- Trent Cotchin has revealed his former teammate’s unusual habit
- AFL legends have lived together throughout their football careers
- Cotchin told The Front Bar he learned life lessons from ‘Dusty’
AFL legend Trent Cotchin has revealed Dustin Martin’s bizarre act that left him on edge when they lived together as emerging footballers in Richmond.
Speaking on Channel Seven’s The Front Bar on Wednesday evening, Cotchin – a three-time premiership-winning captain of the Tigers – confirmed Martin had a very unusual habit.
“He tapped me on the shoulder a few times in the middle of the night,” the former champion midfielder told the jury.
‘I totally shit myself… (but in saying that) it was a special time.
‘We come from different upbringings, but have learned a lot from each other.’
AFL legend Trent Cotchin (pictured left) has revealed Dustin Martin’s bizarre act that put him on edge when they lived together as emerging footballers in Richmond
When Martin arrived at Punt Road before the 2010 season, he and Trent Cotchin seemed like polar opposites.
Cotchin (pictured with wife Brooke) invited Martin to live in his family home when he was dealing with off-field drama
Cotchin also said Martin ‘has been a great footballer’ and is ‘such an important person when it comes to team structure and energy’ at Richmond.
Cotchin, a junior from West Preston Lakeside, made his AFL senior debut in 2008 against Geelong, with Martin waiting until the 2010 season opener against Carlton to announce himself on the big stage.
Some lean times followed before the Tigers won flags in 2017 (Adelaide), 2019 (GWS) and 2020 (Geelong).
In an interview last year, Cotchin confirmed that he initially ‘didn’t want to deal with Martin’ when he arrived at the club.
‘It was a bit black and white. The tattoo guy with a bit of attitude comes across as if he doesn’t care about anything or anyone in the world,” Cotchin told Sarah Grynberg about her. A Life of Greatness podcast.
‘And then I’m that other guy who tries to make everyone happy, without tattoos.
‘HI was already smeared with this naughty brush, which I honestly didn’t want to associate with.
“It wasn’t that I distanced myself or didn’t talk to him in the early stages of his career, but it was just like ‘oh, we’re different, he’s obviously got a great talent and we’ll be great friends’ on the football field, but outside of that we’ll wait and see.’
Meanwhile, the Melbourne Storm recently announced the appointment of Cotchin as leadership consultant for the 2024 NRL season.
Cotchin, 33, becomes the third AFL premiership captain to join the Storm in a leadership role, following Collingwood’s Nick Maxwell and Geelong’s Joel Selwood.
