Author Topic: Dustin Martin [merged]  (Read 850067 times)

Offline one-eyed

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Re: Dustin Martin [merged]
« Reply #585 on: April 30, 2011, 03:55:45 AM »
A champion in the making
Jake Niall
April 30, 2011


WHEN 19-year-old Dustin Martin extended his arm and shoved North's robust defender Michael Firrito backwards in a textbook execution of the ''don't argue'' last Sunday, former Richmond coach Danny Frawley was struck by the similarity between Martin and another powerful and highly accomplished midfielder from the recent past.

The player that came to Frawley's mind wasn't any famed Tiger of old or anyone he coached at Richmond.

It was a player whose career began in the early '90s, when Frawley was captain of the Saints, and which spanned more than 300 games; it was Mark Ricciuto.

Like a teenage Ricciuto, Martin is remarkably strong and physically powerful for a player of his youthful vintage. 'Roo' was an expert at breaking tackles with a stiff arm, and was so capable of kicking goals from the midfield that he finished his career in the goal square and led the Crows' goal-kicking.

The parallel that Frawley and others see between Martin and the young version of Ricciuto is based on a mix of attributes - strong bodies, speed, overhead marking prowess - and in Martin's unusual physical presence and ability to overpower more seasoned opponents, as the Adelaide champ did.

''He's got the power build from an early age, too,'' said Frawley of Martin.

''They play tall by taking the contested mark, and they're good on the ground.''

Martin, 187 centimetres, has the strength/speed combination of Ricciuto, covering 20 metres in under three seconds.

Ricciuto's career included a premiership (1998), Brownlow Medal (2003) and, most impressively, eight All-Australian jumpers. Martin shares Roo's goal sense, having booted nine goals in five games while averaging 25 touches.

Should he maintain the rage, the precocious Tiger cub may go close to matching the 19-year-old Ricciuto's feat of making All-Australian in his second season (Martin turns 20 in June), although the club sees him as far from fully formed, with much to prove and improve.

Both Chris Judd and Joel Selwood - universally regarded as the best performed teens of the past decade - had to wait until their third season before winning selection in the AFL's team of the year. Martin, at this stage, is arguably in the same weight-for-age company as that pair, having finished fourth in Richmond's best and fairest in his first season.

Frawley observed that Martin and Ricciuto, country lads (Martin from Castlemaine, Roo from Waikerie, South Australia) who didn't resile from physical confrontation, were both ''pretty earthy''. The ex-coach added that the Tiger hordes had a particular fondness for strongmen. ''They love tough players''.

Few Richmond players would match or better the Tiger wunderkind for physical presence, which says something both about the age of the Richmond list (very young) and Martin's rare maturity.

''Jack Riewoldt's got a physical presence the way he goes after the ball,'' said Frawley. ''Martin has, he's so strong over the ball.''

Ricciuto would not draw comparisons between himself and Martin, but he liked what he'd seen of the midfielder. ''He's obviously not scared either,'' said the Adelaide great.

''He's obviously not intimidated by anyone.''

The Roo was especially impressed by Martin's prowess at winning the contested ball in close. ''He'll be a midfielder who can go forward, but he'll be majority in the midfield.

''He's an in-and-under, hard in-and-under player and that's where he does his best work, inside, and he can obviously kick goals as well. They're the best type of midfielder you can have, the most important type of midfielder is a goalkicking midfielder, a hard goalkicking midfielder. There's no more important things at the moment than winning contested balls at stoppages and kicking goals in the midfielder and he does both of them.''

Richmond assistant coach Justin Leppitsch said this week of Martin's contested abilities: ''You talk about knowing how to manoeuvre your body in contested sorts of situation, he just knows that better than anyone. And it doesn't seem to matter about the size of the opposition either, he just knows how to do it well.''

While the Tigers will be wary of the hype that may surround Martin as a boy wonder at a club that's had scant success, they aren't greatly concerned about Martin's head swelling, despite the clip he received in pre-season from coach Damien Hardwick for showing up unfit.

''I don't think Dustin would get carried away with much,'' Leppitsch said, describing Martin as ''a very quiet character'' who eschewed the media. ''He just plays true football.''

