Dustin Martin [merged]

[Willy]

I’m going to say it......he’s unfit.

He just doesn’t have the petrol to go twice in a row at the contest.

Whether it’s injury or laziness or calculated by fitness staff who knows, but there’s no way he’s fit enough to play a full four quarter game the way we come to expect.

Thats a load of rubbish of course hes fit. full pre season under his belt, no major injuries to prevent training.

If he’s not fully fit then he’s lazy.
I’ve watched him closely the last 4 games and he’s just not doing the things that has made him the player he is. There’s definitely something wrong with him atm

Agree with this summary.

[Buddysucks]

I’d suggest there is a lot more going on with Dusty than perceived lack of interest / effort. That early season article about overcoming mental health obstacles made me think his camp were putting out a positive spin on a serious and potentially career limiting issue.

[lamington]

We need Dusty to fire on all cylinders. He is a champion and has enough runs on the board with helping us break the premiership drought. But has been a bit of liability at times. Seeing him drop that easy mark was heartbreaking. I hope he recaptures form and breaks out of the middle like we know he can soon

[MintOnLamb]

If Dusty is injured he should be rested, if not injured how about a run in the 2s to get some form back, wouldn't hurt to send a message to the team either??

[one-eyed]

Darcy, Watson, Carey & Mick Warner were discussing Dusty tonight on Talking Footy.


Dusty's Champion Data average game rankings per year:
2017  114.4
2018   92.0
2019   77.2

Carey said Cotch in the midfield makes a big difference to Dusty as Cotch does the in and under stuff. We also need to stop comparing Dusty to his 2017 as that was a freak year that no one else has ever achieved. His 2018 was still very good but even that was below his 2017 season.

Dusty needs to learn from what Cotchin did. Cotch wasn't a top clearance player initially but to become a better player he's learned to become one. Dusty needs to do the same. They compared Dusty's game to Bontempelli's on Saturday night where Bontempelli willed himself and got a number of centre clearances. Dusty does a lot of good things around the ground as we know but that is the one thing still missing from his game.

[Tiger Khosh]

Don’t think clearances are missing from his game. Pretty sure he was number 1 in the Comp in centre clearances in 2017 and again one of the top few last year. His clearances just like all of his numbers are down this year due to form but they are acting like it’s a weakness of his.

[amc11]

Don’t think clearances are missing from his game. Pretty sure he was number 1 in the Comp in centre clearances in 2017 and again one of the top few last year. His clearances just like all of his numbers are down this year due to form but they are acting like it’s a weakness of his.

Number 1 in total centre clearances in both 2017 and 2018.   Currently in 2019 he is averaging 2.17 whereas last year it was 3.30  Keep in mind that this year Shaun Grigg has not played a single game and Trent Cotchin has only played 2 and 3/4 quarter games.  Both these players are very important to how Dustin Martin is able to play his best footy and unfortunately that lack of support has been reflected in the current stats.   The higher scoring teams will have more centre bounces to attend and as such the total and average centre clearances will also be impacted. 

Personally I think talk about lack of interest etc is absolute rubbish.  Martin has never been overly demonstrative on field and even last season the huddles with Jack Higgins taking lead got extra coverage because of the response from Martin.  I fully expect the determination to be the best he can be for himself, the club, the players and the coach he loves, will see Dustin Martin return to form, maybe not 2017 level but certainly 2018 levels. 

[one-eyed]

What’s happened to Dusty’s ‘don’t argue’?

Chris Vernuccio,
Herald Sun
May 9, 2019

Dustin Martin was an unstoppable force during his Brownlow Medal-winning year but opponents are starting to get a grip on the Richmond superstar.

With his famed “don’t argue”, Martin put would-be tacklers to shame in setting a new benchmark for broken tackles in a season in 2017.

That year he broke 83 tackles, which included eight in the preliminary final against Greater Western Sydney.

That number dropped by nearly half in 2018, but Dusty’s 44 broken tackles still ranked No.1 in the competition and well ahead of the 28 broken tackles recorded by Geelong star Patrick Dangerfield.

However, Martin has endured a frustrating start to 2019 which has highlighted the extra attention he’s received from opposition clubs.

Not only is Martin this season well below on the high standards he set in 2017 in a range of statistical categories, he is no longer the top tackle breaker.

Champion Data stats reveal the powerful midfielder has broken just four tackles year - two of them coming against the Western Bulldogs last Saturday night - ranked 32nd in the league and well behind leader Luke Breust (11).

Martin is also averaging 8.2 fewer disposals this season compared to 2017 — from 29.8 to 21.6 and has seemingly lost his explosiveness in close.

Stopping Dusty
   Broken tackles   Holding the ball
2017   83   20
2018   44   12
2019   4   5

He was twice caught holding the ball against the Bulldogs, by Caleb Daniel early in the first quarter and Easton Wood midway through the last.

On both occasions Martin attempted to fend-off an opponent.

In the first instance, Martin pushed away Bailey Smith before he was tackled from behind by Daniel.

In five games this season Martin has been pinged five times for holding the ball. Last year he conceded just 12 free kicks for holding the ball and 20 in 2017.

Earlier this year Martin revealed he battled anxiety and depression throughout 2018 as he felt the pressure of matching his dominant 2017 season.

Martin’s frustrations boiled over in Round 3 against GWS after he was closely tagged by Matt De Boer.

In a spiteful game, Martin was suspended for elbowing Giants defender Adam Kennedy, fined for striking De Boer in a separate incident and also sanctioned for abusive gestures.
Leading tackle-breakers in 2019

Player   No. of broken tackles
Luke Breust (Haw)   11
Tom Atkins (Geel)   9
Shaun Higgins (NM)   9
Tom Papley (Syd)   9
Marcus Bontempelli (WB)   7
Wayne Milera (Adel)   7
Lachie Neale (Bris)   7
Jake Stringer (Ess)   7
Nick Vlastuin (Rich)   7
Dustin Martin (Rich)   4

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/more-news/dustin-martin-loses-his-mantle-as-footys-leading-tackle-breaker/news-story/384a71239c6901ac275b7201b2f13326

[eliminator]

Injuries to key players like Cotch have led to him not having the support he previously had and to extra attention from the opposition. Also it is important to acknowledge he has had mental health issues. He is a champion and has a strong resilience. He will bounce back.

[Tiger Khosh]

Wasn’t as clean or damaging as he could be but thought his contest work and attack on the ball were great today. I’ve thought since last season that we are using him up forward too much. He does his best work in the guts, depending on the situation should be 80-20 for me, got enough weapons up forward.

[torch]

Was better!

[mightytiges]

Like the poltergeist. He's backkkkkkkk!

It wasn't just getting a heap of the ball and kicking 2 goals. Dusty looked hungry from the first bounce.

[YellowandBlackBlood]

Like the poltergeist. He's backkkkkkkk!

It wasn't just getting a heap of the ball and kicking 2 goals. Dusty looked hungry from the first bounce.

Was chasing down players too. Suddenly showing interest in the contest!

[Tigeritis™©®]

He’s finally found some comfy boots

[lamington]

It was hanging out with Ben Cousins for a bit in Perth I tell ya! He might be a flawed soul but Ben sure knows how to motivate the tigers and Dusty ala that phone call he gave Dusty before he GF. Also some comfy 2017 pumas seems to work wonders