Cotchin to stick with RichmondCAROLINE WILSON
March 3, 2010EXCITING young Tiger Trent Cotchin has turned his back on the Gold Coast and is on the verge of committing to Richmond for the next four seasons.
In potentially the club's most emphatic pre-season statement, Cotchin is set to announce his new deal over the coming days after a pre-season of negotiations between his manager Anthony McConville and Richmond's football boss Craig Cameron.
Cotchin, who turns 20 on the eve of round three, comes out of contract at the end of 2010 but is understood to have assured the club he was not wooed by the Gold Coast during the controversial window period allowed under AFL rules late last year.
Richmond officials would not comment on the Cotchin contract extension last night but The Age understand's Cameron had been hopeful of tying Cotchin to the club until the end of 2013 - a three-year extension on his current deal.
Cotchin, recently promoted to the club's leadership group, was taken by the Tigers at pick No. 2 overall in the 2007 draft, finished third in the 2008 Rising Star competition and despite two injury-hampered seasons for a total of 25 games remains one of the competition's most exciting young midfielders.
Scoffing recently at rumours that Cotchin's troublesome Achilles had flared again, Tigers coach Damien Hardwick has approved an unorthodox training regime for the talented youngster and Cotchin's fitness was underlined by his performance against Geelong last Saturday in Yea in Richmond's NAB Challenge win.
The Cotchin signing follows that of exciting young Kangaroo Jack Ziebell late last month to North Melbourne. Both youngsters had been regarded as Gold Coast targets.
The soon-to-be announced Cotchin agreement should also prove a fillip for the Tigers' flagging membership which failed to reach the club's target of 30,000 by the end of February.
New club chief executive Brendon Gale has approached the 2010 membership target with a blend of optimism and pragmatism.
Last year Richmond signed a record 37,000 members off the back of Ben Cousins' signing and high hopes for 2009.
However, after being thrashed by Hawthorn in round one of the NAB Cup and favoured by most betting markets to win the wooden spoon in 2010, new coach Hardwick has made it clear he has no plans to publicly spruik the team's prospects but rather let his on-field results communicate the club's plans for the future.
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/cotchin-to-stick-with-richmond-20100302-pgjs.html
