Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has backed the Tigers’ captain Trent Cotchin to bounce back to his best form in the coming weeks.

Cotchin was below par in Richmond’s opening round victory over Carlton, although he did work his way into the game after being blanketed early on.

The triple Jack Dyer Medallist finished with 21 disposals, including 10 contested possessions, five rebound-50s and three clearances, along with six tackles.

“He probably didn’t start as well as what he’d like . . . what we’d like,” Hardwick said on the ABC.

“I think he only had one or two touches in the first quarter.  He got his hands to the ball, but I think, in fairness, the Carlton guys defended him pretty well.

“As the game wore on, he started to get more involved in the contest. 

“He’ll continue to get better . . .”

Hardwick stressed Cotchin’s immense value to the Tigers’ team.

“There’s no doubt when Trent plays well – if he gets 30 touches – we’re a fair chance of winning the game.  So, we’ve just got to continue to work with him. 

“He’s a very important player for us . . .

“He’ll continue to drive himself and drive his team. 

“The most important thing – Trent will be the first to tell you this – it’s not how he plays, it’s whether we win or not. 

“He wants to be a guy who wins a lot of footy games as a captain, and he’s started to do that.  We’ve won a lot of games . . .

“We’re nowhere near where we want to be, but we’re certainly building to something.”