Richmond haven’t seen a week like it for 16 years but captain Trent Cotchin says he’s doing everything within his control to keep his AFL club as normal as possible.
The Tigers’ qualifying final success over Geelong means they’ve spent the week playing a waiting game.
Cotchin and co will learn their preliminary final opponents on Saturday night, when GWS host West Coast in their semi-final.
The hype over Richmond’s first journey to the second-last weekend of the season since 2001 has been overwhelming.
Not so at Punt Road.
“There hasn’t been much (hype) around the footy club,” Cotchin said.
It’s said that the devil finds work for idle hands – so Richmond have slapped up a business as usual sign.
“It’s all clear on the training track. To be honest it’s been a pretty normal week,” he said.
“The reality is (the hype) is there so you’ve got to embrace it while it’s there and when we get into work we just focus on training and what we normally do.”
Helping Richmond maintain focus is a reserves preliminary final, which gives the players beneath senior level a chance to press their claims.
In the seniors, the skipper has tipped Greater Western Sydney to progress to the preliminary final, with no degree of certainty.
“It’s going to be a really interesting match,” he said.
“Both teams are really talented. One is probably a bit more senior but the other has a number of top draft picks.
“It’ll be really close. I’ve got no idea (who will win) … probably GWS.
“But West Coast have got senior players who are probably playing their last game of footy.”