And, like the Roo, he plays it hard.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/a-champion-in-the-making-20110429-1e0sy.html#ixzz1Kw5dPP1c

Offline mightytiges

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Re: Dustin Martin [merged]
« Reply #586 on: May 01, 2011, 04:23:20 AM »
We know Dusty is a freak but good on him on remaining level headed and to go out and pull another great game out of the bag. With all the press all week leading into the game telling him how brilliant he was it could have so easily gone to his head like many a footballer before him and he could have had a shocker. His first quarter especially saved our bacon early on so we were only a goal down at 1/4 time despite playing crap as a team.
All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be - Pink Floyd

Offline cub

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Re: Dustin Martin [merged]
« Reply #587 on: May 01, 2011, 10:12:53 AM »
Reckon his bullocking style may catch the umpys eye. What odds the brownlow?

Offline TigerLand

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Re: Dustin Martin [merged]
« Reply #588 on: May 01, 2011, 01:56:02 PM »
Some Good Dusty Jokes
------------------------------


DMartin once visited "The Virgin Islands"
They are now knows as "The Islands"

DMartin won a game of Connect 4 with only 3 moves.

DMartin doesn't get hard ball gets.
Every ball he gets is easy.

DMartin took a pee on the side of a semi trailer.
It turned into Optimus Prime.

Why did the chicken cross the road?
To get away from DMartin's don't argue

DMartin doesn't eat breakfast.
He eats concrete

DMartin doesn't not have a backspace on his keyboard.
He never makes mistakes.
Go Tigers!

Offline wayne

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Re: Dustin Martin [merged]
« Reply #589 on: May 01, 2011, 02:06:29 PM »
Ah the old Chuck Norris jokes!  :lol

Each night before bed, the boogeyman checks his cupboard for Dustin Martin.

Dusty will never have a heart attack, his heart isn't stupid enough to attack him.

Superman wears Dustin Martin pyjamas to bed.
And you may not think I care for you
When you know down inside that I really do

Offline Smokey

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Re: Dustin Martin [merged]
« Reply #590 on: May 01, 2011, 02:44:26 PM »
They also trotted out a few 'Chuck-isms' about Dusty on Game Day when Cotch was on.  Also showed some footage of Jack, Newy and Whitey answering questions about Cotch - quite funny, especially the bits about Cotch's dog being called "Wocca" after the apparent mutual love between Cotch and Wayne Campbell.  All tongue in cheek but I laughed   :lol

Offline Infamy

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Re: Dustin Martin [merged]
« Reply #591 on: May 01, 2011, 03:03:59 PM »
The two I liked the most so far are

When Dustin Martin makes coffee he grinds the beans with his teeth and boils the water with his fury

Giraffes were created when Dustin Martin uppercut a horse

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Re: Dustin Martin [merged]
« Reply #592 on: May 01, 2011, 03:13:16 PM »
All this stuff is getting out of hand IMHO. Lets let the kid play footy and forget the rest of the rubbish.

Offline Infamy

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Re: Dustin Martin [merged]
« Reply #593 on: May 01, 2011, 03:16:25 PM »
All this stuff is getting out of hand IMHO. Lets let the kid play footy and forget the rest of the rubbish.
Oh come on, it's just a bit of fun

Offline cub

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Re: Dustin Martin [merged]
« Reply #594 on: May 01, 2011, 03:29:06 PM »
When Dustin Martin Pokes you on facebook, You die !

Offline TigerLand

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Re: Dustin Martin [merged]
« Reply #595 on: May 01, 2011, 04:28:30 PM »
Just a bit of a joke Ramps lol.
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Offline one-eyed

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Re: Dustin Martin [merged]
« Reply #596 on: May 02, 2011, 04:28:15 AM »
Dustin Martin ranks second in the competition with 115 kicks. He has won more disposals in each game he has played this season, winning 18 in round one followed by totals of 21, 25, 28, 33 and finally 35 in round six.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/stats-standout-20110502-1e3i1.html#ixzz1L7uvtpkv

Offline blaisee

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Re: Dustin Martin [merged]
« Reply #597 on: May 02, 2011, 09:35:45 AM »
Martin is the best footballer to come to punt road in the last 30 years.

Lets hope he has a good run with injury as the sky is the limit for the young man.

Absolute freak

Offline Oiafi

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Re: Dustin Martin [merged]
« Reply #598 on: May 02, 2011, 01:43:54 PM »
When Dustin Martin Pokes you on facebook, You die !

Must have poked Osama Bin Laden.

Offline TigerLand

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Re: Dustin Martin [merged]
« Reply #599 on: May 02, 2011, 02:10:53 PM »
I am glad we did not pick John Butcher instead of our Dustin.  ;D

Gun
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