The stats files: Is Dustin Martin doing enough damage? AFL.com.au
27 July 2016DAMIEN Hardwick demands high standards from Dustin Martin because the Richmond star is such a rare commodity as a bona fide match-winner.
At his best, the midfield bull explodes from clearances, is almost impossible to tackle with his signature "don't argue" palm-off and makes defenders nervous when he's stationed one-out inside 50.
Combined with an innate ball-winning ability, they're traits that have propelled the maturing 25-year-old into Brownlow Medal contention.
But Hardwick, who is quick to lavish Martin with praise when he sees fit, shut down talk of the tattooed gun winning the League's highest individual honour after Sunday's belting from Hawthorn, despite Martin's game-high 39 touches.
"Not on today's game. I didn't think he was that good today. The Brownlow to me is irrelevant, wins and losses matter to me," the Tigers coach said.
Hardwick thought Martin "handballed too much early" and could have taken "a little bit of territory instead of trying to distribute the ball".
The previous week, the power-packed midfielder had a career-best 43 touches and booted two goals against Essendon.
But Martin only used the ball at 51 per cent efficiency and Hardwick didn't think his effectiveness was at the level "that it normally is".
So was Hardwick harsh in holding back his praise or was his assessment justified?
It's an interesting question, especially when you compare him to another onballer who pushes forward - emerging Western Bulldogs star Marcus Bontempelli.
Champion Data heatmaps show stark differences between where they've collected their possessions this year.
With more of the paddock open in front of him when he gets the ball, Martin averages slightly higher metres gained per possession (14.85m to Bontempelli's 13.21m).
But there's an argument that because Bontempelli pushes into more dangerous positions, he's searching for a precise target with a short drilling pass inside 50 more regularly than the Richmond star, who is "taking territory".
The numbers also show that when Bontempelli is involved, Luke Beveridge's side scores from nearly a third of their chains of possession (six per cent more than Martin) – and there's not a gaping chasm between the teams' scoring capacity.
The Dogs sit 10th for scoring (1481 points) and Richmond is ranked just two spots back (1423).
Whether it's Hardwick's reluctance to throw Martin forward or the player's decision not to venture into attack as often, he isn't impacting the scoreboard like he has done in the past.
While he's now averaging a career-best 30.7 possessions per match, Martin has only kicked eight goals.
That's a massive drop-off from the past five seasons, when he's bagged 33, 23, 23, 27 and 24 majors.
Meanwhile, Bontempelli has surged into Brownlow calculations by averaging 24.6 touches and kicking 19 goals – his best return in his three seasons.
And at the weekend, the impressive 20-year-old slotted 3.3 from 25 disposals, albeit in the Bulldogs' surprise loss to St Kilda.
But maybe honing in on Martin's dip in scoreboard impact is missing the point.
He's fitter than ever and his midfield minutes have skyrocketed, soaring to 69 per cent, a 40 per cent boost from the 2014 season.
The tough nut averages twice as many score assists compared to Bontempelli (1.2 compared to 0.6 per game) and plays in a much weaker side that has been exposed for depth in 2016.
Martin can't help shore up the defence, set up goals and kick them as well, and fans must shudder to think where the Tigers' season would be right now without Martin recovering from his slowish start to the year.
Fortunately, more help might be on the horizon.
Richmond is reportedly hot on the chase for nuggety Gold Coast star Dion Prestia, and the Tigers could bat deep enough through the engine room to push Martin into more dangerous spots again from 2017 onwards.
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-07-26/the-stats-files-is-dustin-martin-doing-enough-damage
