COULD TRADING DUSTIN MARTIN BE A WIN-WIN FOR BOTH CLUB AND PLAYER?Lachlan Geleit
SEN
May 1, 2023Richmond find themselves in a precarious position both on and off-field through seven rounds.
With a 1-1-5 record, the Tigers sit 16th on the ladder, but they won’t get a prized draft pick at the end of this season if they continue to linger at the bottom of the table.
Having traded their 2023 first-round pick, plus a 2022 second-rounder, for Jacob Hopper, the Tigers find themselves with a lack of draft capital.
SEN’s Tom Morris believes Richmond may need to get creative in the trade period given their early picks in both 2022 and 2023 have been gobbled up by trades.
“Jacob Hopper and Tim Taranto are the two players, through no fault of their own, who are sort of caught up in all of this, both signed long-term deals,” Morris told SEN Breakfast.
“So Jacob Hopper came to the club and Richmond gave up a future-first rounder which is currently pick No. 3 to GWS and also pick 31 which the Giants used on Toby McMullin.
“Then the Tim Taranto deal was they traded picks 12 and 19 to GWS which was used on Elijah Hewitt (with West Coast) and Max Gruzewski.
“So this year in 2023 their first pick at the moment is pick 21.
“They are currently the second most experienced list in and the third oldest list.
“In 2021, they had five top 30 draft picks but none of those players yet have really kicked on.
“So the fallout is that they're quite old, they're quite experienced and yet they're 16th on the ladder and they don't have draft capital this year.
“So they might have to get creative in the trade period.”
Looking at Richmond’s list, the Tigers may need to be willing to let go of a quality player if they try and bring in early draft picks.
While he’s now a veteran of the competition, Morris, Kane Cornes and Nathan Buckley believe Dustin Martin would still hold serious value at the trade table.
The trio discussed whether the Tigers should consider letting their superstar move for draft picks this trade period.
Morris: “Does Dustin Martin have any trade value whatsoever? Now, he's got one year left on a lucrative deal.”
“So I'm not saying that a club is going to pick up his entire contract, but he's a bit like Nat Fyfe nearing the end of his career, who is out of contract.
“If Dustin Martin came to the club or Richmond said to Dustin Martin would there be suitors for him?”
Cornes: “100 per cent there would be.”
Buckley: “It might be a win-win.”
“Sometimes we look at this and we go, ’It’s, it's no good for the club. It's no good for Dusty, we want him to be a one club player’.
“I get the sense that Dustin Martin is as wedded to Richmond as anyone is to any side.
“But it actually could be something that he hasn't considered, go and play a couple of years at a club and give himself another chance to add to his amazing resume already.
“That might actually help Richmond in the short term as well and into the long term.
“So there can be win-wins with this.”
Morris: “I don't think it's any coincidence that Damien Hardwick's contract and Dustin Martin's contract are both aligned, to the end of 2024.”
“I think there's a bit to play out over the next 18 months as to where those two people go beyond Richmond.”
Cornes: “I think it's definitely a conversation worth having and one that will continue to be had.
“I think particularly if Richmond's form continues like this.”
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2023/05/01/could-trading-dustin-martin-be-a-win-win-for-both-club-and-player/
