatically endorsed to front a new three-man leadership group.

The Brownlow medallist is flanked by vice captains Alex Rance and Jack Riewoldt, who has been entrusted with a leadership role for the first time in four years.

Cotchin bore the brunt of the Tigers’ miserable 2016 campaign, with the midfielder repeatedly criticised over his leadership.

But he hit back today, telling the Herald Sun the opinion of outsiders meant nothing.

“You don’t pick being captain by yourself. People can say whatever they want and say that I’m not the right person, but the reality is that my peers think that is the case and that gives me a whole lot of confidence and excitement about leading our group,” Cotchin said.

“You’re voted in because they see something in you that gives them the confidence that you can lead the group.”

There’s a lot of love at Richmond for captain Trent Cotchin, at least from vice-captain Alex Rance. Jack Riewoldt is also part of the Tigers three-man leadership group. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick last year described criticism of Cotchin’s captaincy as “farcical”, while wife Brooke said it had been “incredibly hard”.

“That’s probably who it affects most. It’s not just me, but it’s family, my father, my mum, Brooke’s family and close friends and even people here inside the club,” Cotchin said.

“That’s where it becomes probably a little bit unfair because they’re not paid to cop the flak, whereas I am. Last year, in it’s entirety, was a challenging year for our footy club and the reality is people are entitled to have opinions.

“You need to have a thick skin, whether you’re an AFL captain or an AFL player and we need to perform at a consistent level. That’s the expectation.”

Cotchin said he was constantly striving to develop relationships with every player on the list.

“There’s 44 different personalities here. In any other business, not everyone is going to be best mates with everyone,” he said.

“I think pretty much everyone at the footy club drinks coffee so the easiest thing is to go out and have a coffee. It’s about creating that connection. It doesn’t mean you have to be best friends, but (have) an element of respect and keep the door open for guys to come and see you at any given time.

“You need to be genuine, you need to be real and no one is perfect; that’s the key for me going forward.”

Riewoldt’s elevation to co-vice captain comes after Brett Deledio was traded to GWS and Shane Edwards and Ivan Maric weren’t part of the leadership restructure.

“As we’ve seen over a number of years, Jack has some amazing strengths. He’s also had times where he’s shown on-field that things can affect him at times,” Cotchin said.

“But he’s done a lot of work and his relationships are as good as they’ve ever been, especially with our young forward line.”

Originally published as Trent Cotchin named Richmond captain for 2017, Jack Riewoldt joins leadership group