- Trent Cotchin has revealed an unusual habit of his former teammate
- The AFL legends have lived together throughout their football careers.
- Cotchin told The Front Bar he learned life lessons from ‘Dusty’
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AFL legend Trent Cotchin has revealed Dustin Martin’s bizarre act that left him nervous when they were living together as up-and-coming footballers in Richmond.
Speaking on Channel Seven’s The Front Bar on Wednesday night, Cotchin, the three-time premiership-winning Tigers captain, confirmed Martin had a very unusual habit.
“A couple of times he touched me on the shoulder in the middle of the night,” the former champion midfielder told the panel.
‘I absolutely shit myself… (but in saying that) it was a special moment.
“We came from different upbringings, but we learned a lot from each other.”
AFL legend Trent Cotchin (pictured left) has revealed Dustin Martin’s bizarre act that left him nervous when they were living together as up-and-coming footballers in Richmond.
When Martin arrived at Punt Road ahead of the 2010 season, he and Trent Cotchin appeared to be 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 stated that Martin “has been an incredible footballer” and is “a very important person when it comes to the structure and energy of the team” at Richmond.
West Preston Lakeside junior Cotchin made his senior AFL debut in 2008 against Geelong, and Martin waited until the 2010 season opener against Carlton to announce himself on the big stage.
Some tough 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 be associated” with Martin when he arrived at the club.
“It was kind of black and white. The tattoo artist who has a bit of an attitude gives the impression that he doesn’t care about anything or anyone in the world,” Cotchin told Sarah Grynberg in her A Life of Greatness Podcast.
“And then I’m this other guy trying to make everyone happy, without tattoos.
‘HWe had already been tarred with that bad boy brush, which, to be fair, I didn’t want to be associated with.
“It wasn’t like I distanced myself or didn’t talk to him in the early stages of his career, but it was like ‘oh, we’re different, he’s obviously hugely talented and we’ll be great teammates.'” on the football field, but outside of that we will wait and see.”
Meanwhile, the Melbourne Storm recently announced the appointment of Cotchin as a 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.