Where does Trent Cotchin sit amongst Richmond royalty?

Whether a final flag is on offer or not, legendary Tiger Trent Cotchin has announced that 2023 will be his 16th and final season at AFL level, calling time on his decorated, one-club career on Thursday morning.

Few that have wandered through the doors at Punt Road can claim to own a record as neat as Cotchin's, in fact, of the 1187 players who have worn yellow and black since 1908, Cotchin is the only name to have captained his team to a premiership as well as winning a Brownlow Medal.

Selected with the 2nd overall pick of the 2006 draft, the Reservoir native may have come at a cost, but after entering Tigerland with high hopes, Cotchin has paid the club back in spades.

And though every fan, teammate and official can count themselves lucky that he called himself a Tiger, Cotchin explained that it was these very people that allowed him to become the player, captain and person he is today.

“I found my life purpose at Richmond,” he said.

“I look to the future with nothing but excitement, adventure, and opportunity, because of what I found here at Richmond and what Richmond people taught me."

In the decades to come, Cotchin - along with his great mate Dustin Martin - will be remembered as the on-field face of Richmond's most recent golden generation; the man at the top of the race before each game and the man more than familiar with the dais in late September.

However, with so many immortals embossed on the Tigers' honour boards, where exactly does the Brownlow medallist rank amongst Richmond royalty?

We let the numbers do the work.

Games played

1.       Kevin Bartlett – 403

2.       Jack Riewoldt – 346*

3.       Trent Cotchin – 305*

4.       Shane Edwards – 303

5.       Francis Bourke - 300

 

Games as captain

1.       Trent Cotchin – 188

2.       Percy Bentley – 168

3.       Jack Dyer – 160

4.       Des Rowe – 104

5.       Matthew Knights - 102

 

Premierships as captain

1.       Trent Cotchin – 3

2.       Percy Bentley – 2

Royce Hart

Dan Minogue

 

Best and fairests

1.    Jack Dyer – 5

Kevin Bartlett

3.    Wayne Campbell – 4

Roy Wright

5.    Ron Branton – 3

Trent Cotchin

Neville Crowe

Bill Morris

Geoff Raines

Disclaimer - Stats below were recorded between Round 1, 1965 and Round 21, 2023.

Kicks

1.       Kevin Bartlett – 8293

2.       Dustin Martin – 4387*

3.       Wayne Campbell – 4274

4.       Francis Bourke – 4163

5.       Trent Cotchin – 4007*

 

Handballs

1.       Trent Cotchin – 2871*

2.       Dale Weightman – 2736

3.       Shane Edwards – 2693

4.       Wayne Campbell – 2652

5.       Dustin Martin – 2617*

 

Clearances

1.       Trent Cotchin – 1436*

2.       Dustin Martin – 1137*

3.       Shane Tuck – 801

4.       Shane Edwards – 798

5.       Wayne Campbell – 713

 

Contested possessions

1.       Trent Cotchin – 3253*

2.       Dustin Martin – 2846*

3.       Shane Edwards – 2307

4.       Jack Riewoldt – 1997*

5.       Brett Deledio – 1885

 

Tackles

1.       Trent Cotchin – 1131*

2.       Shane Edwards – 838

3.       Dustin Martin – 808*

4.       Jack Riewoldt – 739*

5.       Brett Deledio – 688

 

Brownlow votes

1.       Dustin Martin – 204*

2.       Kevin Bartlett – 160

3.       Trent Cotchin – 146*

4.       Matthew Richardson – 140

5.       Francis Bourke - 139

 

Of these particular markers in which Cotchin leads the yellow and black pack, here are - as of Round 21, 2023 - his peaks.

Clearances - 13 v Geelong, Round 18, 2011, Marvel Stadium

Contested possessions - 22 v North Melbourne, Round 8, 2018, Marvel Stadium

Handballs - 23 v North Melbourne, Round 8, 2018, Marvel Stadium

Tackles - 12 v North Melbourne, Round 11, 2017, Marvel Stadium

So while his former coach, Hardwick, was happy to press that Richmond people hated heading to the Docklands, Cotchin's proficiency and professionalism ultimately acted as the faultline.

Cotchin's career honours

Triple Richmond premiership captain: 2017, 2019, 2020
Brownlow Medallist: 2012
AFLCA Champion Player of the Year: 2012
All-Australian representative: 2012
Richmond captain: 2013-21
AFLPA best captain: 2018
State of Origin – Victoria captain: 2020
AFL Rising Star nominee: 2008
22-under-22 team member: 2012
Yiooken Award winner: 2011
Ian Stewart Medal winner: 2014
Jack Dyer Medallist: 2011, 2012, 2014
Maurie Fleming Medallist (3^rd in the club's Best and Fairest): 2016
Fred Swift Medallist (4^th in the club's Best and Fairest): 2017
Kevin Bartlett Medallist (5th in the club's Best and Fairest): 2013