Dustin Martin [merged]

[WilliamPowell]

Dimmas comments become the party line. MRJ can now answer "as Dimma said...." pressure is off the kids. Questions can still be asked but the same answer comes back. Different if Dimma didn't offer up those comments then it would dominate any future interviews.

The actual pressure for answering the question has been thrown back onto Dusty and Ralph Carr

Fair points 

[one-eyed]

Swans play flat bat as Tigers ‘not worried’ about Dusty trade claim

Catherine Healey
Fox Sports
May 18th, 2022 4:00 pm

Richmond superstar Dustin Martin is so well-respected at Tigerland, the club would “have to listen to him” if he did request a move to Sydney.

Tigers senior club advisor Neil Balme said while he had not heard Martin talk about finishing his career in Sydney, the club would respect the 30-year-old’s wishes.

“Our position is he’s contracted and we’d love him to stay and we hope he does and we think he will,” he said on SEN.

“But the truth is if someone like Dusty, who we respect so much as an individual, came to Damien (Hardwick) and said ‘There’s all of these things happening in my life and I need to go to Sydney’, we certainly would have to listen to him.

“From a pure footy point of view, we’ve done all the things we needed to. We’ve contracted him, he’s committed to us, we’re committed to him. We want him to stay. We don’t want him to go anywhere.

“If something really weird happened, which kind of has with the Covid, and his losing his dad and all those sort of things, of course we’d listen to him. Because we respect him. But we don’t think that will happen.”

Balme’s comments come as Sydney coach John Longmire denied reports linking his club with the three-time Norm Smith medallist and premiership star.

“We haven’t spoken about him. I’m not sure where that leaves us other than the fact we haven’t spoken about it. It’s not something we’ve discussed,” Longmire said on Wednesday.

“If you look at the history of me commenting on players’ contracts, I don’t [even] comment on players from our club and their contract status. I certainly don’t comment on players from other clubs that are contracted, and don’t read anything into that either. It’s just not something I get involved in or talk about.”

Four-time premiership Hawk Luke Hodge said Martin, like former teammate Lance Franklin, could benefit from escaping the Melbourne pressure environment – but warned there would be risks involved.

“You put Bud and Dusty in probably the same category as they are the biggest faces, biggest names in the AFL but don’t love the limelight,” he said on SEN.

“They don’t want the attention; if they could just go and live their life and play football on the weekends that’s their ideal week, their ideal career.

“So for him to go out of the bubble into Sydney, I noticed a big difference moving to Brisbane when you are opening 10 pages of the paper before you see an AFL article.

“You can sort of see how Bud’s really enjoyed it and flourished with no AFL knocking on his door.

“You’ve got to realise, if Dusty does go – I’m not saying he will go, but if he does, that pressure is going to be back on him.

“Richmond have built a football club in and around him. He’s got no pressure – everyone understands how he plays, the team works around him with his strengths and weaknesses. It is a big jump going to a football club where they have big expectations.

“As much as the bubble getting out of, there is a lot of pressure that goes with it.”

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/swans-play-flat-bat-as-tigers-not-worried-about-dusty-trade-claim/news-story/fe4c064fb1b09fdceec660518f2280e1

[one-eyed]

Balmey's exact quotes about Dusty.

“WE’RE NOT WORRIED”: TIGERS COMMENT ON SWIRLING MARTIN RUMOURS

By Andrew Slevison
SEN
18 May 2022

Richmond’s senior advisor Neil Balme insists the club is not worried about the swirling Dustin Martin rumours.

Speculation persists that Martin could be considering a move to Sydney to be out of the Melbourne footy fishbowl.

Tigers coach Damien Hardwick even opened up the idea by saying the Brownlow Medallist and three-time Norm Smith Medallist would depart with his blessing if he ever were to leave.

But Balme has never heard the Sydney idea come from Martin’s lips and says he is not too concerned about the talk.

“No, I haven’t, I must admit,” he said on SEN’s Dwayne’s World.

“We’re not worried about it. This is a crazy world and all sorts of things happen, but if something really weird like that were to happen, we’d certainly listen to his story.

“But we’re pretty certain that won’t be an issue. We don’t think he has any real desire to get out of the Tigers. I’m sure that’s the case, but if something came up we would talk to him.”

Balme praised Hardwick for the way he addressed the speculation, saying the game has changed in recent years to be more across a person’s needs, wants and mental wellbeing than it previously has been.

“I really admire Damien for answering the way he did because in the old days you’d say, ‘No, he’s contracted and we wouldn’t let him go under no circumstances’, which is really our position,” he added.

