More to life than footy: premiership Tiger drops by Lions junior training

Attending club training on Monday night as part of a series of acts of kindness he was spreading throughout Wagga this week.

Connecting with the club through business partner and Ganmain junior parent James Ward, Cotchin said it was an easy 'yes' when asked if he would come down.

"It was an easy yes," Cotchin said.

"For me, now being out of the game and having kids of my own, I realise just how much, particularly country footy clubs, they are connectors of community, this is footy at its purist.

"It lights me up and hopefully some of the kids get a smile out of it as well."

While there was plenty of Ganmain and Richmond gear on show, Cotchin took notice of an impressive number of development program athletes in attendance.

Acknowledging how quickly football can become serious business, Cotchin emphasised the importance of fun and play in general.

"For me, play is one of the biggest things that is missing in the world, whether that's in business, school, or community, and that's the basis of what sport is," he said.

"I notice there's quite a few of the kids with Giants development tops on, so footy can become pretty serious.

"The message that I'll be telling them is that at the end of the day, it's a game, we're here to play and have fun and spend time with the people that you love and are connecting with.

"The more kind people we have in the world, the better place it'll be."

It's a mantra that junior president Christin Macri was hopeful his players would take on.

Macri said he hopes that the older players particularly took note of how Cotchin presented himself to the group.

"For our teenage boys, those boys who are 12, 13, 14, 15, they're pretty happy with themselves and it's just good to hear from someone like him and to just see him there and see he's just a regular person that has done great things with his footy career," Macri said.

"I think it's important that they get a chance just to listen in and hopefully take away some good lessons."

Thrilled to have given players at his club the opportunity to meet and train with Cotchin, he said the junior club has had a fantastic start to the year.

With the visit providing a rare opportunity for young players to meet a great of the game, the morale boost was felt before Cotchin even arrived.

Excited players, and parents, gathered at Anderson Oval, and Macri said the visit will be remembered for a while to come.

"It's pretty rare to have someone of his standing come to town," he said.

"The positive feedback already is just great, everyone is saying how good it is he's coming down.

"It's always a bit of a case of not what you know, who you know, and it's worked out well for us that he's able to come join in and get around the kids."