The leadership of Richmond captain Trent Cotchin has risen to another level in 2015, according to a couple of his team-mates.
As the team continues to improve on the field, so does Cotchin’s ability to set the standards off the field, and deliver them in the heat of battle.
The 25-year-old has been instrumental in the Tigers’ last two games, where they came from behind on both occasions to score crucial victories over Sydney and GWS.
“He’s really grown into that role. You can tell that he knows how important he is as the leader of the group,” said Richmond spearhead Jack Riewoldt.
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“As the captain, he’s able to basically pick the side up, put it on his shoulders and drag us over the line.
“We saw it last week in the third quarter against Sydney, when he had five score involvements and 11 touches in a quarter.
“I think he’s really starting to develop into the leader we know he can be, and why we selected him as the captain.
“He’s being really well supported by the rest of our leadership group, in terms of Deledio, Newman, Chaplin, and Rance down back has obviously been phenomenal for us this year.
“We’ve developed a genuine leadership as a group as well. We’ve got young guys who are starting to stand up.”
Young defender Jake Batchelor praised Cotchin’s ability to lift his rating during games, particularly when the team has its back to the wall.
“That’s what you want when your team is up against the wall. Your skipper basically drags your whole team with him,” he said.
“He did that, not just for the last quarter (against GWS), but for the whole game. He was tough, winning the ball, and the contested possessions.
“You couldn’t ask for a better leader’s game.”
