Garry Lyon, Tim Watson and Nick Riewoldt have heaped praise on Richmond captain Trent Cotchin for the role he has played in establishing the culture for the club.
Cotchin became Richmond’s third dual premiership captain on the weekend, with his first-quarter tackle on Shane Mumford setting the tone for the Tigers early on.
“He’s a star, what a leader he is,” Lyon said on SEN Breakfast.
“If you get buy in from a skipper, we talk about their culture and all that type of thing,” Watson added.
“If that bloke is directing it… if he’s living it, if he’s breathing it then that actually is part of the building of whatever it is you’re trying to build and I think he has been as magnificent as anybody in terms of what they’ve been able to construct in Richmond.”
Riewoldt gave credit to Cotchin for changing his game style to become a more effective player and leader after being criticised early in his captaincy.
“He was one of the more maligned leaders in the competition, only four or five years ago,” Riewoldt said.
“He got a lot of possessions, he went sideways. He didn’t play with the edge that we see him play with now.
“He had one game over 30 possessions this year and I think that was round one. He hasn’t had over 20 since round 18 but his impact on the game has been enormous.”
Cotchin had an injury interrupted season but was able to overcome those struggles to play an instrumental role in the Tigers' successful finals campaign.