How Trent Cotchin helped turn Alex Rance’s form around to defeat Port Adelaide, enter top fourJuly 2, 2017
Tom Morris
FOX SPORTSIT WAS at the Adelaide Oval that Trent Cotchin famously kicked into the wind against Port Adelaide in an elimination final.
It was at the Adelaide Oval that his leadership was questioned following Richmond’s 76-point defeat to the Crows two months ago.
But on Saturday night, it was at the Adelaide Oval that the football world got a terrific glimpse into Cotchin the skipper, the listener, the motivator.
Only Alex Rance and Cotchin know what was said between them at halftime, but whatever it was could prove to be a critical moment in Richmond’s season.
The Tigers were trailing by 15 points and consistently second to the ball at the time. Both teams had kicked inaccurately, but the Power appeared to have all the run and momentum. Damien Hardwick’s key players were a touch below their best too and things weren’t really working.
Specifically, Rance was struggling under a heavy tag from Port Adelaide’s Jackson Trengove.
For the first time in his career, the superstar defender had someone playing on him, rather than the other way around.
This was uncharted territory and Rance was well below his best, notching just six disposals and no spoils in the first two terms.
“This is a night that will change Alex Rance’s season,” North Melbourne great David King said on Fox Footy.
“I think it’s outstanding coaching by Ken Hinkley and his crew. This is a man who is the intercept king of the competition. Their back six is held together by one man and he had no influence tonight.”
“He’s a pocket of frustration at the moment. He’s confused. He’s not sure whether to go with Trengove or not. He looks rattled. He hasn’t had this happen to him before and Trengove has been disciplined. It’s confused Alex and he’s been annoyed and pestered by this.”
As a result of Rance’s limited influence on the contest, the Tigers lacked any rebound. They looked static, slow and lacked any creative flair.
Enter Cotchin the captain.
Fox Footy’s cameras caught the Richmond captain having an extended discussion with Rance at halftime. If there is one man who understands what it’s like to be tagged, it’s Cotchin.
Rance — and by extension Richmond — responded in emphatic fashion, with the team booting nine goals to three in a second half that sees the club leapfrog Port into the top four.
During a spell of six unanswered majors, the three-time all-Australian defender was back to his best. It’s no surprise that his second half stats reflected his team’s ascendancy.
Calling the 27-year-old a barometer is probably a touch harsh on Jack Riewoldt, Dustin Martin and Cotchin. But there is no doubt that when Rance is below his best, the Tigers suffer.
So when Rance amassed a total of 12 touches in quarters three and four to Trengove’s two, Richmond lifted.
Port pumped the ball inside its forward 50 on 24 occasions in the final term but none of these entries resulted in marks and Rance ended the game with a team-high 10 one percenters, many of which were spoils.
“It was a real mental battle for me,” Rance conceded post-game on Fox Footy.
“It was the first time I’ve had a hard run-with player on me like that. He (Trengove) played it to perfection. He got in my head and annoyed me and got some good rewards from it. He did so well.”
When asked directly about Cotchin’s halftime pep-talk, Rance lauded his captain as the finest in the AFL.
“Trent is the best captain in the competition in my mind,” he said.
“He’s really matured into that role and I love that he is answering all those critics that have been so hard on his back for the past couple of years. I just bloody love playing for him.”
Ultimately it was Rance that had to deliver when the heat was on, but it was Cotchin’s words at halftime that allowed him to clear his head, rationalise what had already taken place and look ahead.
Now the Tigers are a genuine top four fancy, and by extension a premiership chance.
If a season is defined by hundreds of moments, it was this one that could further push the success-starved club towards a flag that seemed utterly improbable — if not laughable — 12 months ago.
Who’s laughing now? Richmond’s fans.
https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/live-afl-round-15-port-adelaide-v-richmond/news-story/31de112ca44d05b55b13a6aaf961e6d8