“Our position is he’s contracted and we’d love him to stay, we hope he does and we think he will.

“But the truth is, if someone like Dusty who we respect so much as an individual, came to Damien and said, ‘there’s all these things happening in my life and I need to go to Sydney’, well we’d certainly have to listen to him. That’s really what he (Hardwick) said, we’d listen to him.

“From a pure footy point of view, we’ve done all the things we’ve needed to. We’ve contracted him, he’s committed to us, we’re committed to him, we want him to stay and he’s a great player for us ands we don’t want him to go anywhere.

“But if something really weird happened like has kind of happened in the world with COVID and losing his dad and those kinds of things, if something happened then of course we’d listen because we respect.

“We don’t think that will happen and obviously we’re very keen to keep him.”

Balme insists that Martin is a happier person after taking some time away from the game earlier this year.

“I think he’s pretty good,” he said.

“You never know for sure, but he looks pretty good to me and he’s starting to play some good footy again.

“We’re very excited about what he brings, obviously.”

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2022/05/18/were-not-worried-tigers-comment-on-swirling-martin-rumours/

[Andyy]

A lot of noise.

Has my blessing to go but would break my heart.

I'd be asking for Green from GWS as a starting point. I really don't know what else it would take but he's is contracted so we could play hard ball but we won't. Maybe their first round pick also would be enough to sweeten the deal.

[amc11]

Sam Edmund spoke to Ralph Carr - funny there doesn't seem to be much media coverage regarding the response.  Obviously not the preferred narrative.

https://twitter.com/SENBreakfast/status/1526831201301897216

[WilliamPowell]

Sam Edmund spoke to Ralph Carr - funny there doesn't seem to be much media coverage regarding the response.  Obviously not the preferred narrative.

https://twitter.com/SENBreakfast/status/1526831201301897216

Clearly.

[one-eyed]

"They could also look at a guy who's turning 31 and say, 'How can we make it work for us?'"

Matthew Lloyd says if Dustin Martin is to request a trade, it might not be the worst thing for the Tigers.

#9FootyClassified

Watch here: https://twitter.com/FootyonNine/status/1526912939088822272

[one-eyed]

‘Very unusual’: AFL legend baffled by Dusty answer as big question emerges in trade saga

AFL legend Leigh Matthews was surprised by Hardwick’s comments.

“I reckon it’s the first time a coach has said, ‘If one of my players leaves I’ll support him.’ I find it a very strange thing to say, to be honest,” he told 3AW’s Sportsday.

“I don’t know whether I’d be buying into saying I’d support him no matter what, to say we support him and if he leaves he’ll go with my blessing, that’s a very unusual comment.

“If anything I would’ve have thought it had opened the door up to the thought that Dusty may look to go elsewhere at some point in his career.”

Geelong legend and GWS football director Jimmy Bartel suggested Hardwick’s comments may reflect his “confidence” that Martin will remain a Tiger.

“I think he’s almost saying that it’s going to be a tough task in the next two years to move him out of Richmond from a pure football point of view. Because he’s contracted and he’s got an enormous contract.

“If he’s gong to Sydney there’s only two clubs there, how are they going to fit him in the salary cap? Then they’ve (Richmond) got to be compensated coming back the other way.

“There’s a lot of things that would have to happen, that’s probably why there’s so much confidence.”

Speaking on Channel 9’s Footy Classified, former St Kilda and Fremantle coach Ross Lyon echoed Bartel’s sentiments.

“Maybe it’s easier to give your blessing when deep down you think it’s never going to happen because you know the kid that well,” he posed.

“If you talk about tradition, he is one player that should be a one-club player. A legend of the Richmond Football Club, no greater player, who wants to see him another guernsey?”

Martin returned to the field a fortnight ago after a seven-week break from the game as he grieves the death of his father Shane.

One of Richmond’s all-time greats, Martin played a key role in its three premierships since 2017 and has won a Brownlow Medal, four All Australian blazers and three best and fairest awards over his storied 264-game career.

But Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd wouldn’t rule out the superstar’s potential move “until I hear the words come out of Dustin’s mouth” otherwise, saying he could leave at anytime because “contracts mean nothing with players now”.

And Lloyd thinks there’s a genuine conversation for Richmond to have in how the club could try and manoeuvre a deal to its advantage.

“It would hurt a lot of people because Dusty is a hero of the game,” Lloyd said.

“But they could also look at a guy who’s turning 31 in June and say, ‘how can we make it work for us?’

