AFL great to play in Moorabool

A PREMIERSHIP captain for the Richmond Tigers will don navy blue this month – but relax Richmond fans, it’s for a local footy club, not Carlton.

The Carlton Draft took place on Tuesday 30 April, with five grassroots football clubs, including the Ballan Blues, picking a retired AFL player to play a game for their club.

With Pick 1, the Bunyip Bulldogs selected four-time premiership player Isaac Smith, and it was Ballan who were up next.

Ballan selected Richmond great Trent Cotchin, who will bring slick skills and leadership qualities that are second to none, having captained Richmond to three premierships and won a Brownlow Medal to boot.

Ballan Football Netball Club President David O’Hanlon said he was thrilled to have someone of Cotchin’s calibre at the Blues.

“We’re really happy. To get someone like Trent Cotchin to your club doesn’t happen every day,” Mr O’Hanlon said.

“We’ve had a bit of a rough couple of years with new renovations taking way longer than expected, so to get an AFL superstar who pretty much everyone in the country knows is pretty special.

“We had our first home game since 2021 a few weeks ago, and in a few weeks’ time we’ve got Trent coming to town, so it’ll be massive.”

When asked where the club plans to play Cotchin – in the midfield as he played for Richmond, or elsewhere – Mr O’Hanlon joked that Cotchin could “play wherever he wants”.

“I’m sure he’ll have a run through the midfield at some stage, we’d love to see him kick a goal and the crowd celebrate,” he said.

“Having someone like Trent with three premierships, and captain of probably the biggest and most passionate club in the AFL, we were pretty keen to go for him, and it’s come our way.”

AFL Hall of Famer and Bombers premiership player Matthew Lloyd went at Pick 3 for Old Collegians FNC, while the Toora Magpies picked Blues and Giants player and popular podcaster, Dylan Buckley, with Pick 4.

Last but certainly not least was Saints legend and 287-game AFL player Leigh Montagna, who was taken at Pick 5 for Castlemaine FNC.

Cotchin said he was looking forward to pulling on a Ballan jumper.

“I’m excited to get out there. You watch the Seniors growing up playing for your local footy club, and realise how big it is for the community,” Mr Cotchin said.

“Mum did barrack for Carlton when I was growing up, so I think I’ll be alright putting on a navy blue jumper…and it’s way better than putting on a jumper in Collingwood colours!

“I’m looking forward to it, and trying a few different parts of the field, seeing what the game throws up.”

Each player will play one game for the club who selected them, with match days set to commence from late May.

Trent Cotchin will play for Ballan at the Ballan Recreation Reserve for the Round 8 game against Newlyn, which kicks off at 2.30pm on Saturday 1 June.