He might be the AFL captains' pick for the Brownlow Medal and favourite with the bookmakers, but Richmond captain Trent Cotchin is unmoved by the hype surrounding him.

Cotchin, 22, was picked by six captains to win this year's medal, ahead of Gary Ablett and Patrick Dangerfield (three each).

Despite finishing equal second to Watson last year and winning his second club best and fairest, Cotchin is not being distracted by outside expectations.  

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"Today is the first I've heard of it, but I don't take a lot of notice of all that sort of stuff," Cotchin said.

"Obviously the game is not about individual awards but to be recognised as a potential winner this year.

"There's a lot of work to be done throughout the season and some consistent footy to be played but I suppose it is nice to be respected within the AFL environment.

"The majority of my focus going into games is about how we can get the best result for the team and if that means I'm playing good footy then so be it, and I'll take that for sure.

"It's nice to be recognised as a talented player, but more importantly I've got to put my best foot forward, and with my captain's hat on now as well."

Cotchin took over from Chris Newman as captain in November last year and has slid seamlessly into the role, handling the increased media demand with maturity and ease.

"It's just about finding that balance. You've got the club, who are really good at managing that sort of stuff, your management are there for support and picking and choosing the right time to do it and when not to," he said.

"I think that's just what it's about; it's finding a balance and further to that, it's about finding a balance to footy and life outside footy as well."

As for the expectation on the Tigers to play finals for the first time since 2001, Cotchin said it was important to keep a healthy balance between being excited about their prospects and not letting the hype get out of hand.

"In the past, we've probably overdone the excitement thing and this year is more about just showing why we are to be excited about," he said.
"Our actions are probably showing that more so than the words that we're talking.

"We're looking forward to firstly our round-one battle [against Carlton], but there's going to be many challenges throughout the year and it's going to be exciting times."