“If you were Richmond, you wouldn’t fight and scratch (to keep him).”

Veteran journalist Caroline Wilson believes Hardwick’s response may hint he thinks there’s some “smoke” to the conjecture, but didn’t expect anything to materialise.

“It’s not going to happen in my view, certainly not before this contract,” she said.

“Some things are bigger than trade and technical. They’re Matthew Richardson being a one-club player, they’re Matthew Lloyd being a one-club player, they’re James Hird,” she said.

“Imagine if James Hird had gone or if you’d (Lloyd) gone to Carlton? It’s just not the same and it’s beyond dollars.”

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/teams/richmond-tigers/afl-2022-dustin-martin-trade-to-nsw-clubs-rumours-whispers-response-leigh-matthews-jimmy-bartel-matthew-lloyd-caroline-wilson-richmond-tigers-gws-giants-sydney-swans/news-story/5bd27114245d1a519366691022ca8344

[one-eyed]

‘These things happen’: Jack Riewoldt will back Dusty if star seeks fresh start

David Zita
Fox Sports
May 20th, 2022

Richmond spearhead Jack Riewoldt has echoed coach Damien Hardwick in saying the club would not stand in Dustin Martin’s way if the superstar requested a trade before the end of his current contract.

Martin’s future has made headlines this week after Hardwick said the three-time Norm Smith medallist - contracted until the end of 2024 - would leave with his “blessing” if he sought to move on for personal reasons.

Speaking on AFL 360 Extra, Riewoldt said he wanted to see Martin play out his contract at the Tigers, but would not put up roadblocks if his premiership teammate decided to seek a trade.

“I think this (player movement) is the reality of football going forward and it grabs headlines at a supersonic level because Dustin’s involved,” he said.

“If any player at Richmond comes to the club and says, ‘My family circumstances have changed, for my mental health I feel I’d be better in a different state and different journey’, why would a club stand in the way of doing that?

“Don’t get me wrong, Dusty has two years to go in a contract and is arguably the best player to ever play for the Richmond Football Club, of course we want him to see out his contract and we want him to be a Richmond man, but these things happen.

“People’s happiness take them on a different journey. I believe what Dimma said is truthful.”

Still, Riewoldt was unconvinced Martin’s trip to New South Wales during his personal leave this season was an indication of any future move.

“I can see where the correlations are drawn,” he said, “but the Dustin that we’re seeing around the football club at the moment and the investment to not only play but just the conversations he has with staff members about where the club is going and the direction doesn’t come across as someone that’s looking for a change at the moment.”

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/teams/richmond-tigers/afl-news-2022-dustin-martin-trade-richmond-tigers-jack-riewoldt-interview-damien-hardwick-comments-move-to-sydney/news-story/55fc15eb1db0dc4514f78972821d017a

[the claw]

Love the bloke to death but in a pure footy sense it would not be worth any club giving up first rounders and good players for a 31 year old.

As a free agent yeah sure especially a team in a genuine premiership window where your not selling the house to get him in.

[Andyy]

I think it would be bad for medium-long term footy results for either GWS or Sydney.

Win a few more games for a few years maybe. Doubt either would win a flag though. Hurt their drafting and maybe lose another good player to get him through the door. Would purely be for club growth/membership etc.

[one-eyed]

KING'S HIGH PRAISE FOR RICHMOND'S MESSAGING ON MARTIN FUTURE

By Laurence Rosen
SEN
20 May 2022

David King says it’s “frightening” how well Richmond has handled the constant talk around Dustin Martin’s future.

Coach Damien Hardwick said this week that Martin would go with the club’s blessing if he did seek to finish his career elsewhere, fuelling speculation on what his future plans may be.

The three-time Norm Smith Medallist is out of contract at the end of 2024, having just returned to the senior side after a period of personal leave.

King said regardless of what decision Martin makes on his future, Richmond’s public messaging means any potential exit of the club great would be seamless.

“Richmond has done this so well it’s frightening,” he said on SEN Breakfast.

“How they are handling the end of the Dustin Martin period… he will leave an unbelievable legacy and a trail of success really.

“What he’s been able to transform this football club from and to is quite remarkable, I don’t think there’s a club that would handle this as well as what Richmond has this week.

“People can say what they want about Damien Hardwick, but this is a difficult situation that I think Damien and the Richmond hierarchy have made so easy from here forward.”

Richmond forward Jack Riewoldt said it was so important to “look after your people” at a football club, saying an “invested” Martin hadn’t missed a beat since returning.

