Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has paid tribute to Trent Cotchin following the inspirational Tiger captain’s top-class performance against Gold Coast at the Gabba last night.

Cotchin set the tone for Richmond’s hard-fought win through his trademark ferocious attack on the football. He also racked up plenty of disposals, finishing with a team-high 26, including a game-high 15 contested possessions, game-high nine clearances (and a game-high five centre clearances), game-high eight inside-50s, plus six tackles and 342 metres gained.

“I thought he was outstanding and was best on ground,” Hardwick said.

“He was dominant . . . he had 13 first possessions out of the centre square. It was really important for us to get up and going, especially as we struggled in that part of the game last week.

“He’s had an incredible season. It’s been injury-interrupted, but every game he’s played has been significant for us.”

Cotchin has played eight games this season and is averaging 19.4 disposals, 10.9 contested possessions, 4.1 clearances, 4.0 inside-50s, 4.6 tackles, 3.8 score involvements and 287.0 metres gained per match.

Hardwick and Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew rewarded Cotchin for his superb showing in the Round 12 clash with nine votes in the prestigious AFL Coaches Association’s Champion Player of the Year award.

The full voting details for the Round 12 Richmond v Gold Coast match are:

9 – Trent Cotchin (Richmond)

9 – Jack Lukosius (Gold Coast)

5 – Noah Anderson (Gold Coast)

3 – Kane Lambert (Richmond)

2 – Nick Vlastuin (Richmond)

1 – Wil Powell (Gold Coast)

1 – Jack Riewoldt (Richmond)