How AFL superstar Dustin Martin destroys the competitionABC
11 June 2020Australian football is a sport based on territory and possession.
Without the ball in your possession, you'll find it hard to score. Without the ball at your end of the ground, you can't score.
Given these core tenets, the ideal player is someone who can find the ball and gain territory.
At the moment, the embodiment of that ideal is Richmond's Dustin Martin.
He wins in the centre, gains groundThe centre clearance is the archetypal "get the ball" situation.
At the start or restart of play, each side theoretically has an equal chance to win possession in a game of four against four.
Martin is as damaging as anyone in this situation.
Since 2017, he has won the second-most centre clearances per game, behind Carlton's Patrick Cripps.
Not only does Martin win an enormous number of centre clearances, he also gains lots of ground.
No player with more than two centre clearances per game has more metres gained per game.
He's also involved in more scores than anyone else in this cohort.
He's notably absent elsewhereThere's another notable thing about Martin's game compared to fellow centre clearance monsters: his absence at general stoppages.
Generally, players who regularly win the ball at centre clearances also dominate throw-ins and ball-ups around the ground.
But Martin is often absent from there, with the occasional exception of those in the front half of the ground.
He also trails the league's dominant midfielders when it comes to applying defensive pressure.
Instead, Tigers coach Damien Hardwick prefers to give Martin licence to roam the ground at will.
Post-bounce, Martin often acts as a link man en route to the goal square.
This also allows his teammates Tom Lynch and Jack Riewoldt the freedom to lead higher up towards the 50-metre arc, stretching the taller defenders marking them.
He dominates in one-on-oneOnce stationed near goal, Martin seeks to exploit his physical dominance in one-on-one contests.
It presents opposition coaches with a difficult problem: should they leave a midfielder on him, or switch to a true defender.
Over the last three years, only West Coast's Nic Naitanui has won a larger proportion of attacking one-on-one battles than Martin.
It is key to his dual role and testament to his raw strength and ability to read the flight of the ball.
In the 2019 grand final, Matt De Boer or Tim Taranto tracked Martin in the centre before handing over to Sam Taylor or Heath Shaw in defence. The results? Not great.
Martin is a nightmare match-up, even for experienced defenders.
Do you go for a taller type like Taylor who can be exposed at ground level? Or a smaller option like Shaw who can be outworked in the air and still beaten on the ground?
Some teams split the difference by using a third or medium tall, like Plowman above.
Given Richmond's effective small forward brigade and the presence of two All-Australian-level key forwards in Lynch and Riewoldt, it seems the least bad option.
After switching, defenders like Shaw will sometimes be stuck against Martin at stoppages, with an immediate transfer back to a midfielder unavailable.
That usually doesn't go well either.
Former coaches such as Paul Roos and Denis Pagan have been adamant that the best tactic to beat Martin is using a traditional hard midfield tag.
This has sometimes worked, but has just as often allowed Martin to dominate up forward and wear down opponents.
Some sides have even treated Martin like any other player, only directly negating him inside defensive 50. The theory is he will do midfield damage regardless, so why not make him defend by counter-attacking against him?
In short: you may not be able to beat Martin, but you can beat his 17 teammates.
But … nobody's perfectIt should be noted that Martin is not infallible.
He has occasional off games or even poor months.
At times he tries to do too much with the ball and turns it over. He ranks only behind Tom Mitchell for turnovers per game since 2017.
All turnovers are bad, but some of Martin's are less bad due to the position of the ball and the territory gained beforehand.
Some may also point to Martin's raw kick and handball counts dropping since 2016 as a sign of decline. However, his impactful disposals (such as clearances, scores and goal assists) have risen during this time.
Up forward, Martin doesn't take as many marks on the lead and isn't as good above his head as some other forward-midfield hybrids.
Over the coming years, players will emerge to eclipse Martin, and further transform the way the game is played. But right now, he's about as good as an AFL footballer gets.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-11/how-richmond-tigers-afl-player-dustin-martin-destroys-compeition/12335750
