“It’s good for myself to have a week off and also good for the team to learn how to play without me because I am not going to be here forever,” Riewoldt said.
But when he does play he knows that, aside from his goalkicking prowess, a big part of his contribution will be bringing along emerging talls such as Samson Ryan and Ben Miller.
Riewoldt said both he and Cotchin have been aware of how they would be managed since the back end of last year.
“We are big boys and have been around for a long time, and we know that the club comes before any player,” Riewoldt said.
“For us, it is about finding the missing piece [of how] the club can win the next premiership, whether that be this year, next year, or the year after that.
“I don’t give a shit what anyone thinks about us outside the football club and I know there has been a fair bit of commentary about us outside of the football club, some warranted, some probably unwarranted, but fundamentally we care about what the people here in the yellow and black are thinking, and we care about what the coaches are thinking.”
Cotchin was pulled out of action in the third quarter against the Swans after being ineffective – the 33-year-old recorded just seven disposals.
“It was always probably going to be one of the contest mids who was subbed out,” Tigers coach Damien Hardwick said on Friday night after the loss.
“So that was who it was, we worked through a process, and it was Trent at this stage.
“It’s a long season. He’s a veteran, he’s a very, very good player. We just had to get another player on to the ground.”
Riewoldt, 34, said he had pulled up well despite needing seven staples in the head after a heavy clash with Sydney’s Hayden McLean, but he joked his daughters might be scarred when they see him after he returns to Victoria.
The veteran forward expressed confidence that Ryan – who has played five games – will develop into a key position player.
“Samson has talent and is diligent and an extremely hard worker,” Riewoldt said.
“We need to keep playing him. If he is going to be a very good player going forward, he needs to cut his teeth at AFL level.”
With AAP
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