Finally Some Good News

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RICHMOND'S No. 2 draft pick Trent Cotchin is just weeks from returning to football after a pre-season sitting on the sidelines with achilles soreness.

The highly-rated Cotchin took the first steps towards senior football on Friday when he ran for the first time as a Tiger after overcoming complications with a broken foot.

Now Richmond says he is on track for a return as early as Round 2 in the VFL, when Cotchin becomes eligible to play after being taken off the long-term injury list.

He will not be rushed into the seniors, but the news is a massive boost for the Tigers after speculation Cotchin might be put on ice for the entire season.

Rival recruiters said Cotchin was clearly the best midfielder in the 2007 draft.

Meanwhile, the Tigers are considering whether to give Mark Coughlan another run for Coburg in the VFL on Thursday as he recovers from consecutive knee reconstructions.

After encouraging VFL performances he was solid in his return to the seniors against Geelong last Friday night.

Graham Polak (bruised heel) and Jay Schulz (ribs) are likely to apply for permission to play in the VFL game -- also against Geelong -- alongside Luke McGuane and Angus Graham, who have had limited preparations.

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Read the full article here: http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,23353254-19742,00.html​

 

[Pav Returns]

I thought Wallet had been sacked

 

[Wally Matera]

Great news, but until the sting is taken out of the ground, wouldnt be risking him at all. Grounds are still rock hard. I'd hate for him to come away with stress fractures... still reckon you wont see him in round 2.

 

[lookkg386]

Great news, but until the sting is taken out of the ground, wouldnt be risking him at all. Grounds are still rock hard. I'd hate for him to come away with stress fractures... still reckon you wont see him in round 2.

Same goes with Cogs, no need to rush him back either, need to make sure he is 100% confident with his leg.

 

[tigers_of_old_08]

And from the same article:

"The Tigers have made a pre-season theme of derailing Carlton's momentum after a season of good vibes for the Blues."

Love reading news like this where we are on a mission to spoil the party (perfect example was Rnd 21 2007) and not just turning up to make up the numbers.

Go Tigers!

 

[turtle27]

And from the same article:

"The Tigers have made a pre-season theme of derailing Carlton's momentum after a season of good vibes for the Blues."

Love reading news like this where we are on a mission to spoil the party (perfect example was Rnd 21 2007) and not just turning up to make up the numbers.

Go Tigers!

Have to say I was a bit confused by that statement. Wasn't sure, specifically, what they were talking about.

 

[blxx]

Have to say I was a bit confused by that statement. Wasn't sure, specifically, what they were talking about.

indeed ol chappy, quite perplexing if i do say so.

 

[sante]

Can't wait to see Cotchin out there. I wouldn't rush him in. But its still great news

 

[_RT_]

Wouldn't be at all surprised to see him running around at Coburg for the whole season, unless we were going as badly as last year then he might get a few games in the scond half of the year to get a feel for it. Regardless I don't think we should be rushing him coming off an injury like a broken ankle, they seemed to do it with Simmonds last year and we all know how that turned out.

 

[Truetiger]

Wouldn't be at all surprised to see him running around at Coburg for the whole season, unless we were going as badly as last year then he might get a few games in the scond half of the year to get a feel for it. Regardless I don't think we should be rushing him coming off an injury like a broken ankle, they seemed to do it with Simmonds last year and we all know how that turned out.

If he is fit he will play as simple as that. I really doubt he would be at coburg for most of the year. I would like to think he will be in the senior side before round 8.

 

[_RT_]

If he is fit he will play as simple as that. I really doubt he would be at coburg for most of the year. I would like to think he will be in the senior side before round 8.

I would like to see him in the seniors as well but if there is even the hint of doubt regarding his ankle then why rush him? Seeing he hasn't had a pre season I would give him the first half of the season at Coburg to get some fitness up and then when the sting has gone out of the ground and the pace is a little slower then we can give him the second half of the season to get a feel for what it takes to play at AFL level.

 

[lids2004roar]

I believe the ankle is no longer the problem, therefore a reoccurance similar to Simmo last year may be unlikely at this stage.

I like how Greg says "back for Coburg by Round 2" which really means Round 3 in the AFL season (VFL starts a week later) , I knew he was doing it from the start and it's confirmed in this article.

Since that is the absolute earliest we will see him I expect his first Coburg game to be in about Round 4/5, so fitness for a few weeks then a Round 7/8 debut sounds like a reasonable expectation.

I loved the final quote:

"He has high expectations of himself"

I have a feeling that Cotchin is destined to be a star and able to handle the pressure.

 

[Madtiger2006]

If he is ready for seniors, he'll get a game around Round 7 or 8 once he is match fit. But he hasn't even played a game for Coburg, so he may be a year off. We can't assume he will just step straight into the team and be able to handle the pace. Polo took a year remember

 

[Tiger08]

We shouldn't be putting too much pressure on the kid given the circumstances. I can't wait to see him go around and hope he'll be a star. However, you can have all the natural talent in the world, but a midfielder without a preseason (he hasn't run at all in 5 months!) is likely to really struggle when trying to step up to a new level. Especially when his only 'perceived' question mark was around his natural endurance. I hope they don't push him too hard or it might ruin his confidence. Would be happier to see him play 7-8 full games at Coburg and be absolutely killing it (which he probably would given his pedigree) before getting a run at AFL level. Then, hopefully, he'll never play VFL again.

 

[David3030]

I thought Wallet had been sacked

Me thinks Pavlich might return but this troll won't

 

[lids2004roar]

Especially when his only 'perceived' question mark was around his natural endurance.

I'm just wondering, did this turn out to be the case?

I remember at first we thought it was then the club said he ran an elite Beep Test time a year before being drafted (while he was with the club) which didn't need to be released to the public. Obviously couldn't be tested at draft camp so not entirely sure.

Can anyone clarify what Cotchin's fitness was like pre-injury? It will most likely let us know how if we are looking at 3 weeks at Coburg or 8.

 

[THE_GUN]

give the kid another 6 weeks before playing, then in the coburg 2,s..........
make afl debut round 14 & get 8 games into him ready for 2009
we are not going to set the world on fire this year anyway 12th-14th is ok

 

[CoggaRules]

give the kid another 6 weeks before playing, then in the coburg 2,s..........
make afl debut round 14 & get 8 games into him ready for 2009
we are not going to set the world on fire this year anyway 12th-14th is ok

dude, dont know what the real deal is with this kids fitness, but what i have on good authority is, that he has more talent in one fingernail than more notable, regurlarly selected seniors. When he is ready, no ****ing around, if he is as good as they say, then he dont need molly coddling. He will belong from day one.

 

[rfctigerarmy]

Polo took a year remember

Polo took 5 minutes, remember?

 

[UpTheGuts]

Cotchin is a freaking gun. I couldn't give a tinker's cuss if he doesn't play until round 15. He has many wonderful years ahead.

DEAD

SET

GUN