Cousins has given me a blueprint for life: CotchinSTEVE BUTLER,
The West Australian
August 18, 2010Richmond young gun Trent Cotchin says he will take intimate football lessons learnt from Ben Cousins with him for life and hopes to one day pass them on to young Tigers of the future.
Cotchin, the No.2 pick in the 2007 national draft, said the mentoring he had received from Cousins both on and off the field in the past two seasons had been invaluable.
He revealed that some of the most useful tutoring had come when he had asked Cousins during injury lay-offs to watch his match-ups and give him feedback at breaks during games.
"Especially dealing with taggers, he's done it for most of the year and is one of the better ones at performing when he is getting closely followed," Cotchin said.
"I think the most special thing is that I can pass on what I've learnt now to any young player coming into our club in the future.
"It won't only have come from me, it will have come from Cuz who has been through it all.
"Hopefully they can enjoy the knowledge that I share with them as I have from the great man himself."
Ironically, Cotchin's father Peter made headlines in 2007 when he aired concerns that his son may be drafted by West Coast when the club was engulfed in the drugs row which eventually led to the sacking of Cousins.
While the 20-year-old said it had been tough to watch great players such as Cousins and Richmond cult hero Matthew Richardson retire in the past two seasons, he believed there were plenty of young Tigers eager to try and fill their void. He said the fierce team ethic Cousins had driven in the 2006 West Coast premiership midfield which included Chris Judd and Daniel Kerr, would now be a Richmond feature in the immediate future.
"He's probably the ultimate team player," Cotchin said.
"I suppose being in a midfield that is developing at the moment, it's so important to realise that you can't do it all on your own and Cuz has certainly shown that to me since he's been there. I'm sure he's done that for the whole of his career."
"You could just see by the way he used to play with Juddy and Kerr etc, that it wasn't just about him, it was about the team and that's why they were so successful I guess. Our structures don't allow the same amount of blocking at the moment, but he's still developed that sort of mindset for us.
"It's just been the little things that he has tried to train in your mind with the way he speaks about the way the game is played now and what you can do for each other. The reason he gets so much of the footy is because he is so focused for the team and gets in the right positions."
Cotchin said it was important for the Richmond players to help Cousins end his long career on a positive note with strong performances against St Kilda and Port Adelaide in the next fortnight. "He's been an important part of our development as a club and ever since he's walked through the door he's given his all for us," he said.
"So it's important for us to pay him back."
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/a/-/afl/7780474/cousins-has-given-me-a-blueprint-for-life-cotchin/
