Almanac Footy: A tribute to Jack and Trent

 

 

 

Round 23’s Richmond v North Melbourne game marked the end of an era at the Richmond Football Club. It’s being coming for a while since the 2020 flag and been said a few times but it feel like is has really happened with the retirements of Jack Riewoldt and Trent Cotchin, two icons of Richmond. I was just about to turn seven when Richmond won the 1980 Grand Final and have no memories of the match. Richmond made one more Grand Final appearance in 1982 and just two finals appearances in 1995 and 2001. The Tigers had struggled for respect since 1982, prone to poor management and decision making around sacking coaches, staff and quick fix recruits. The club though have had their more successful era for almost 50 years in winning the 2017, 2019 and 2020 premierships. Key people who had a hand in this successful era have all retired in last 12 months in president Peggy O’Neal, coach Damien Hardwick and 300 gamers Shane Edwards, Jack Riewoldt and Trent Cotchin.

 

This piece is a tribute to Jack and Trent. As Richmond fans we have not had the opportunity to farewell our past greats in their last match since Matthew Knights in 2002 who did a lap of honour for his last game. Richardson, Houli, Grigg and Lambert were injured in what turned out to be their last matches. Astbury’s farewell was during the worst of Covid-19, Newman was unsure if it was his last game, Edwards’ last game was a final in Queensland and Hardwick did not coach a farewell. That is why Saturdays’ game was emotional but wonderful experience for us supporters who stayed en masse to see Jack and Trent walk a lap of honour, which gave us another memory to keep close to our hearts.

 

 

 

Jack was drafted in 2006 as a key forward. Richmond needed tall forward options with Matthew Richardson in his twilight; we also had Cleve Hughes who looked promising, but never stepped up. I was part of a Richmond supporters’ group that went to a function at Punt Road approx. one week prior to 2006 Draft. It was hosted by Greg Miller and chief Recruiter Francis Jackson to discus draft options. Richmond had already traded Pick 8 and another lower pick for Pick 13 and Graham Polak. This caused uproar on Richmond fan forum who wanted Pick 8 for key position option in a draft stacked with them. This is talk I’m but unsure if it was ever confirmed that our target for Pick 8 was not liked by other clubs and would last until Pick 13. Francis said on the night that Bryce Gibbs, Scott Gumbleton, Matthew Leunberger, Lachlan Hansen, Mitch Thorpe and Joel Selwood would definitely all be gone but there were still strong options. The talls we were shown highlights on were Ben Reid, Nathan Brown, Andrejs Everitt, Brent Renouf, Shaun Hampson, James Sellar, Chris Dawes and Jack Riewoldt. The midfielders we were shown were Travis Boak, Leroy Jetta, Tom Hislop, Nathan Djerrkura and Shane Edwards. It was said we would go best available at Pick 13 and Pick 26 would be the opposite than Pick 13 (if Pick 13 a tall, Pick 26 would be midfielder type). Jack was said to be a strong mark, good kick, tad slow but compensated with his footy smarts and great personality. It was said on the Richmond forum that Francis Jackson seemed to speak more enthusiastically about Jack than others. My take was that we would take either Ben Reid or Jack Riewoldt as a tall and Travis Boak, Tom Hislop or Shane Edwards. Jack Riewoldt was drafted, and the Richmond fan forum were excited we had another Tasmanian forward to join Royce Hart, Michael Roach and Matthew Richardson.

 

Shane Edwards lasted to Pick 26 and debuted before Riewoldt in Round 4, 2007. In this third game against Adelaide in Adelaide Edwards looked like he could play with 16 disposals. I described him that might be a very good player if his ability and his team mates’ ability matched his ambition. This took a while but Edwards was an amazing player for us in our premiership era known for his vision, he polled votes in the 2017 and 2020 Norm Smith Medals and was All Australian in 2018. Edwards played 303 games for Richmond. From this draft we eventually also got Bachar Houli, Shaun Grigg, Shaun Hampson and a shorter lived career from Tom Hislop courtesy of other clubs.

 

Like any football fan I love a goal-kicking forward and Jack was a favourite. Well loved for his enthusiasm and ability to fly for a specky from the start, he soon kicked bags of goals and then his passion and team first mantra came to the fore. He was known in our premiership years for when out of position creating space for somebody else; his knock ons to team mates or space were significant in their effect and the thought process behind them. This year being the only tall forward for long stints his simple positioning to keep someone dangerous away from the ball has been coupled with just being a warrior until the end.

