Richmond captain Trent Cotchin has become the first Tiger player in 23 years to rack up 30-plus disposals and score five goals or more in a league match.

Cotchin achieved the rare league football double in last Saturday’s match against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium, finishing with 31 disposals and five goals in a brilliant, best-on-ground performance.

You have to go all the way back to 1991 to find the previous time a Tiger managed this special feat.

Clever small forward Chris Naish had 30 disposals and kicked five goals in Richmond’s seven-point loss to the Sydney Swans at the SCG in Round 19 of that ’91 season.

So far this season, the only other AFL player to complete the 30-plus disposals, five-plus goals double has been Adelaide’s Patrick Dangerfield, who did it in Round 5 against Greater Western Sydney (33 disposals and five goals).

To further underline how unique the double deed is, Brent Harvey has never done it in 376 games, Gary Ablett jnr has never managed it in 267 games, nor Chris Judd in 263 games, Jimmy Bartel in 263 games, Scott Pendlebury in 185 games, Jobe Watson in 184 games, Marc Murphy in 178 games, or Travis Boak in 144 games.

Cotchin’s five-goal haul, in his 122^nd game of league football, was a career-best return.

He was rewarded for his superb display with the annual Ian Stewart Medal, as best afield in the Richmond v St Kilda clash.