SEASONED assistant coach Brian Royal has given Richmond teenager Trent Cotchin the ultimate wrap, describing his first 10 games as the best start he has ever seen.

Cotchin joined the Tigers with the second pick of the 2007 NAB AFL Draft and made a round-eight debut against Geelong; the club Richmond renews acquaintances with on Saturday night.

"I have been involved in the game for over 20 years and he is quite unique in the talent that he has got," Royal said of Cotchin from Punt Road on Friday morning.

"I think Richmond is going to have a very, very good player for a long, long time."

Royal was happy to compare Cotchin with the stand-out youngster of the decade, Carlton captain Chris Judd – who made his way to West Coast with pick No. 3 in the 2001 draft.

"I don’t think he is winning the same amount of ball as (Chris) Judd but what you’ll see with Trent is that when he gets it, something happens.

"He has got the composure that Chris Judd has."

Judd won the 2004 Brownlow Medal and the 2005 Norm Smith Medal with the Eagles and led that club to a premiership a year later.

Royal said Cotchin's talent was so polished that it affected the way he went about coaching him.

"I have a fair bit to do with Trent because I coach the midfield," Royal said.

"From a coachability point-of-view, you probably don’t have to coach him because he is that natural about the way he plays.

"I am very hesitant to give him advice because I just don’t want to take that natural instinct that he has got of being able to win the ball and the composure that he shows.

"It is like he has been in the game for five or six years."

Royal forecast that the fight for this year's NAB AFL Rising Star award would be a race between Cotchin, Fremantle’s Rhys Palmer and Hawthorn’s Cyril Rioli.

But he conceded the broken ankle that delayed Cotchin's start to his senior career might count against him.

"Trent has been outstanding particularly given that he missed a fair amount of the pre-season and came in late," Royal said.

"Palmer has been in pretty good form and so has Rioli.

"But there is no doubt it is a three-horse race and Trent’s form in the last few games will play a major part in who finishes with the award."

Cotchin has kicked eight goals from his 10 games and has averaged just under 17 possessions.