Richmond captain Trent Cotchin has emphasised the importance of getting off to a strong start in the 2016 home-and-away season, and is looking for the Club’s youth to progress again.
Cotchin acknowledged the Tigers would have to carry the burden of their recent September record, but believes his side is well placed to take another step up this season.
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"Everyone keeps talking about the three years in a row that we've lost finals (but) … I'm sure if the Hawks fell out of finals in week one this year, then it would burn,” he said at Thursday’s AFL Captains’ Day at Etihad Stadium.
"Our maturity levels are as (high) as they've been for a long period of time (and) a lot of our players are playing consistent football – the challenge for us is to make sure that is four quarters every week.
"And having some of our youth really stand up – the likes of Corey Ellis, Connor Menadue, Daniel Rioli coming in and really impacting from the start – is going to help us take the next step.
"If we can start well, get a couple of wins under our belt and get the guys playing confident, Richmond footy, we'll be putting ourselves in a strong position.
"We know that if we play our best footy, we can take it up to anyone."
On the eve of his fourth season as skipper, the 25-year-old said he was still developing as a leader and finding what worked for him.
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"Everyone's got their own form of leading. You can look at a couple of the guys that have been successful captains that are here today and take something out of the way they lead, but it might not be the way you lead or come naturally to you," he said.
"I see leadership as something that needs to come naturally, but developing over time. I reckon if you spoke to 'Hodgey' (Hawthorn captain Luke Hodge), it wasn't something that he's been amazing at from day one, and there's been little things along the way that he's learnt and taken with him."
