Martin set to rival AFL greats, says LyonBy Tim Clarke
SportsNewsFirst
26 April 2011 11:06AM ESTRICHMOND’s burgeoning superstar Dustin Martin is already on the way to becoming one of the best draft picks of the past ten years, according to AFL legend Garry Lyon.
After a match-winning turn against North Melbourne over the Easter weekend – which featured 33 disposals and four goals – Martin’s reputation as one of the brightest aspects of the Tigers’ future was hugely enhanced.
And just 26 AFL games into an AFL career, during which he has already finished fourth in the Richmond best-and-fairest, Lyon said the tattooed youngster should already be inked in as one of the very best selections of the last decade.
“Dustin Martin’s performance for me elevates him into the best top (draft) picks in the last ten years,” Lyon said.
“It puts him in the Selwood, (Scott) Pendlebury, (Dale) Thomas category for me – he wins contested footy, he wins clearances, he goes forward now which is the other dimension.
“He can mark above his head, he has got these uncanny ball skills, and then he kicks goals that you don’t teach.
“Dustin Martin is someone I would pay very good money to watch play footy."
Martin’s electric start to the season came after a pre-season which included an old-fashioned dressing down from coach Damien Hardwick for Martin’s post-holiday conditioning.
But having taken the criticism on board, Martin is already on his way to the same level as Geelong’s former Rising Star and captain-in-waiting Joel Selwood according to the former Melbourne great.
“33 disposals, four goals on its own stacks up – he got 12 in the defensive 50, got 12 in the midfield, he got nine in the forward 50 so that is the complete performance,” Lyon told radio Triple M.
“And he is only two years out of under-18 football.
“He has got everything you want in a footballer, a warrior type mentality, he does not shirk an issue – and then chuck in the poise and the classy finishes.
“He is going to get to a Selwood category – and he is playing in a side that has battled.
“The thing he does that Joel won’t be able to do – he could hold down a centre Half forward in the modern era.”
http://www.sportsnewsfirst.com.au/articles/2011/04/26/martin-set-to-rival-afl-greats-says-lyon/