Retiring Richmond star Trent Cotchin has opened up on enduring panic assaults all through his illustrious profession.
The Tigers skipper’s profession involves an finish after 306 video games which noticed him lead the membership into seven finals collection, 4 preliminary finals and three premierships.
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But all of it got here to a head earlier than the 2017 finals collection after the Tigers had endured some torrid stretches within the years prior.
“Playing (Geelong) in the 2017 qualifying final, it’s probably relative to what some of the captains would be feeling this week,” Cotchin mentioned on Channel 7’s Talking Finals.
“I’d had three finals series previously, unsuccessful, I hadn’t really performed individually … and coming out of the meeting, I had this panic attack; a little bit of anxiety, started to stress that I had never beaten Geelong in my whole career over ten years, what if that doesn’t go quite right, what if I don’t touch the footy?
“I started telling myself all these stories. So, I called my life coach, Ben Crowe and sat down and settled the nerves.
“I think it’s one of those things that you never want to show anyone or tell anyone, but it’s amazing what the psyche of finals and footy can do to any individual.”
The Tigers went on to dismantle the Cats by 51 factors with Cotchin recording 21 disposals and kicking a purpose.
They in the end secured the premiership after defeating GWS within the preliminary last earlier than toppling minor premier Adelaide by eight objectives within the Grand Final.
“That is an amazing admission from you because you have all of these young players who will be playing in this last month of football that don’t have the experience like you, but nerves and anxiety can attack anyone at anytime, can’t they?” Tim Watson responded.
Cotchin added: “They certainly can. I had been tagged in two of those (previous finals series) and I felt like that is what was creating the pressure. I knew I wouldn’t be tagged on the Friday against the Cats because there was a lot of other players you would tag before me.
“But you can tag a player, but not a captain, and I knew there was lots of things that I could control that would impact the game that wasn’t necessarily kicks, marks and handballs.”
Geelong icon Joel Selwood admitted he had suffered a weird second of his personal forward of the 2022 Grand Final.
A recreation which might in the end be the ultimate one in his illustrious profession.
“Whilst Robbie Williams was doing his work, I couldn’t find any of our medical team,” Selwood defined.
“We had the pre-game meeting with the coach and for some reason I had my toiletry bag there and I just had the feeling I had to brush my teeth. Of all things: I had to brush my teeth.
“Jed Bews was the teammate I told and I held him to secrecy.”
Astounded as Selwood’s weird admission, James Brayshaw requested: “Was that the fifth Grand Final? Had you ever done your teeth before that?”
“Sixth,” Selwood corrected. “Not in 354 games.”
Source: www.news.com.au
