“I think Jagga is Trent Cotchin”: Why potential No.1 would be a clever Richmond pick

Jagga Smith possesses similar traits to Richmond great Trent Cotchin and would be a clever draft selection by the Tigers.

That is the opinion of the Vic Metro coach who sees a likeness between Oakleigh Chargers midfielder Smith and three-time premiership captain Cotchin who was Pick 2 or the Tigers back in 2007.

While Sandringham coach Harding is adamant that Dragons star Levi Ashcroft should be Pick 1 and hopes the Tigers bid on him with the top selection, he does feel that Smith would be a worthy choice at the pointy end.

The Tigers, who have eight picks inside the first 24 (and six inside 20), have also been linked to the likes of Sam Lalor, Finn O’Sullivan and Harvey Langford as to who they could take with their first selection.

“Outside of Ashcroft, whether it’s Sam Lalor, whether it’s Jagga Smith, there are a number of players who could go Pick 1 in this draft,” Harding said on SEN’s Sportsday.

“We’re in an unusual case with Richmond where they’ve got six picks in the first 20. They’ll be looking to balance their picks.

“It’s a challenging and philosophical one for Richmond.”

Harding does see plenty of upside in GWV Rebels and Vic Country gun Lalor, who plays in a similar style to Tigers champion Dustin Martin, but wonders whether Richmond will opt for a player like Smith who will likely be durable and should be prolific.

“When you look at Sam Lalor, his physical size and attributes at 187-88cm as a powerful midfielder who has great ability to go forward, naturally there’s going to be the comparisons to ‘Dusty’ a little bit,” he added.

“But with the Richmond theme, I think Jagga is Trent Cotchin. I think that’s his path going forward.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to work with him over the last two years at Metro level and he was captain of our National Championship side this year. His leadership, his ability to train hard, to take feedback on board and to keep improving is first-class.

“I think Jagga’s volume of work makes him as close to a surefire pick as you’d like to see.

“There’s a couple of these guys at the top of the draft, Sam had injuries at the back end of the year with hamstrings, Finn O’Sullivan is a high-level talent who has battled injuries as well.

“They’re the risks that clubs have to take. When you’ve got multiple picks you might find that Richmond might take on that is more secure and one that is a little bit more speculative.”

Smith, who stands at 181cm, is a product of the Richmond Junior Football Club and attended Scotch College while paying for the Chargers and Vic Metro.

His name will almost certainly be called out at the 2024 AFL Draft which takes place on November 20 and 21.