In the wake of his reappointment as Richmond’s skipper, Trent Cotchin spoke with ‘Roar Vision’ about the captaincy and other members of the playing leadership group at Tigerland. Here’s what he had to say . . .
On what the captaincy means to him
“It’s a massive responsibility, first and foremost. We’re a proud club, we’ve got an amazing history, and our group at the moment is trying to add to that history . . . The challenge for not just me, but the rest of our playing group, is to ensure the environment we create is one that’s going to be successful.”
On being voted captain again by his peers
“It’s been well documented that it’s been more of a lengthy process than it has been in the past. But it was all about getting the right infrastructure in place, with new people coming into the footy club, and ensuring that the players had their say. We represent the playing group, we’re the connection between coaches, players and club in a sense, so (it’s) really important to get that process right. And (I’m) really proud that both Jack and ‘Rancey’ (Alex Rance) are joining me as vice-captains.”
On the Club’s ‘unofficial’ leaders
“We’ve seen in the past that some of our best leaders in the footy club don’t necessarily have the title . . . A great example of that is big Ivan Maric. He’s been vice-captain before, and he won’t change the way he leads. You’ve got other guys that are stepping up all the time, like ‘Grigga’ (Shaun Grigg), ‘Milesy’ (Anthony Miles), ‘Dusty’ (Dustin Martin), Shane Edwards. There are just so many guys, and it goes so deep, that it’s really exciting for our group . . . What it will give us, is an opportunity to involve as many players as possible, whether it be youth or our more senior players.”
On Riewoldt’s development as a leader
“Obviously, you don’t get voted in by your peers unless you’ve shown great signs as a leader. As I’ve said in the media, he’s one of our most competitive players. He just wants to win, which I love about him . . . There’s a lot of youth in our forward line, and he’s taken them under his wing. We’re looking forward to seeing him continue to grow as a leader, as Rancey will, and hopefully I will, and the rest of the group as well.”
On Rance’s leadership qualities
“Outstanding person, has great morals, and he’s a teacher as well. I know that everyone’s seen the funny side of him and, as much as we love that and he gets the boys going, he’s obviously got that serious side as well . . . He stands up and challenges blokes on what’s required and what we expect and see as the standards at our footy club.”
On his growth and aspirations as captain
“The thing I learned most about last year, is it’s never as good as it seems, and it’s never as bad as it seems. It’s a challenge . . . and you look forward to the challenge. You need to perform consistently, but as we all do as AFL players at a proud club, we want to win. And that requires consistent performances from every player on the list . . . I’m just looking forward to creating an environment where guys can flourish and play at their best for a continuous period.”
