Dustin Martin [merged]

[lamington]

If they play Dusty Gives a message of no respect for players who are trying their guts out and not getting a go (eg Stack)

But, hey, wtf, whatever happens, ……… Happens

In any other circumstance I’d agree with you but Dusty gets a free pass! It’s dusty!

[Tiger Khosh]

If they play Dusty Gives a message of no respect for players who are trying their guts out and not getting a go (eg Stack)

But, hey, wtf, whatever happens, ……… Happens

Lol what? This is Dustin freakin Martin, maybe the greatest tiger of them all. If he is fit then he’s the first player named.

Love stack but naming him couldn’t be a worse example. Shows up in poor condition pre season after pre season. He has no1 to blame but himself for not being in the seniors.

[WilliamPowell]

Love stack but naming him couldn’t be a worse example. Shows up in poor condition pre season after pre season. He has no1 to blame but himself for not being in the seniors.

But surely if Stack has worked his butt off, got himself fit, been one of the best in the VFL for the last few weeks then he deserves a game?

Dusty won't play this week. Will be back for the Magpies IMHO.

Never forget Dusty is team first, everytime

[Tiger Khosh]

Love stack but naming him couldn’t be a worse example. Shows up in poor condition pre season after pre season. He has no1 to blame but himself for not being in the seniors.

But surely if Stack has worked his butt off, got himself fit, been one of the best in the VFL for the last few weeks then he deserves a game?

Dusty won't play this week. Will be back for the Magpies IMHO.

Never forget Dusty is team first, everytime

Sure he does. All I’m saying is that if dusty is fit and ready to play then he should be named. The suggestion that his inclusion would be a disservice to the vfl players is off the mark imo.

[one-eyed]

Ch 7's arvo news said Dusty training fully today would put pressure on the Tigers to play him on Friday night. My 'Spy' said Dusty did most but not all the session with the main group. The Collingwood game is more likely for his return.

[one-eyed]

"It is great to see Dustin back at training," Richmond general manager of football performance Tim Livingstone said.

"The boys are excited to have him back. He has got a couple of good football sessions in this week and is looking fit and strong."

"It has been a five-week break, so that is not the best preparation coming into this round (for Dustin).

"We will have a look again next week and see how he is progressing."

https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1113009/round-7-availability-martin-cotchin-tarrant

[one-eyed]

7 news footage and report of Dusty training today:

Watch here: https://twitter.com/7NewsMelbourne/status/1519237685789233152

- Dusty "breezed" through training. He's been training 3 times a week during his time off. So he's fit. Only concern is his match fitness. All eyes on a potential return against Collingwood.

[Andyy]

Pffft play him vs West Coke

[Hard Roar Tiger]

I wouldn’t play against those cretins in the outer. Scumbags, the lot of em.

[one-eyed]

‘Don’t have the luxury’: Tigers warned as AFL champ says he’d ‘consider’ playing Dusty this week

Catherine Healey
Fox Sports
April 28th, 2022

Richmond should roll the dice and play Dustin Martin as a forward against West Coast, according to Jordan Lewis, despite the superstar only returning to training four days ago.

The four-time premiership Hawk fears Richmond’s 2022 season is starting to slip away with just two wins from the first six games.

Lewis said the club didn’t have the “luxury” of resting players, and called for Martin to play forward this Friday night against the Eagles in Perth.

“The people that know Dusty Martin the best are: one, Dusty Martin and two, the football club,” he said on AFL360.

“If I was the coach, I’d really consider playing him (this week).

“The parameters need to be really clear – just stay in the 50.

“Imagine coming up against the Eagles this week and all of a sudden you’ve got to deal with Dusty staying deep – he’d probably get (Jeremy) McGovern or (Tom) Barrass or some type of key defender because of his power in the air and his power one-on-one.

“Then that takes them out of a position where they can impact in the air – it’s so dangerous.”

AFL360 co-host Mark Robinson was against the idea, questioning “what if he did a calf muscle?”.

Joking players can do a calf muscle “walking down the street”, Lewis said Martin was not a typical returning player after five weeks away from the club.

“They don’t have the luxury of winning early games so you can start to rest players like they have this week, he warned.

“This is an important three weeks for them.

“If it was midfielder that had to play midfield minutes and couldn’t be as damaging forward and anchored to the goal square, you’d seriously consider not playing them.

“I know they’ve said it’s a five-day break and he hasn’t done enough training – but they would have had some conversations within that club and half on one side saying ‘why can’t we play him?’.

