Tigers winners in Kreuzer Cup Michael Warner
From: Herald Sun
May 29, 2012 FORGET the debate about Jack Watts and Nic Naitanui. That's done and dusted.
But there's another elephant in the room of overlooked No.1 picks -- a kid called Trent Cotchin.
When Carlton lost to Melbourne at the MCG late in season 2007 the Blues wept tears of the crocodile kind.
The loss meant they had secured a priority selection to snare Matthew Kreuzer with the opening pick of the national draft.
But five years on, was that a mistake?
Did Carlton get it right picking Matthew Kreuzer ahead of Trent Cotchin? Chat live with Michael Warner from 11am
Because as good as Matthew Kreuzer is or will be, Cotchin is well on his way to AFL stardom.
According to some, after just 73 games he's already challenging Matthew Richardson and Dale Weightman as the best Richmond player since a bloke named Bartlett.
Cotchin's possession count in nine games this year reads 27, 19, 21, 24, 29, 18, 27, 29 and 31 with 10 goals for good measure.
Not bad for a bloke who's drawn taggers like Andrew Carrazzo, Jordy McKenzie, Scott Selwood, Taylor Hunt, Dominic Cassisi and Heath Hocking.
He's also ranked in the top 10 in the league for score assists and taken to the vice-captaincy like a duck to water.
But it's the poise and decision making under pressure, the third, fourth and fifth efforts and the crazy brave desperation that set him apart.
As former recruiter and now 3AW head of football Mark Kleiman says: "He just refuses to be beaten''.
Cotchin and Kreuzer were the standout players of the 2007 draft pool, best friends and teammates at the Northern Knights in the TAC Cup.
Together they slayed junior competitions at the school, state and national levels, making it a race in two for the No.1 honour.
But even back then, many recruiters felt Cotchin had the edge.
It was a selection dilemma for all to see when the pair ran out for a Vic Metro trial match at Victoria Park in May that year.
A who's who of AFL talent scouts and player agents had gathered in the stands and after just 10 minutes they'd seen enough.
A group of them approached the Vic Metro coach asking if Cotchin could come off.
"He was wrecking the game,'' Kleiman recalled this week.
"He'd had about 10 kicks and 10 clearances. We just said: 'Please take him off'. Everyone knew he was the star. You didn't have to watch Trent Cotchin play for more than 10 minutes to figure that out.''
Kreuzer played in the ruck that day, but there were no calls for him to be benched.
But, as Kleiman points out, the problem for the Blues was that they desperately needed a ruckman to bolster their burgeoning midfield stocks.
So when Richmond's turn came at pick No.2, a Tigers official could barely conceal his delight in blurting Cotchin's name out.
The infamous "Kreuzer Cup'' had also handed the Blues pick No.3, a selection they gave to West Coast along with Josh Kennedy for a handy homesick midfielder known as Chris Judd.
In 2005 and 2006, Carlton filled up on more midfield stars by taking Bryce Gibbs and Marc Murphy with the No.1 picks.
But with a history of draft disasters behind them -- think Fiora over Pavlich, Tambling over Franklin or Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls over anyone else -- Richmond was due for a big change of luck.
The wheel turned full circle in 2009 when Richmond took Dustin Martin at pick three after Melbourne used picks one and two on Tom Scully and Jack Trengove.
But it's the draft of 2007 that will prove the coup de grace for the draft table sins of the past.
2007 AFL NATIONAL DRAFT ORDER1. Matthew Kreuzer (Carlton)
2. Trent Cotchin (Richmond)
3. Chris Masten (West Coast)
4. Cale Morton (Melbourne)
5. Jarrad Grant (Western Bulldogs)
6.David Myers (Essendon)
7. Rhys Palmer (Fremantle)
8. Lachie Henderson (Brisbane)
9. Ben McEvoy (St Kilda)
10. Patrick Dangerfield (Adelaide)
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/expert-opinion/tigers-winners-in-kreuzer-cup/story-fncqi9j8-1226369744433
