Dustin Martin best one-on-one player in AFL and key to Richmond’s recent resurgenceSam Edmund
Herald-Sun
August 18, 2014 9:23PMDUSTIN Martin is the weapon of mass destruction that is firing Richmond’s irresistible finals charge.
Tigers coach Damien Hardwick has found the launch codes for his star utility and is using him right where it hurts the opposition most — one-out inside 50m.
The Herald Sun can reveal Martin is the best offensive one-on-one player in the competition — winning a staggering 56 per cent of his battles. The AFL average is 26 per cent.
The 23-year-old known for his “don’t argues” has been involved in 27 offensive one-on-one contests this year, winning 15, neutralising nine and losing only three.
Martin has not lost an offensive one-on-one battle since Round 5.
If you’re a defender, he is the man to be feared most when you can’t call for back-up.
One-on-one contests close to goal are notoriously difficult to manufacture, but Hardwick has found a way to deploy Martin inside 50m while clearing the space around him.
Western Bulldogs great Brad Johnson, who kicked 558 goals across 364 games in a similar midfielder-forward role, said Martin’s supreme balance was proving the difference.
“He’s one-on-one stuff, he’s not going to ground as often in those contests and I think that’s the key,” Johnson said.
“How he’s holding his feet, his strength shows out even more. I don’t think he’s had to use the don’t argue as much recently, probably because his body positioning in these one-on-one’s has been sensational.”
Richmond’s last premiership coach Tony Jewell said Martin was “so bloody strong”.
“They know he can win the one-on-one’s. (Brett) Deledio too, they’re pushing him forward and he’s kicking goals,” Jewell said.
“It’s pretty good coaching and pretty smart. Geelong do it well with (Tom) Hawkins, they find a way of getting him in one-on-one’s and that’s hard to do in today’s footy.”
Western Bulldogs goalsneak Luke Dahlhaus is the next best offensive one-on-one performer among players who have been involved in at least 25 contests, winning 50 per cent of the time.
Adelaide’s Patrick Dangerfield and Geelong spearhead Tom Hawkins are next, going at 44 per cent.
Martin’s exploits, particularly close to goal, has won Richmond several games this season.
With the Tigers fighting to hold off a fast-finishing Adelaide on Saturday night, Martin wasn’t in the middle of Adelaide Oval fighting to gain possession, he was lurking inside 50m beside a nervous Ricky Henderson.
Martin edged the Crow defender under a high ball, gathered and ran into an open goal to kick the sealer.
In Round 2, with the Tigers clinging to a one-goal lead in the face of a furious Carlton surge, Martin and Zach Tuohy found themselves under a bouncing ball with no teammates in sight. Martin turned the Irishman inside out to drive the final nail in the Blues’ coffin.
Then there was Round 18 against West Coast at a rain-sodden Pattersons Stadium. Isolated, Martin skipped away from Eric Mackenzie to snap a pivotal goal that put the Tigers up by 17 points at three-quarter time of a low-scoring slog.
“I tell you what, if I was Adam Simpson and the ball goes forward and Martin is one-out I’d be nervous,” Bruce McAvaney said on Channel 7 at the time.
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