Richmond captain Trent Cotchin is confident that out of the ashes of an unsatisfactory 2014 season will emerge a vastly-improved Tigers’ combination in 2015.

With just three wins from 13 games this season, Richmond is in 16^th place on the league ladder, but Cotchin delivered a strong, positive message to the Yellow and Black faithful on SEN last weekend.

“I know that it’s been a disappointing start to the year, and we’ve been doing everything we can to turn around our win-loss record,” he said.

“We’ll be fighting through every contest, no matter who the opposition, and making sure that we get some results on the board going into the back part of the year.

“Hopefully, next year, after we get a better start than what we have this year, they (the Tiger supporters) will look back on it (season 2014) and see it as a stepping stone for our footy club . . . 

“We’re all developing as a group, whether that be our leadership group, our emerging leaders, or just the core group in general.

“We’re having those conversations that we’ve always had, but they’re probably more specific now, and we know exactly where we’re tracking towards.

“The great thing for us is, although we’re 3-10, it’s a really big stepping stone that we can see is going to hold us in good stead for the future.

“While we’re not giving up on this year, we know that it’s going to be a really important part to building a sustainable future for us.”