 

 

 

My favourite memories will echo what has been said by many, but I will still put them here:

 

• His 10 goals against West Coast in 2010, giving Richmond fans something to be excited about after a bleak period.
• When concussed v St Kilda, attempting to crawl up the stairs from the dugout thinking he could sneak back on
• After a self-enforced media ban in 2014 where he was seen trying to escape the media on a train, he came out and kicked 11 goals against GWS.
• Injured in 2019, the Auskick kids were too far away from the Tigers players when they ran out at half time, and they missed out on high fives. Jack followed the players out in a sling and high fived all of them.
• Jack having the best post-game celebration ever singing along to Mr Brightside with The Killers.

 

 

Trent Cotchin did a pre-season at Richmond in 2007 as I think each club that had a couple of potential draftees for 12 months’ time ahead did. Richmond thought he would be top draft prospect but probably were hoping for a good year and not a first pick in the top five. Richmond finished last but Carlton had Pick 1 due to compensation pick and picked up Matthew Kreuzer who had been touted as Pick 1 all year. Richmond though was very happy to get Trent Cotchin at Pick 2. He was touted as a future leader in Emma Quayle’s excellent book based on the draft of 2007. The book followed Cotchin, Cyril Rioli, Ben McEvoy, Patrick Veszpremi and Brad Ebert in the 12 months prior to them being drafted. Cotchin was seen as an acculmator but was still damaging and strived to be perfect. He played like a perfect footballer, had a perfect lifestyle and perfect hair. The club was not perfect and Cotchin copped it for his poor final in 2015 and for not standing up as a leader in 2016. Cotchin’s pre-season in 2017 changed all that and he was the role model in Richmond’s new ethos, ‘Embrace your imperfection’ Cotchin become a tough, hard-nosed but also caring midfielder with this being on show in their win against Port Adelaide in Adelaide in helping a stressed out Alex Rance who was being tagged at full back.

 

 

 

 

My favourite Cotchin memories all came from finals and show his leadership.

• His goal against Geelong in the 2017 finals where he ran full speed into the pack, gathered the ball, spun out and kicked the goal from 30 metres to seal the match.
• I thought he was best on in the 2017 Preliminary Final and his hardness was on display when he was harder at the ball than Dylan Shiel (I know people will disagree and think he should have been suspended, sorry I am not going to argue with you, I just want to highlight his leadership)
• In 2019 five goals down at half time in the Preliminary Final, Cotchin laid the first tackle on Rhys Stanley and got a free kick for holding the ball.
• 2019 first quarter of the Grand Final Cotchin brought down Shane Mumford with a great tackle and then my favourite in the dying minutes he ran his full 15 and kicked a goal from 50.

 

 

Riewoldt, Edwards in 2007, Cotchin and Rance in 2008 and Dustin Martin and Dave Astbury in 2009 were our draftees from the first two rounds in those years. Thanks, you and well done Francis Jackson on nailing it for elite talent in this three-year period.

 

Just a quick word on Dimma who stood down as coach earlier this year. Hardwick was an opposition player you disliked but admired for his hard approach, his ability not to take a backward step and be in your face. He was a winner, he was an All Australian in a premiership year at Essendon in 2000, premiership winner as a player at Port Adelaide and as an assistant coach at Hawthorn. Apparently, it was between Hardwick, Leppitsch, Hinkley and Cameron to be coach. Hardwick’s back pocket pedigree is what I liked most. Like Cotchin, Hardwick opened up in 2016 and embraced his imperfection. The majority of Richmond fans understood why he quit mid-season. He was burnt out, maybe not from coaching but from Punt Road. He said on a podcast with Dylan Buckley he struggled to say goodbye to the players that won premierships for him. He left on good terms; he will always be a Richmond man and we love him and have no issue with him if he coaches another club in 2024.

 

It is sad when an era ends and your favourites leave but we have so many great memories of Jack, Trent (and Dimma).

 

Thank you.

 

 

 

To return to our Footy Almanac home page click HERE.

 

 

Our writers are independent contributors. The opinions expressed in their articles are their own. They are not the views, nor do they reflect the views, of Malarkey Publications.

 

 

Do you enjoy the Almanac concept?

And want to ensure it continues in its current form, and better? To help things keep ticking over please consider making your own contribution.

 

Become an Almanac (annual) member – CLICK HERE.