[5] Cotchin suffered a broken foot while playing with the Northern Knights in the TAC Cup finals in September 2007, which saw him face more than six weeks away from football.

[2] In October that year, Cotchin's father Peter had spoken to the media expressing concern over the possibility that his son may be drafted by West Coast.

[12] Upon joining the club, Cotchin began to rehabilitate his injured foot but suffered the effects of an inflamed Achilles tendon on just his second treadmill run.

[26][22] In a profile published in The Age prior to round 1 he cited a previous tendency to fade out late in games due to a low fitness base, but that he believed his first full pre-season would allow him to correct this.

[33] He talked in February about a growing confidence in the club's ability to qualify for finals, citing the progress of key draftees in the "developing years" previous.

[38][39] Cotchin is comparable to (Chris) Judd at around the same age and his range of talents – ball-winning, evasion, balance, skills on both sides – are similar to Gary Ablett's.

[48] Watson had previously served a 12-month suspension handed down by the World Anti-Doping Agency and four days earlier had voluntarily ceded the medal in anticipation of the AFL's forthcoming decision on its future.

Former captains Wayne Campbell, Kane Johnson and Chris Newman had all previously adopted the number in honour of club legend Jack Dyer after his death in 2003.

[54] Cotchin explained that he held the club's history and Dyer in high regard but he had decided to keep the number nine because he had worn it throughout his football career including his junior years.

[74] Cotchin did not a miss a game as a result however, passing a fitness test to qualify for the club's round 10 match against Greater Western Sydney.

[91] When Coach Hardwick labelled the club's round 4 loss to Melbourne as "insipid", Cotchin responded by promising the media that his team would "make sure we're more consistent.

[95] In July, former Brisbane premiership player and current Fox Footy commentator Jonathan Brown said Cotchin had "taken his game to another level especially in the leadership stakes.

[98] Prior to the 2016 pre-season, the Herald Sun's Mark Robinson published a criticism of Cotchin's captaincy, suggesting the club's three straight finals losses were reason to remove him from the role, with forward Jack Riewoldt his preferred replacement.

[117] His performance in Round 2 saw him named best-on-ground by Fox Footy, after recording 26 disposals, seven clearances, eight inside 50s, two goals and a game-high seven tackles in the win over Collingwood.

[119] In Round 6's loss to Adelaide, Cotchin recorded game-highs in tackles (11) and pressure acts (33) and team-highs for disposals (26), contested possessions (16) and metres gained (502).

[129] When the All Australian squad was named in late August, Cotchin was listed as a notable omission by numerous media organisations including The Advertiser, Fox Sports and The Age.

His path to play in the match was under a cloud however, with a bump on Greater Western Sydney's Dylan Shiel coming under some scrutiny after the Giant finished the game with concussion.

[146] He suffered a minor knock to his left knee during a collision with a goal post during that win however and was considered in some doubt for the club's match against Fremantle the following week.

[15] His defensive work was impressive though, including when he recorded a game high nine tackles and the highest pressure point count of any player in the league in round 20.

[160] After finishing the season as minor premiers, Cotchin's side earned a home qualifying final against Hawthorn where he led the team to a win, recording 26 disposals, seven clearances and being named among Richmond's best by AFL Media.

[164][165] Cotchin started his 2019 pre-season with a limited training schedule due to his relative seniority among Richmond players and his large playing load over the previous two seasons.

[172] Initial estimations placed a two-to-three week time frame on his recovery, but a setback in mid-April pushed his expected return date to at least round 8.

[198] After a poor first half in which Richmond trailed, Cotchin laid a tackle in the opening seconds of the third quarter that the Herald Sun labelled instrumental in sparking a second-half turnaround and an eventual victory over Geelong.

[209][210] Cotchin captained Richmond to a round 1 win over Carlton when the season began a fortnight later, but under extraordinary conditions imposed on the league as a result of the rapid progression of the coronavirus pandemic into Australia.

[217][218] After an 11-week hiatus, Cotchin led Richmond to a round 2 draw with Collingwood in early-June in which he was among the best players on the field, recording 23 disposals and receiving four Coaches' votes.

[222][223][224] Cotchin began rehabilitating the injury over the week that followed, during which time he and the club were relocated to the Gold Coast in response to a virus outbreak in Melbourne.

[225] After three matches on the sidelines, Cotchin returned with 17 disposals and six tackles in a win over the Western Bulldogs in which he also received three coaches votes as the fourth best player in the game.

[234] He hit another milestone in the preliminary final that followed, playing his 250th career match and contributing a game-high 13 contested possessions in a six-point win over Port Adelaide.

[235][236][237] Cotchin became Richmond's first ever three-time premiership captain the following week, adding 19 disposals in what AFL Media described as a "typically fierce" performance, lifting his side to a 31-point Grand Final victory over Geelong.

[241] Cotchin participated in Richmond's sole pre-season match, before being named in the club's round 1 side to play Carlton and then later ruled out as a late change due to a stomach illness.