A major highlight of Richmond’s fighting win against Collingwood at the MCG last Friday night was the significant contributions made by talented Tiger cubs such as Oleg Markov, Jayden Short, Daniel Rioli and Nathan Drummond. Post-game, three of the Club’s seasoned stars – Trent Cotchin, Alex Rance and Jack Riewoldt – offered their opinions on the exciting emergence of the Yellow and Black youth. Here’s what they had to say . . .
Trent Cotchin
“You see glimpses of it through training, even in their first few weeks at the football club, when they played an intra-club match,” Cotchin said on SEN.
“You’re like, wow, this kid’s got something. But until they back it up consistently, that’s when you start to really get excited as a teammate and as a leader of the football club.
“We love seeing it.
“I think the energy they brought to the contest last (Friday) night, they way they used the footy, the way they played on instinct, is really impressive for our group.
“And, what it does is it encourages our middle-tier and senior guys to continue doing the same.
“The reality is that they’ve got an opportunity at our football club because they’ve got talent. And, as much as AFL’s become a super-structured game, the reason these guys are such good footballers is because they play on instinct and their natural flair.
“Oleg Markov, the way he uses the footy, and runs and carries, is exciting. And that’s what our fans want to see.
“So you’ve just got to instil the belief that we have in them . . . I would hope that they know that, but just continue to encourage it, because when they’re playing at their best, they’re really impressive to watch.
“And, I think the greatest thing about those kids, is that they’re impressive people as well.”
Alex Rance
“He’s (Markov) a super talent. Those two players – Markov and (Jayden) Short – are really going to shape our back six, I think,” Rance said on 3AW.
“They’re good, quality users and they see the game really well.
“We’ve really tried to make sure we don’t tell them what to do. We just say, ‘You guys are good enough to make your own decisions. Away you go’. And then they generally cut through them . . .
“We’ve got such exciting youth that we love playing with . . . If we can keep that youthful exuberance that those young blokes show, I think it’s going to make the ride home (remainder of this season) a lot easier.”
Jack Riewoldt
“It’s really exciting. I’m really passionate about the young players that are coming through,” Riewoldt said on Channel Seven.
“To see a young player in Nathan Drummond tonight (last Friday night), who’s waited 15 months for his first win in the Yellow and Black, makes you feel really warm inside . . . really good about where we’re going.
“We know that we’re a long way off this year and we’ve been really disappointing.
“Our fans have been disappointed with us, as we’ve been disappointed in ourselves. But the little wins like this just make footy good.”
