Two of Richmond’s most experienced defenders, Dylan Grimes and Jake Batchelor, have expressed their admiration for the Club’s backline coach Ben Rutten.

“I say this a lot about ‘Truck’ . . . he finds the perfect balance between being a good mate and being a coach,” Grimes said.

“We spend so much time together as a backline group with Truck, and the experience that he’s had throughout his AFL career has been enormous for my learning.  And I know the other backs feel the same. 

“But also, it’s his look on life, the balance between AFL football and being a professional athlete, versus family time and off-field development. 

“That’s something he did really well throughout his career. 

“A lot of things that he took from his career, like his role as a leader at Adelaide, and some of the stuff he’s learned being a coach here, that he’s able to pass on to us, has been phenomenal . . .

“I think Truck’s the perfect coach for getting the most out of my footy career for me at the moment.

 “I’m relishing my time with him and I’m pretty glad he stayed the back coach for another year.”

Jake Batchelor echoed Grimes’ sentiments about Rutten . . .

“I think every backliner would say he’s the best coach we’ve ever had,” Batchelor said.

“He’s really good with the players and thinks a very different way to a lot of other coaches that we’ve had recently. 

“He’s just got great relationships with the players. 

“Obviously, he’s been there, done that, and knows what he’s doing . . .

“He’s been great for us and we all love playing for him.”