Being the captain of an AFL club is as much an ambassadorial role as it is an on field player role. Richmond’s Trent Cotchin knows that more than most. He’s one of the most well known players at one of the biggest clubs in the land. Cotchin opened up on that role he plays ensuring the fans also get that connection to the club to Sunraysia Life’s Angus Dearlove. Picture: Ben Gross
TRENT Cotchin is a hero to those faithful to the Richmond Football Club.
The dual premiership captain holds himself well on and off the field, representing the yellow and black with aplomb.
The 29-year-old is Richmond’s most successful captain since the early 1980s, lifting the premiership cup in 2017 and 2019 to send the roaring masses of Tigers fans into a frenzy.
That was no less apparent last Saturday night when the classy midfielder and joint 2012 Brownlow medallist appeared in Mildura for a Sunraysia Tigers event – with the 2019 premiership cup also on hand.
He admits to not having watched Richmond’s triumph over GWS in this year’s grand final, but knows just how important such a win was to the legions of fans.
“It’s funny, we’ve done a couple of things since the granny and I haven’t actually watched the match,” Cotchin says.
“It’s nights like this, or days, where you get to re-live the year with the people who love it most out of anyone, and for me that’s really special, particularly being the captain of the footy club.
“Why not share it with the people who have poured not just a lot of money but a lot of heart and soul into the yellow and black?”
But for Cotchin it was a completely different environment back at the club in 2007 when he walked through the doors at Punt Road for the first time.
Back then Richmond were in debt, had low membership and were struggling on the field.
The transformation off the field was as big as the growth on the field as Cotchin’s career went on, ending up with him leading the Tigers into this successful era.
“It’s an incredible thing to have over 100,000 members,” he says.
“It was something I’d have never imagined – I think we had about 37-38,000 when I got drafted so just about three times that amount is pretty amazing.”
From that growth there is always pressure, even if it is from external sources.
“From an expectations point of view, maybe from the outside world (there is), it sounds boring but the reality is we focus on process at the footy club and I think that’s what’s held us in really good stead over the past 3-4 years,” Cotchin says.
“We are just looking to grow rather than freeze and curl over.”
Sunraysia Tigers treasurer Bruce Symes says events like Saturday night keep the passionate supporter group going.
“These events are huge, this is what makes our years happen,” he says.
“We try to do one or two of these a year and obviously winning the cup is a bit of a bonus. We had one earlier in the year that wasn’t overly successful for us but this one will give uis a fair amount to give back to the club.”
The money raised at these events goes into Richmond’s Next Generation Academy, which has already beneffited the likes of former Wentworth footballer Derek Eggmolesse-Smith – now at Richmond through the academy system.
Symes says having the club’s captain or other star players give their time to the Sunraysia group is a massive boost.
“Without bringing someone like Trent you certainly don’t get the turnout, just bringing in that one player is certainly the attraction, the big name players,” he says.
