Captain cubBy Adam McNicol
Mon 22 Aug, 2011FROM the moment he was drafted in 2007, people at Richmond have spoken of Trent Cotchin as a potential future captain.
Promoted to the leadership group after the 2009 season, the star midfielder had his first taste of captaincy when he led the Tigers into battle against Melbourne early last year.
And when usual skipper Chris Newman went down with a knee injury against Geelong a month ago, Cotchin was given another chance to fill the key role.
Three games into his stint as captain, the 21-year-old is revelling in the extra responsibility.
"I think as a leadership group we've spoken about what's required as a leader, and that's just playing your role to the best of your ability," Cotchin said at the ME Bank Centre on Monday. "That's the best way to lead.
"I've tried to listen to the guys that are around me and everyone's shown their support since I've been voted in as acting captain."
Cotchin has led Richmond to wins over the Sydney Swans and Melbourne in the past two weeks, and has been a key contributor in both games.
He collected 29 possessions to be among the best against the Swans, and although heavily tagged by the Demons, he still managed to pick up 18 touches and boot a crucial goal in the final quarter.
"The team's been fantastic," Cotchin said. "It's a team game and the efforts they've been putting in towards the changes in our structure have been good and they've been working for us."
Cotchin believes that having the title as captain has had an impact on the way he plays.
"If you are getting tagged or something like that you have to keep thinking about what's best for the team, and what action I can make to try and get the team up and going," he said.
"No doubt, I've been trying my hardest all year and being named as acting captain hasn't made me want [the ball] any more, but I'm definitely putting in my best efforts."
Nevertheless, Cotchin isn't about to try and steal Newman's job. In fact, he doesn't expect the position to become available on a full-time basis for at least another two seasons.
"Chris has done a fantastic job throughout a tough period at Tigerland," he said. "He's been fantastic this year and I'm only learning as much as I can off him at the moment.
"Everyone looks up to him at the football club, and the way he acts on-field and off-field.
"There's no doubt in my mind that he's going to be the leader for the next couple of years."
Having impressed in his role as captain, Cotchin tried his hand at coaching on Monday afternoon when he took India's International Cup team for a training session on the Punt Road Oval.
http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/121662/default.aspxhttp://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/trent-cotchin-happy-to-follow-leader-chris-newman/story-e6frf9jf-1226119996460
