‘I didn’t feel worthy’: Trent Cotchin opens up on mental health battle
Former Richmond player Trent Cotchin has revealed he didn’t know if he “wanted to play footy anymore” as he struggled with the pressure of being Tigers captain.
Confidential
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Former Richmond champion Trent Cotchin has revealed he didn’t know if he “wanted to play footy anymore” as he struggled with the pressure of being Tigers captain.
The former premiership captain believes conversations around men’s mental health are “deeper than they have ever been” and reflected on his own struggles as he battled self-doubt and low self-worth during his time as captain.
“I didn’t think I was worthy of being captain of a great football club,” Cotchin, who was appointed Tigers captain in 2013, told Confidential.
“I didn’t know if I wanted to play footy anymore. I never got to the point where I thought of giving up what I had but I was in a place where I was confused and I didn’t know what I was good for.”
Cotchin went on to lead Tigers to premierships in 2017, 2019 and 2020.
Cotchin discussed mental health at the Gotcha4Life event with Chemist Warehouse and Gillette for Men’s Mental Health Month on Wednesday at Chin Chin.
While Cotchin, 35, is no longer in “club land”, he said mental health discussions in sport are deepening.
“There have been a lot of horrible circumstances losing people particularly early on in their life, it is terrible,” Cotchin said.
“You can’t imagine what those families and friends are going through, but I think there is a willingness to start the conversation earlier than maybe what there has been in the past.”
The conversation comes after former AFL player Adam Selwood took his life at the age of 41 in May, just months after his twin brother Troy died by suicide.
“I think there is a willingness to start the conversation earlier than maybe what there has been in the past,” Cotchin said.
“Conversations are probably now what are we providing for people beyond their careers.”
Turning to the current AFL season, the father of three weighed in on the Sydney Swans’ recent form slump, but believes the club has what it takes to bounce back.
“I have no doubt the Swans are confident in the way they play their game and will manage to turn things around, it’s just a matter of time,” he said.
“The football or the AFL world is as even competition as it’s ever been,” he said.
“Bouncing back from winning a premiership and then losing one in a grand final is a really challenging place, particularly when you have staff changes, as (Dean) Cox has come in and taken over the reins.
“Football is a hard game and if you’re not continuing to evolve and grow, teams will go ahead of you.”
Outside of football and family life, Cotchin describes himself as a “jack of all trades” and is currently preparing to travel to South Africa with his wife, Brooke, to run a marathon in support of Carrie Bickmore’s Beanies 4 Brain Cancer.
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