Richmond captain Trent Cotchin has spoken of the open discussions with the Tigers’ playing group earlier this season, which have helped him become a better leader.

“I’ve probably gone back to more so, just my natural way of leading,” Cotchin said on 3AW.

“I was probably trying to be the perfect leader.  You don’t want to stand on too many people’s toes, but the reality is you’re voted in by your peers because they think you have something to offer the group as a leader, whether it be the way you’re playing, the standards you’re driving, etc.

“So, I think just having that feedback by my peers, gave me the confidence to grow and go back to the basics of probably what gave me an opportunity to become the leader of a proud club in the first place.

“I just needed to say more when I saw it.  I felt that, initially, spending more time with individuals was my go, being a younger leader.

“And, I feel that you need to have the relationships first, before you can start whacking blokes.

 “Now, I feel that I’m in a position, where if I see something out on the track, or in the change-rooms, I can, not so much whack blokes, but just put them on notice, and make sure that they take a step forwards, rather than one backwards.”