Martin not far from re-signing with Tigers, says HardwickBy Peter Ryan
afl.com.au
11:56am AEST Friday, August 16, 2013RICHMOND believes it is "pretty close" to signing star midfielder Dustin Martin as it moves towards securing the core of its list beyond 2013.
Tigers coach Damien Hardwick expressed confidence that negotiations with the exciting youngster were tracking well.
"Dustin is obviously a fantastic player, an important player in his fourth year," Hardwick said on Friday. "[He] just seems to get better every year so we think that deal will get done in the not too distant future."
The 22-year-old has returned to top form this year after a quiet 2012 and is one of the game's most dynamic goal-kicking midfielders.
He has kicked 88 goals in 82 games, earned 23 Brownlow votes since his debut in 2010 and finished third in the 2011 club best and fairest.
Hardwick said that he also expected 21-year-old Reece Conca to re-sign with the club "in the not too distant future".
Both Martin and Conca are top 10 draft picks and are key parts of what is becoming an exciting list.
Harwick said that the salary cap was no more of an issue for the Tigers than for any other club, reinforcing the aim of the cap in keeping the competition equal so the talent pool is spread.
"That is a challenge for our club and other clubs going forward," he said.
Hardwick was pleased that former Carlton player Shaun Grigg had extended his contract with Richmond until the end of 2015.
"He is a very good AFL player. The challenge for him is to become an elite [player]. He is a very capable player. We have just got to make sure we continue to challenge him because he has got some things in his game that can improve and take him to the next level," Hardwick said.
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-08-16/dusty-signature-close-hardwick
