The Tackle: Richmond would not have won three flags without club captain Trent Cotchin
Richmond has copped its fair share over the years for mistakes at the draft, but recruiter Francis Jackson deserves a statue at Punt Rd alongside Trent Cotchin and Dustin Martin, writes Mark Robinson.
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The sliding doors at Carlton and Melbourne continue to slap them in their faces.
In the 2007 draft, the Blues took Matthew Kreuzer with the No. 1 selection and Trent Cotchin was taken at No. 2, and he has now won premiership No.3.
Melbourne, as it’s turned out, continued to get the double whammy after they selected Tom Scully and Jack Trengove with their first two picks in the 2009 national draft and the best player of his generation, Dustin Martin, was selected No.3.
Dusty is bathed in threes: Three-time premiership player, three-time Norm Smith medallist and three time Gary Ayres medallist.
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Melbourne fans, meanwhile, bathe in disappointment.
So, too, Blues fans.
Not the Tigers, though. They talk of building statues at Punt Rd and maybe recruiter Francis Jackson needs one. He chose Cotchin and Martin when others didn’t and that should never be forgotten.
In some ways, it was a matter of timing and strategy, for the Blues needed a ruckman.
In others, it might’ve been a matter of perception.
The rough and tough kid from Castlemaine might have scared off the decision-makers at the Deeeeeesssss.
The only draft this century where a ruckman was taken with the No. 1 pick was the Kreuzer draft.
The other No. 1s were key forwards, midfielders and one key defender — Jacob Weitering.
Today’s popular opinion that clubs need to build their team and then recruit a ruckman later could, indeed, have its origins from the Kreuzer draft.
The big fella was a damn fine footballer, a warrior, but Cotchin proved to be a better footballer and has grown to be a three-time premiership captain and an outstanding ambassador for his club and the game.
Kreuzer retired this year and, at the time, said he was mentally cooked.
On Saturday night, when Cotchin stood beside Michael Voss and Luke Hodge in the post-match interview on Channel 7, he spoke with surety and authority.
"It's the first time we've had a lot of haters more so than lovers."
— 7AFL (@7AFL) October 24, 2020
- Trent Cotchin pic.twitter.com/cn9TSsa1Oc
He might not be considered the equal of Voss (certainly) and Hodge (probably) as a footballer, but he stood beside them as a three-time premiership captain. He was a giant among peers.
Inspiration comes in many forms and, to that, not a single person at Richmond could possibly declare these three flags would’ve been won without Cotchin as captain.
He is the selfless skipper, the player who underscored Richmond’s change in fortunes in the 2017 by abandoning his kick-chasing escapades to become a defensively minded midfielder. A team-oriented midfielder.
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At the start of the final quarter on Saturday night, when Patrick Dangerfield, who had played the third quarter as a forward, was at the centre bounce, it was Cotchin who stood beside him.
The symbolism of responsibility could not be ignored: I’ll take him.
It was a typically tough and consistent performance from the skipper. He was good without being outstanding. A second look at the game will detail Cotchin’s bodywork at contests.
One of his first acts in the first quartet was the tackle on Gary Ablett. Ablett hurt his shoulder and was a bit player after that. Cotchin’s tackle wasn’t overly extravagant, but the fact is Cotchin was there when he was needed.
“He’s got the game sense and he shifts three gears for a three or four-minute period,’’ Tigers chief executive Brendon Gale said on Sunday.
Cotchin had 19 disposals overall, was fourth for metres gained, won six clearances, laid four tackles and attended the most centre bounces alongside Dion {Prestia (19).
His main opponent was Geelong captain Joel Selwood.
In the second half, when the Tigers upped the ante, he had equal third most score involvements behind Dusty and Jack Riewoldt (six), Kane Lambert (five) and then came Cotchin, Jack Graham and Jayden Short.
At halftime on Saturday night, the Tigers were in trouble.
Gale, as he does, went to the rooms and, as he expected, saw coach Damien Hardwick and the players, led by Cotchin, preparing for the second half.
“I like being down, maybe it’s the old footballer in me, I like being down there,’’ he said.
“Peggy (president) asked me what was the feeling down there and I said Peggy it was the same as it was last week.
“I go down there, it’s a Grand Final, they’re 15 points down, they’re being outplayed, they’re in their small groups and it’s, OK, what’s working, what does it feel like, what’s it look like, what can we do … it was constructive and Damien with clarity, this is what we need to do, we’ve done it before, can you feel it?
“I walked away and felt, yep, here we go.
“It’s not arrogance. Damien speaks with such assuredness and purpose.’’
“Trent would’ve had a smile on his face, he would’ve been light on his feet, getting around the boys, positive, come on, let’s go.’’
There were times this year when none of those locker room tales could be told.
It had been a tumultuous season, in part, for the Tigers and for the Cotchins.
The COVID breach by his wife Brooke post relocation to the Gold Coast drew media saturation and condemnation, which in turn drew immense wellbeing pressure on the Cotchins, which took weeks to subside.
So much so, the Cotchins considered briefly departing for home.
“We really got challenged his year,’’ Cotchin said of the Tigers. “We had a lot of haters more so than lovers but we stuck fat.’’
Indeed they did in a season of sliding door momenta.
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Originally published as The Tackle: Richmond would not have won three flags without club captain Trent Cotchin
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