By Stacey French
Our Lady of the Rosary (OLR) after school NAB AFL Auskick centre on the Sunshine Coast has uncovered an enthusiastic Richmond Tigers supporter who lives and breathes yellow and black.
Reilly ‘Cotchy’ Simm is participating in his second Auskick Program after kicking off his AFL career at Kawana Park in 2013.
The cheeky Tigers supporter is known as ‘Cotchy’ to his NAB AFL Auskick Coordinators as he wears his club jumper every week and is only too happy to recite statistics well beyond his years about his favourite Tigers and other AFL players.
‘Cotchy’s’ Mum, Sally Simm said that he just loves his AFL and is more than committed to the cause listening to all Richmond games via the internet if the game is not broadcast on TV.
“He loves listening to the footy when it’s not on TV, we connect the internet through his Tigers headphones and he is happy to lie in bed and listen to everything unfold,” Simm said.
“It is hard to believe that he is only five, nearly six, sometimes with his skills at Auskick and his dedication to remembering statistics and game details.
“Every opportunity that he gets he is out and about kicking the footy, sometimes so high that it goes over the fence which doesn’t impress the neighbours but we just love seeing the smile on his face when the footy is in his hands.”
‘Cotchy’ attended he first ever AFL game in Queensland a few weeks ago when he went down to Metricon Stadium to watch the Gold Coast Suns take on the Tigers.
Whilst the result was not favourable, with the Tigers going down to the Suns, ‘Cotchy’ loved every minute of the AFL action and being amongst the AFL stars.
When asked about his favourite players at the Tigers, young ‘Cotchy’ is a little torn to have to choose between Nick Riewoldt and Trent Cotchin.
“Riewoldt is great when he kicks such amazing goals but Cotchin is so quick around the ball…I like them both equally,” little ‘Cotchy’ said.
If ‘Cotchy’ is not at school or Auskick he can be found outside kicking the footy with the other kids in the street or perusing over his AFL footy cards collection while watching replays of footy action on his Mum’s IPad.
“When I grow up I want to be a professional AFL player for the Richmond Tigers,” ‘Cotchy’ said.
