How a blockbuster Dusty trade would get done
As Richmond says it wouldn’t stand in Dustin Martin’s way if he requested a trade, we analyse what it would take for one of the Sydney clubs to lure the superstar north.
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Sydney would need to hand over Tom Papley and a first-round draft pick to prise Dustin Martin out of Richmond and lure him north to end his career, according to a retired list expert.
The Brownlow medallist is contracted to the Tigers until the end of 2024 but speculation continues over his future because of his fondness for the less intrusive Sydney lifestyle.
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick shocked the football world on Tuesday when he said he would not hold Martin to his seven-year mega contract.
“Whatever Dustin’s decision is moving forward is up to Dustin and to be honest he has my blessing,” Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said on Tuesday.
“What he’s given me, us, our fans, he has been incredible and whatever we get from here on in is a bonus.”
Martin spent time in Sydney earlier this year while on personal leave from Richmond as he mourned the death of his father Shane.
Any move to the Harbour City would likely see Martin end up at the Swans.
Sydney insiders have been tight-lipped on a move, one telling News Corp only that Martin is a “bloody good player”.
It is understood cross-town rival Greater Western Sydney would be unlikely to enter the race for Martin’s services because of a tight salary cap situation and a list build that is in a different position to the Swans.
Former Collingwood recruiter Matthew Rendell said Martin would command a heavy price tag at the trade table, with the Tigers ultimately holding the upper hand.
“The first-round pick of Sydney might not be that great. It might be pick 10 at best,” Rendell said.
“That’s why you’d have to throw a really good player in.
“If it was going to come to fruition and I was Richmond, my first port of call would be, ‘We’re taking your first-rounder and Papley’.”
A livewire small forward, Papley is contracted with Sydney until the end of next season but is a Victorian who has long been linked to a move home.
Rival club recruiting bosses surveyed by News Corp said a top-10 pick in exchange for Martin could get the job done on its own given his age, without the need to add a player like Papley to the mix.
Such a deal would give Richmond a third top 20 pick in this year’s draft.
While he has been incredibly durable across his career, Martin turns 31 next month.
With Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin’s career coming towards an end, Sydney is believed to be desperate for another marquee player like Martin to fill his spot.
“I’ve been up in Sydney and sat in the crowd and the majority of that crowd goes to watch Buddy,” Rendell said.
“Dusty would be a massive draw card. I think Buddy will go one more year but he’d be on a lot lower money and they could certainly backend Dusty’s contract, there’s no doubt about that.
“They might think we’re a chance to win a flag with Dusty. He’s got a habit of it. So they’d have a crack and they know they need a high-profile player year-in, year-out to draw members, sponsors and people through the gate.”
On the current ladder order, Richmond already holds two top-20 picks in this year’s draft.
The Tigers have their own first-round selection (currently pick 11) as well as North Melbourne’s second-round selection (currently pick 20) which they secured as part of the Callum Coleman-Jones trade last year.
The fifth-placed Swans currently have picks 14 and 18, holding Melbourne’s first-round pick as part of the Jordan Dawson trade last year.
