RICHMOND captain Trent Cotchin will lead the Tigers into Saturday's Grand Final against Adelaide after the Match Review Panel on Monday cleared him of any wrongdoing.
Cotchin was scrutinised for a collision with Dylan Shiel in Saturday's preliminary final, which ultimately left the Greater Western Sydney midfielder with concussion.
However, the MRP ruled Cotchin was contesting the ball and had no case to answer, allowing the inspirational skipper to play as the Tigers chase their first premiership in 37 years.
The MRP sat at 9am on Monday in an effort to resolve the Cotchin case as soon as possible after being unable to convene on Sunday because of the unavailability of some members.
Cotchin cannoned into Shiel in the first quarter of Saturday's blockbuster final, making high contact to the GWS star, who had his head over the ball.
There was uncertainty around the exact cause of Shiel's concussion after Richmond defender David Astbury collected the midfielder high 10 minutes after the Cotchin collision.
The MRP said Cotchin was seeking to contest the ball and therefore contact was not unreasonable in the circumstances.
The panel also cleared Tiger Brandon Ellis' contact with Lachie Whitfield in the final term on Saturday, declaring that the Tiger was contesting the ball.
Incidents assessed
Contact between Richmond’s Trent Cotchin and the GWS Giants’ Dylan Shiel from the first quarter of Saturday’s match was assessed. The ball is loose between Cotchin and Shiel. Both players are seeking to win possession and are coming towards each other from right angles. Cotchin moves down low and braces for contact as Shiel approaches to pick up the ball. It was the view of the panel that Cotchin was seeking to win possession as his line of direction was always towards the ball and not his opponent. The panel determined that Cotchin was seeking to contest the ball and therefore contact was not unreasonable in the circumstances. No further action was taken.
Contact between Richmond’s Brandon Ellis and the GWS Giants’ Lachie Whitfield from the fourth quarter of Saturday’s match was assessed. The ball was loose with both players coming to the contest. Ellis runs through the line of the ball and seeks to win possession as Whitfield approaches the contest. Ellis braces for contact with Whitfield and high contact is made to the Giants’ player. It was the view of the panel that Ellis was contesting the ball and no further action was taken.
