Richmond captain Trent Cotchin’s increased focus on becoming a more dangerous player around goals this season is paying dividends.
Cotchin has kicked 12 goals so far in season 2015, with multiple returns on four occasions.
The star midfielder’s best goal tally in a league season is 21, which he achieved in 2012, so with eight home-and-away rounds remaining, he stands a good chance of bettering that this year.
“I think in the past you can fall into the trap of thinking your time up forward is resting, but really it’s an opportunity to impact the scoreboard,” he said on this week’s edition of ‘Talking Tigers’.
“It’s all well and good to be having clearances and winning contested footy around the ground, but you look at the top echelon of the players in the AFL and the midfielders that are deemed the best players in the competition are impacting the scoreboard.
“That’s the challenge for us (midfielders). I mean, even with a couple of our half-forwards not quite kicking the same amount of goals that we’d like them to be, which they’re working hard on, it is important that your midfield take their opportunities.”
Cotchin also spoke about the work he’s done in lifting his intensity around the contest.
“I don’t think my numbers from a contested possession point of view have changed too much, but maybe it’s the quality of them,” he said.
“I might be getting a few where I’m showing a little bit more dynamic and so forth, which breaks open a line and allows one of our outside to get free run at the footy, rather than just one of those crappy little handballs that count as a contested possession, but don’t really count for anything in the game.”
