Mark Robinson: Richmond captain Trent Cotchin is in a career slump, but still has plenty to give Tigers
Damien Hardwick attempted to offer an excuse for his captain Trent Cotchin’s form slump. But his claim doesn’t hold up, Mark Robinson writes.
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It was symbolic in the final quarter on Sunday to see the influence of Trent Cotchin and Scott Pendlebury.
The two veteran captains were opposed in the centre square and while Pendlebury led his team to an improbable victory, Cotchin, much like his football team, was ineffective.
Football’s about getting it done when it matters most but, this time, and not for the first time this season, Cotchin and the slumping Tigers failed.
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In an irrepressible final 30 minutes, Pendlebury attended seven of nine centre bounces, won two clearances, gathered nine disposals and went at 100 per cent efficiency.
Cotchin attended seven centre bounces, had three disposals and one clearance, and had only one effective possession.
No doubt, one of Richmond’s greatest captains is in a career slump.
Some observers are surmising that his career is over, that the game has passed him by, that he will consider retirement at the end of the season.
That ain’t going to happen.
Cotchin is contracted for 2022 and people close to him say he will play on. And so he should.
But whether he will be captain will be a moot point.
It’s been a torrid year for the skipper.
He missed Round 1 and Rounds 8-9-10 because of a hamstring injury and, either side of the lay-off, he hasn’t been able to influence games — or crunch games — as he has in the past.
This year, he is averaging his fewest disposals since 2009 (19), fewest clearances since 2009 (four per game), fewest contested possessions since 2009 (nine) and fewest score involvements in his career.
Cotchin remains a fierce competitor.
Outside of Dustin Martin, he was the central cog in Richmond’s premiership era, sacrificing his kick-chasing role to be a defensive midfielder, a sort of gatekeeper at stoppages.
Injuries this year to midfielders Dion Prestia, Shane Edwards and Kane Lambert has meant Cotchin has, again, been asked to be a ball-winning mid.
The transition has not provided the impact as much as he and the Tigers had hoped.
Coach Damien Hardwick attempted to offer an excuse in the post-match loss on Sunday.
“The game has changed, it is more uncontested marks, the ball is chipped sideways and around, (and) there’s not a lot of stoppage/contest type things, which is his strength,’’ Hardwick said.
“We’ve spoken about moving him in a different position, but we need him to play midfield at the moment, he’s our captain, our leader, he works his backside off.
“People look at the stat sheets, but what Trent brings, you can’t measure.
“The things that he brings around the contest, he talks, the setting up, the leadership he gives to Riley (Collier-Dawkins) and Thomson Dow, is going to be really, really important.
“As much as I’d love to say we could manage him, he’ll hang tough, you know what he’s like.”
The game has and has not changed.
Richmond hasn’t been a huge stoppage team in the past five years, with their game largely based on high pressure and turnover.
But their stoppages have increased over the past month. In that time, they averaged 58 per game. Over the past five years they averaged 55 per game.
So, Hardwick’s commentary about less “stoppage/contest type things” doesn’t hold up. Not in the past months, anyhow.
The coach’s comment about a new position for Cotchin is curious. Where could they play him next year, or even this year?
The issue is Cotchin has been a centre-bounce player his entire career.
Halfback is an option if Bachar Houli doesn’t suit up again, and Essendon’s Dyson Heppell and before him Hawk pair Sam Mitchell and Jordan Lewis have influenced in that position.
Half-forward is another option. He has the smarts but does he have the leg speed to offer the defensive requirements? Perhaps as a tagger, if Hardwick changes his style of coaching?
We’ll have to wait until Hardwick chooses his experiment.
In any case, it would be foolish to suggest Cotchin’s career is over.
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He is 31, and after a long rest over summer, a mental freshen up and strong pre-season he could return to the level of football that has commanded league-wide respect.
Right now, he’s in a horrible slump and frustrated and he’s reacting aggressively to opponents. One commentator recently described Cotchin as “trying too hard”.
Not sure what that means, because Cotchin has always tried hard and has always been aggressive.
The problem is he can’t find enough ball and is not impacting games.
But to say he’s finished is plainly ridiculous.
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