Cotchin’s elevation to the role for the day, ahead of Brett Deledio, surprised many Tiger fans and critics alike, prompting speculation that he was the “heir-apparent” to Newman.
But Richmond coach, Damien Hardwick, has set the record straight on the decision to ask the 20-year old, with less than 30 league games’ experience, to fill in for Newman as captain last Sunday.
“With Chris Newman’s absence last weekend, we put it to the leadership group (Newman, Deledio, Cotchin, Daniel Jackson, Nathan Foley and Troy Simmonds) to decide who they thought should have the opportunity to captain the Club,” he said.
“Given the fact Brett Deledio had done the job before (Round 22 last year), they wanted to give Trent Cotchin a chance.
“For Trent’s personal development as a player, it was an outstanding opportunity - too good to be passed up.
“There’s so much more to captaincy these days than just tossing the coin. The captain takes responsibility on-field for the whole team. And, from that point of view, I thought Trent was terrific last Sunday.
“From a playing perspective, his first half was very good. It was probably his best half for the year and he’s only going to get better, with the overall leadership experience he gained, too.”