AFL360 panellist Eddie Betts agreed it would be great to see Martin play forward given he is “one of the best one-on-one players in the league”.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/dont-have-the-luxury-tigers-warned-as-afl-champ-says-hed-consider-playing-dusty-this-week/news-story/899ecf127230b5e5a610a93d1519520d

[one-eyed]

Martin AFL return not far off: Tigers

Shayne Hope
AAP
28 April 2022

Richmond senior adviser Neil Balme expects Dustin Martin to make his AFL comeback in the near future.

Martin won't play in Friday night's crunch clash with West Coast and there is still no specific timeline on his return to action.

But the three-time Norm Smith medallist's reappearance at training over the last week has raised hope the Tigers could soon get their talisman back.

There is a chance Martin will be given the green light to play against Collingwood in round eight.

"We're really pleased to have him back on deck," top Tigers official Balme told RSN on Thursday.

"He seems to be in pretty good shape mentally.

"I think he's got himself over a lot of the issues that he's had, so we're very positive about what he's going to do, but that will work itself out.

"There's been no decision on when he plays, but it would be sooner rather than later, one would think."

Martin stepped away from football last month with Richmond's blessing.

The 30-year-old has been grieving the death of his father Shane, who died in New Zealand in December.

Martin returned to the Tigers' Punt Road headquarters on Saturday and has joined training with his teammates in recent days.

"We'd always had pretty close contact with him but we were just letting him run the show, to a degree, because it was all of his issues rather than ours," Balme said.

"We're just happy to see him.

"He's not saying much but he's pleased to be back and pleased to get back into routine, so that's all we need."

https://www.macarthuradvertiser.com.au/story/7716135/martin-afl-return-not-far-off-tigers/?cs=12687

[one-eyed]

When will Dusty come back? Hardwick provides biggest hint yet

By Ben Somerford
afl.com.au
29 April 2022

DUSTIN Martin is a "strong possibility" to return in Richmond's round eight clash with Collingwood at the MCG, according to coach Damien Hardwick.

The 2017 Brownlow medalist has not played since round one after the Tigers allowed him to spend time away from the club for personal reasons.

Earlier this week, Martin returned to team training for the first time since March 17 looking "fit and strong" according to the club's general manager of football performance Tim Livingstone. Martin didn't travel to Perth for Friday night's game against West Coast as he rebuilds his conditioning.

Hardwick revealed that the Tigers were hopeful the three-time Norm Smith Medal winner would be ready to face the Magpies on Saturday week.

"There's a strong possibility it'll be the Collingwood game but we'll have a better understanding of that next week," Hardwick said in Perth on Thursday afternoon.

"We watched him move around and he moved fine. It'd probably be doing us and him a disservice if we put him out there without the preparation he needs.

"(He's an) important player and, to be honest, half of Dustin Martin is probably going to be better than the vast majority of players but we just want to make sure when we get him back he's ready to go."

Hardwick said Martin had been able to train hard during his five weeks away from the club but was short on football work although he wouldn't return via the VFL.

"He'll get a big session tomorrow training-wise, then he'll start to push his case from there," Hardwick said. "We've got to start getting some footy into him, he's been training hard away from the footy club but he hasn't been doing a lot of football work which is the one thing that can bring players undone.

"We'll give him his very best chance to play. I know our fans are dying for him to play. It's amazing the energy he brought being around the place last week. It certainly gave us a much-needed boost."

The Tigers coach added that Martin was feeling better mentally, having lost his father Shane to a heart attack in December last year.

"He'll have his good and his bad days, like most people going through that situation," Hardwick said. "At this stage it's more good than bad. We'll just continue to encourage and support and put an arm around him when we need to.

"He's in a lot better space than he has been which is a real positive for us and I think the footy world in general."

Hardwick wouldn't elaborate on Martin's likely role when he returns, with speculation he could be used primarily forward given his lack of conditioning.

"We'll see how we go. He's dynamic wherever we play him," Hardwick said. "I'd love to say I've got a great understanding about where he'll play but he'll know where to put himself to have the biggest impact he can have. He'll probably dictate that more than me to be fair."

https://www.afl.com.au/news/750315/when-will-dusty-come-back-hardwick-provides-biggest-hint-yet

[Francois Jackson]

cant wait to see the champ back, BUT I wont be expecting him to change our clubs on field fortunes all that much.

His form was patchy last year before his injury, which coincided with the rest of the team. Most people forget that.

[Andyy]

Just play him deep forward. Get fit that way

[Lozza]

He can break a tackle, not many others especially in the midfield can do the same.