“Clearly (he) is invested,” Riewoldt said on SEN Tassie.

“He has kicked three goals in the last two weeks and had over 20 touches, his score involvements are through the roof so he’s playing really well.

“If someone isn’t happy and wants to go to a new environment for a legitimate reason, we would love to see every player that signs a contract see it out, but things change.

“It’s so important to look after your people, because there’s swings and roundabouts with this sort of stuff.

“It comes around, if you’re a good club and good organisation then you’ll be rewarded somewhere else.”

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2022/05/20/kings-high-praise-for-richmonds-messaging-on-martin-future/

[pmac21]

Good idea trying to take all the oxygen away from the media and watching them make stuff up.

[one-eyed]

OPINION: AFL Legend Dustin Martin Should Leave Richmond

Billy Booker
bosshunting.com.au
22nd May 2022[/i]

Dustin Martin should leave Richmond Football Club and – if executed correctly – a blockbuster trade would benefit both the club and player in equal measure.

Don’t trust those archaic, self-proclaimed traditionalists: any romanticism around being a one-club player died years ago. Do I think less of Luke Hodge because of his stint at Brisbane? No way – his record as an all-time would’ve been secure even if he played on the bloody moon. What about Sam Mitchell’s one year at West Coast? Absolutely not. Good on him for getting out and learning a new system.

Consider the career paths of arguably the three greatest full-forwards of all time. Do I think ill of Tony Lockett (St Kilda and Sydney), Gary Ablett Snr (Hawthorn and Geelong), or Wayne Carey (North Melbourne and Adelaide) for playing at two clubs apiece? Again, absolutely not.

The same applies to Lance Franklin, Chris Judd, Nathan Buckley, Patrick Dangerfield, Gary Ablett Jnr, and many others. Two clubs. One club, meh. They’re all legends.

Football, and probably all professional sport, is at an interesting juncture where some fans are still living in the 1960s – an era when loyalty was king and if you moved you were a traitor. Times have changed, such binary views are antiquated, and the players don’t have mud on their knees nor 9-5 jobs anymore. If you want an injection of nostalgia, go and listen to The Beatles, because their songs will always be the same. Footy, on the other hand, won’t be.

Martin, who is arguably the greatest big-game player of all time, demonstrated by his three Norm Smith Medals for Best on Ground in three Grand Finals, is entitled to believe his work is just about done at the Tigers. What more can he achieve? Next month, he’ll be 31, and while he boasts a lucrative contract until the end of 2023, these deals are barely worth the A4 sheet of paper they’re printed on.

Before you throw your hands in the air and cry foul on behalf of Richmond, consider how many clubs have shafted players in recent years before their contracts were up. Jack Watts, Adam Treloar, Jaidyn Stephenson, Josh Bruce, Dan Hannebery, and Jake Stringer are just some who wanted to stay but were given no choice. Even though they had existing deals for the following season.

I’m saying that it works both ways. Clubs and players are equally as guilty for looking after themselves first. And why shouldn’t they be? Even Nick Riewoldt, a great one-club servant for St Kilda, was flicked before he was ready to retire. Clubs answer to members and sponsors, while players have a finite career and should make the most of their time at the top level above any supposed loyalty.

Martin’s case could be unique if handled correctly. Living in the footy fishbowl is not Dusty’s cup of tea, just as it wasn’t Buddy Franklin’s. If Sydney – which is either in or about to enter a premiership window – offers an attractive deal to Martin, why shouldn’t he consider it?

If the Tigers can get a couple of first round draft picks back in return that’ll help them accelerate a mini-rebuild, plus freeing $2 million from their salary cap, then why not? Like I said before, it would be mutually beneficial.

Oh yes, blind loyalty. That old chestnut. It’s a crock of poo these days, for reasons I’ve explained. The sooner we all start accepting this is an entertainment business and not a community level sport, the better we’ll be.

Martin has been an unbelievable player for the Tigers. If he played out the rest of his career in yellow and black, he’d receive as many post-career accolades as anyone. But if he went to Sydney – or any other club for that matter – his reputation would remain the same.

Dustin Martin should leave Richmond, for his own sanity, a fresh challenge, and for the long-term good of the club which has nurtured him since his teens. And if the deal is right, the Tigers should facilitate it. Sometimes the right calls aren’t the easy ones to make.

https://www.bosshunting.com.au/sport/dustin-martin-leave-richmond/

[Simonator]

I know it’s a journalists job to get clicks and attract the reader but come on! Talk about beating a dead horse.