Richmond captain Trent Cotchin believes the nine-day break between last Friday night’s 70-point loss to North Melbourne in Hobart, and the Round 12 clash with Gold Coast at the MCG next Sunday, is particularly timely for the Tigers.

“We’ll have plenty of time this week to get out on the park and make sure that we are working on those things that we believe are really important to the way we play,” Cotchin said on Triple M. 

“We’ve got nine days to make sure that we rectify the things that did go wrong, for an opportunity against Gold Coast . . . So, everyone has to grab the bull by the horns, look him in the eye, and own up to their mistakes. 

“The No. 1 thing you need to do, as an individual, and as a team, is rectify those issues that came unstuck last Friday night.  Once we do that, it should instil the confidence back in the group . . .

“We believe we’ll be in a position to perform next Sunday.

“The reality is, we need to make sure that we’re playing four quarters of really good footy . . . strong, confident footy, where we’re doing the things that we believe make us a good team, well, for four quarters.  Otherwise, we’re kidding ourselves . . .”

Cotchin emphasised the importance of taking a measured approach and not riding league football’s emotional roller-coaster.

“You’ve just got to make sure, as hard as it is when you do lose, to remain positive and upbeat, because the reason we’re at a football club is because we have the talent . . . but you need to bring the effort every week,” he said.