Richmond star Trent Cotchin has provided an interesting insight into his captaincy development at Tigerland.
Cotchin, who is in his third year as Richmond’s skipper, has received some glowing praise throughout the football world recently for his inspirational on-field leadership.
Former Brisbane captain and now football media commentator Jonathon Brown rated Cotchin alongside Hawthorn’s Luke Hodge as the two best captains in the competition this season.
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“Cotchin’s ability to deliver in the big moments like Hodge has set the Richmond skipper apart from the rest of the pack this year,” Brown said.
“He’s sensing the moment and doing special things to lift his team in its hour of need.
“Hodge is famous for it and Cotchin is heading in that direction too . . .”
Cotchin outlined how his captaincy had evolved since being appointed to the role at the end of 2012.
“Coming in as a captain of a football club, no matter which club that is, there’s always added pressure that you put on yourself to perform on an individual basis,” Cotchin said on the ABC.
“But you also take a lot of responsibility for other guys around you, and their performances and how they’re contributing to the team . . .
“I think the greatest thing about being a leader of a football club, or a leader of a team, whether you be captain or in the leadership group, is you can never be the best leader possible.
“I reckon you can always learn, and there’s always ways in which you can get better . . . whether that’s learning from other guys in the way they go about it, or finding it within yourself.
Round 19: Richmond will hold an open training session at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday
“That’s what I’ve been trying to develop over my whole career, let alone the last three years and, in particular, this season.
“We have a really strong leadership group now, which also helps . . . Our guys are all capable of making decisions on-field and that’s what we back them in to do.
“My challenge, as a leader of our group, is to make sure that everyone’s focus is moving forward and performing.
“You’re only as good as your next game. So, that’s our challenge.”
