Richmond's Trent Cotchin says teammate Dustin Martin will learn lesson from suspension Glenn McFarlane
From: Sunday Herald Sun
July 07, 2012 11:30PMDUSTIN Martin's two-week club-imposed suspension "ripped his heart out", but teammate and leadership group member Trent Cotchin says the midfielder will emerge from the experience a better person and player.
Cotchin said he felt for Martin, and Daniel Connors who left the Tigers this week, but said the club's culture was more important than any individual within it.
The pair missed a training session this week after each took a sleeping tablet the night before, with Martin also admitting he had consumed alcohol.
"Dusty ... it has probably ripped his heart apart, to be totally honest," Cotchin said after Richmond's 23-point win over Melbourne at the MCG on Saturday.
"He loves the boys, that's probably his most enjoyable part of football and obviously playing as well.
"It would be killing him inside and he knows he has let a few of the guys down, but we will support him through it and make sure he comes out of it better on the other side. He will come back fitter and stronger and give us another lift when he gets back."
Martin, who saw the match from the grandstand, did a punishing schedule of running laps on Saturday.
Cotchin, who said he had texted Connors, said the club had had to make a tough call.
"We had to make some tough decisions ... and we think we have made the right one," he said.
"Hopefully we have set a standard. Our culture has taken some big steps. We are making sure we stamp it (bad behaviour) out."
Richmond general manager of football Craig Cameron admitted the club was trying to educate Martin on "simple life skills".
"Dustin needs to have structure in his life," Cameron said on SEN. "The times that we might become a little bit concerned are when the season ends and there's not the training programs ...
"But we're working with him constantly to try and put some structure into his life, and to be more active with some of the things he's doing away from football."
Cameron said the club's player development manager was working with Martin on "simple life skills like how to cook, how to clean his house ... we work with Ralph Carr, his manager, to make sure that he can put proper budgets together and manage his money.
"For a man who earns the sort of money he earns at his age, he needs to understand that that's not going to happen forever, or may not happen forever."
Cotchin said he was pleased with the way the Tigers had responded.
"Our group is really close ... and this week has only galvanised us," he said.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/afl/richmonds-trent-cotchin-says-teammate-dustin-martin-will-learn-lesson-from-suspension/story-e6freck3-1226419958052