Injection of youth helps Richmond Tigers move on from disappointing finals exit

Richmond captain Trent Cotchin isn’t dwelling on last year’s AFL finals exit and tipped his cap to Collingwood as the Tigers wipe the slate clean in 2019.

The Tigers began a week-long preseason camp on the Gold Coast on Monday, where star recruit Tom Lynch continued his rehabilitation from knee surgery in familiar surrounds.

Cotchin said the squad’s new faces would bolster a side that still felt like premiership contenders despite last season’s shock preliminary finals loss to the Magpies.

“It’s just a matter of acceptance, it happened,” Cotchin said of the 39-point upset loss to the Magpies.

“We gave full kudos to the way Collingwood performed on that night.

“We’ll learn from some of the specifics that came from the game but be confident of some of the football we produced.”

Cotchin said the club has been freshened by the arrival of Lynch from the Suns.

But he was quick to remind punters the headline-grabbing key foward wasn’t the only fresh face in yellow and black.

“I think Riley (Collier-Dawkins), Jack Ross and Fraser (Turner) will be disappointed that you think Lynchy is the only big in, and (St Kilda pick-up) Mav Weller,” he said.

“We’re really excited about not just what he brings, but all recruits.”

Cotchin cited defender Jayden Short’s breakout 2018 season when forecasting the year ahead.

“We’re looking for players like that to get better again and that’s the exciting thing for old buggers like myself,” the 28-year-old captain said.

“We are still quite young ... I’ve got lots of grey hairs but I just love being part of an environment that we’ve all created and it’s really fun to be a part of.”