Hawthorn inquires about Richmond skipper Trent Cotchin’s contract status with ‘Buddy money’ in mind Jay Clark
Herald Sun
June 23, 2014 9:00PMHAWTHORN has inquired about the contract status of Richmond captain Trent Cotchin as the reigning premier prepares to spend its “Buddy money” on another star.
The Hawks made the recent approach to Cotchin’s management company, Elite Sports Properties, to help identify potential replacements for its ageing batch of champion midfielders.
After losing superstar Lance Franklin to Sydney last year, the cashed-up Hawks have more than $1 million a year in their salary cap to poach established talent.
Cotchin, 24, is set to become a free agent when his contract expires at the end of next season.
Richmond remains supremely confident of keeping the two-time best and fairest at Punt Rd, but may face a nervous wait if the slick on-baller delays talks on his next deal into next season.
Worryingly for rivals, the Hawks’ inquiry about Cotchin shows it has the capacity and intention to recruit one of the game’s premier players to help spearhead its next premiership push.
While any bid to try to prise Cotchin out of Richmond would be a long-shot, it is understood the Tigers’ skipper meets the specific demands of Hawthorn’s recruiting profile, including age, player type and character.
Hawthorn faces a major transition phase in the next few years, replacing a brigade of veteran onball stars and respected leaders such as captain Luke Hodge, 30, Brad Sewell, 30 and Sam Mitchell, 31.
It also wants a key backman to take over from veteran full-back Brian Lake.
Victorians Cotchin, Adelaide superstar Patrick Dangerfield and West Coast Eagle on-baller Scott Selwood headline the midfield talent in next year’s free agency pool.
Hawthorn is also in the hunt for Fremantle on-baller David Mundy and has been linked to another Docker Nat Fyfe and Greater Western Sydney midfielder Dylan Shiel.
But the club has dismissed an asking price of $800,000 a season from Melbourne key position player James Frawley.
Alastair Clarkson’s men have relied heavily on trading in established talent to win premierships in 2008 and last year.
Hawthorn has had limited access to top-end young talent at the draft in that time, utilising only three top-20 picks in the past seven national drafts.
Instead, it has carefully targeted recycled stars Shaun Burgoyne, David Hale, Josh Gibson, Ben McEvoy and Lake among others.
Hawthorn would not comment on Cotchin, while Richmond did not return the Herald Sun’s phone call on Monday.
In its 2013 strategic plan, Hawthorn outlined its vision to be “The Destination Club”.
The blue print included targets to maintain a top-four finish in each of the next five years, despite the impending player turnover.
President Andrew Newbold last year said the club would be aggressive in its bid to stay at the top.
“We have a lot of confidence in our recruiting and Graeme Wright, and the challenge to him is to replace the stars and have young blokes coming up ready to step up into their shoes,” Newbold said.
“We are under no illusions that is a tough ask in this environment where if you stand still for five minutes you get overtaken.”
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