Brazen thieves target footy legend's luxury car in broad daylight - leaving his young family 'rattled'
The triple-premiership captain with Richmond and Brownlow Medallist had numerous items stolen from his Mercedes outside his Moonee Ponds home, in Melbourne's north-west, on Thursday.
His wife Brooke later posted security footage of a car pulling up in front of their house around 6pm.
A hooded thief can be seen hovering over Cotchin's car - which was unlocked - before opening the door and helping himself to a wallet, including an Amex card.
Cotchin has confirmed multiple transactions were made on the card before it was locked.
Victoria Police were then spotted at Cotchin's house on Friday morning taking statements.
Footy legend Trent Cotchin and his family remain in disbelief after they were victims of a daylight robbery this week in suburban Melbourne
The triple-premiership captain with Richmond and Brownlow Medallist had numerous items stolen from his luxury Mercedes (pictured) outside his Moonee Ponds home on Thursday
Cotchin's wife Brooke told Instagram followers her family were left 'rattled' by the incident
The footy star's wife posted on Instagram anything 'half valuable' in the vehicle was taken, but Cotchin's mouthwash, toothbrush and toothpaste were left behind.
She added her family were left 'rattled' by the incident.
Cotchin retired at the end of 2023 following a brilliant career with the Tigers, which included flags in 2017, 2019 and 2020.
He captained the team to all three premierships, and also snared three best and fairest gongs at Punt Road during his storied 306-game career.
Away from footy, Cotchin was recently mortified when he appeared on Channel Seven's Dancing With The Stars.
While he impressed when performing a Cha Cha with Jess Raffa, the decorated midfielder was left with a questionable red lipstick mark on his crotch.
It was all good natured, with Cotchin admitting it was 'extremely awkward' before playfully asking host Sonia Kruger to 'move on' when questioned about the stain.
Dancing With The Stars fans previously noted Cotchin had been a little hesitant to dance with Raffa during early days of the show.
Many felt the footy star didn't feel comfortable dancing with another woman who was not his wife and childhood sweetheart, Brooke.
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With the demeanour of a villain in a silent movie, he was fodder for England supporters whenever he ventured near the boundary rope, not least when he began chasing a stray dog on the Trent Bridge outfield. And yet the casting was one he loved. 'I can't for the life of me understand how opposing players get disturbed by the crowd. If the crowd bait you in England, you think, 'Well, at least they know who I am.' Mitchell Johnson said it was really intimidating. But mate, it's only intimidating if you allow it to be. It was the same for Botham at the MCG – they knew who he was. It's a feather in your cap.' Sometimes, Hughes's distinctions as a cricketer can be forgotten. In 1988, he took the most wickets ever for Australia in a losing cause, with his 13 for 207 against the West Indies in brutal Perth heat. That featured the most convoluted hat-trick of all, spread across three overs and two innings. Woe betide anyone who argues that it is diminished on that basis. 'People say, 'A batsman can't get 80 in one innings, 20 in another, and be credited with a hundred.' Well, batting's easy, bowling's hard. Make the rules for batsmen and leave the bowlers alone.' He blazed relatively briefly as a player, retreating to the margins after a serious knee injury. But he takes comfort from the fact that he savoured every minute. 'Paul Hibbert used to say to me, 'Treat every game like it's your last, because it could well be.' When you're 20, it sounds a stupid saying. But then you get to a point where you think, 'How real is that?' It's amazing, the things that hit years later.' Hibbert, nine years his senior, died at 56 from an internal haemorrhage reported as possibly related to alcoholism. The generation of which Hughes was part has suffered no shortage of tragedy, from Shane Warne to Graham Thorpe. 'Dean Jones, too,' he says, remembering the batsman he once called his 'brother', who died from a stroke in 2020. It is why, although he tires sometimes of being celebrated as a 'character', he is just content that his contribution continues to endure. 'You don't play 10 years of international cricket because you're a character. But I'm happy to run with it – it still gets me work, still gets me recognised. 'Character' is fine. I'm happy to go with whatever anyone wants to call me, to be honest.' And therein lies the essence of Hughes, a sledger extraordinaire but a man with no shortage of soul.
