Cotchin's top role at Tigers 'too soon' (Age)

[one-eyed]

Cotchin's top role at Tigers 'too soon'
SAM LIENERT
March 4, 2010 - 2:24PM
AAP

Richmond great Kevin Bartlett says it is "ridiculous" that promising Tigers youngster Trent Cotchin has been appointed to the AFL club's leadership group.

The highly-rated 19-year-old midfielder, entering his third season, has allayed fears he will be poached by the Gold Coast for their 2011 debut by signing a deal to stay at Tigerland until the end of 2013.

But Bartlett, Richmond's games record-holder and former coach, said while there were high hopes the 2007 No.2 draft pick would be a future star, it was unfair to thrust a player with minimal experience into a leadership role.

"It is ridiculous, it is absolutely ridiculous," Bartlett said on his SEN radio show on Thursday.

"It is not as if he's played two full seasons of AFL football.

"The kid's had bad injuries - Achilles, ankles, groins, whatever he's had wrong with him.

"He's put together 25 games, of which probably three or four you'd say showed a lot of ability, and all of a sudden you're part of the leadership group, that is ridiculous."

Bartlett said Cotchin would be poorly equipped to cope if Richmond's leadership group was asked to deal with a player disciplinary issue, such as the current Brendan Fevola nude photo saga or Ben Cousins' drug problems during his time with West Coast.

"Trent Cotchin might be the best leader in three or four years' time, but you've got to have some life skills," he said.

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/cotchins-top-role-at-tigers-too-soon-20100304-pkot.html

[tdy]

He's right you know.  But if it keeps Cotchin at the club then thats probably what we have to do.

[mightytiges]

Cotch isn't captain or VC though even though he is in the leadership group. We hardly have an abundance of senior leaders and Cotch understands footy even at 19. For all we know his teammates could have wanted him in the leadership group. The media making a mountain out of a molehill.

[blaisee]

Kb is a muppet

same bloke praised the blues for putting Gibbs in the leadeship group as an 18 yr old.

People should understand that KB is a media performer looking for ratings plain and simple

[pmac21]

Get stuffed KB, you are a tool.  Shouldn't be allowed to comment on any Tiger issue due to biase he still has towards the club.
Doesn't matter how old you are if you are a born leader. 
Shove it up em' Trent.

[Infamy]

Kb is a muppet

same bloke praised the blues for putting Gibbs in the leadeship group as an 18 yr old.

People should understand that KB is a media performer looking for ratings plain and simple

I was going to say, it's not like he was put in the leadership group the moment he arrived at the club like Gibbs was
Given we have such a young list, I have no problems putting someone like Cotchin in the leadership group

[Owl]

KB makes some good points but by the same token, if they have identified those qualities in the Cotch that will make him not only an excellent player but a good leader, then there is certainly no problem nurturing them by hucking him into the officers mess to see how things are done.

[Penelope]

Leadership is a quality you either have or you dont. You can't create leaders by sending people off to some bullcrap, rip off course. If the powers that be recognise leadership qualities in cotchin then whats the big deal in adding him to the leadership group? actually the leadership group thing is probably a wank fest anyway, natural leaders will be the ones that the others look up to, naturally, without them needing to be be labeled as such, but I suppose that's the way of the world today

KB is is just a twisted, bitter old bugger, but in fairness to him, coaching Richmond could do that to you. Just look at what supporting them has done to some of the posters on here 

[Judge Roughneck]

wonder what KB thinks of Gibbs being in carlton leadership group @ 17 yoa

[yellowandback]

 absurd KB. Wayne Carey capt at 21, Sticks also 21, Cam White Big V capt at 20.
All great leaders, born leaders.
The only risk with Cotch is the reliability of his body.
Born footballer, born leader, Richmond capt in waiting.

[tigersalive]

What a stuffing scab.

What the stuff would KB know? 

Bitter old fool.

[Owl]

Leadership is a quality you either have or you dont. You can't create leaders by sending people off to some bullcrap, rip off course. If the powers that be recognise leadership qualities in cotchin then whats the big deal in adding him to the leadership group? actually the leadership group thing is probably a wank fest anyway, natural leaders will be the ones that the others look up to, naturally, without them needing to be be labeled as such, but I suppose that's the way of the world today

KB is is just a twisted, bitter old bugger, but in fairness to him, coaching Richmond could do that to you. Just look at what supporting them has done to some of the posters on here 

its a fine line being a born leader you still gotta rock up to the meetings and see what the stuffing plan is lol.  To be honest I always thought people who thought they had the right to crown those who had 'leadership qualities' were the biggest wankers of all.  Where did they get that qualification?  Do they have a cadre of lickspittles that chose to follow them, did they just brown nose their way up some corporate ladder, or did some tafe teacher give em a six week course on identifying leadership qualities as quantified by a professor of psychology who spent most of his school years on a pecking order en par with the local insect population?

[Mr Magic]

Cotch isn't captain or VC though even though he is in the leadership group. We hardly have an abundance of senior leaders and Cotch understands footy even at 19. For all we know his teammates could have wanted him in the leadership group. The media making a mountain out of a molehill.

Spot on across all counts MT.

[TigerTimeII]

i have always said kb was carried by a very good team in a very good era
overrated player protected by all the tough men we had
he was a class one cheat as a player, and ppl get crappy with divers now, he played for more frees than anyone in the history of the game.

and now, he stll suffers from lil mans syndrome and comes out with this bs

cotchin is a born leader and has a head on his shoulders beyond his yrs

kb f off

[blaisee]

i have always said kb was carried by a very good team in a very good era
overrated player protected by all the tough men we had
he was a class one cheat as a player, and ppl get pooty with divers now, he played for more frees than anyone in the history of the game.

and now, he stll suffers from lil mans syndrome and comes out with this bs

cotchin is a born leader and has a head on his shoulders beyond his yrs

kb f off

cant agree with any of this.

KB the footballer busted his ass for the tigers, was an absolute champion footballer played 400 games and spilt blood for us.

He was good enough to exploit the rules and even get them changed. Very rare indeed.

But that was then and this is now. He is a paid media personality, his wage is determined by his ratings. Everything he says on radio relates to that end.

Cotch was voted into the leadership group by his peers. T

 End thread.