Richmond looks set to unleash triple premiership captain Trent Cotchin as a forward in 2023, but the 32-year-old’s move out of the midfield is already being questioned.
The Brownlow medallist has been critical through the club’s dominant era but particularly in the last two years when injuries ravaged what was already arguably their weakest area of the ground.
Most critically, Dion Prestia played just nine games in 2021 while Dustin Martin played only nine in 2022, with Cotchin adding 36 matches to his tally across that period. He should become the sixth player to run out in the yellow and black 300 times in 2023.
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But he may do so in the forward line, with Cotchin spending the last three match simulations exclusively in the front six.
With high-priced recruits Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper expected to walk into the Tigers midfield alongside Prestia, plus younger players such as Shai Bolton and Jayden Short deserving spots, coach Damien Hardwick appears likely to push Cotchin into a Dustin Martin-style forward-mid mix.
“Yep, Trent Coleman,” Richmond forward Jack Riewoldt quipped to Seven News.
“He’s been playing forward a little bit. For a player like him to add another string to his bow and play forward, it’s important for us.
“Don’t know what sort of nickname we’ll have this year but Trent Coleman’s got a bit of a ring to it. A few of the boys were ribbing him about it but he might’ve kicked three or four in a practice game the other day.
“Clearly with the additions to our football club, with Tim and Jacob coming along, we’re looking really strong in the midfield so we’re looking to repurpose Trent in the different position.
“Footballers play football in any position, and Trent’s a great of our club and a great footballer.”
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However Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes is unsure about the move and questions whether Cotchin is even in the Tigers’ best 22 if not playing full-time midfield.
“If he’s not in the centre bounce, in the phone box where he does his best work … when he’s diving on boots, when he’s tackling, winning clearance, pushing the ball forward – I don’t think, if he’s not playing that role, he’s in Richmond’s best 22,” Cornes said on SEN’s Sportsday on Monday night.
“He’s kicked 16 goals in the last five seasons, Trent Cotchin.
“I give it two weeks. I give the experiment two weeks.
“It’s like Geelong saying last year, ‘oh, we’re going to turn Joel Selwood into a forward’. It just wouldn’t work.
“It’s the toughest position to play, the athleticism required. It’s an unrealistic expectation for a player who’s gonna be 33 by Round 1 this year, with the injury issues that he’s had and the speed and dynamic nature of that role.”
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Brownlow medallist Gerard Healy had more faith in Cotchin’s ability to adapt.
“It’ll be a multifaceted role. It’ll be a pressure role, I reckon,” Healy said.
“I could see him coming out of the goalsquare as a leading player. He’s been a very talented midfielder and we’ve seen a lot of talented midfielders go forward in the last few years of their career and do very well.”
