Hope he gets back on the park before the end of the season.
20,000 th post in the thread.
Do I win something?
No, you already got 3 flags, what more you want
DS
-
IMPORTANT // Please look after your loved ones, yourself and be kind to others. If you are feeling that the world is too hard to handle there is always help - I implore you not to hesitate in contacting one of these wonderful organisations Lifeline and Beyond Blue ... and I'm sure reaching out to our PRE community we will find a way to help. T.
Dustin Martin
- Thread starter Rosy
- Start date
No, you already got 3 flags, what more you want
DS
Robbo talking sense….a rarity.
EASE UP ON DUSTY
The denigration of Dustin Martin by parts of the media is bewildering.
Somehow, the 301-game AFL legend is a “distraction” and a “circus” and creating “frustration” at Richmond as he ponders a crossroad moment of his footy career.
Clearly, it’s also a crossroad moment in his life.
It comes to all of us in our lives at some point. We either zig or zag. Or do neither.
Martin’s decision is simple enough on paper: Retire, play at Richmond or join Gold Coast.
However, it’s not simple at all. Richmond has been his adult life, all 15 years of it, and now the relationship is nearing its end. Either next month or next year.
It’s a massive decision, yet parts of the media are clamouring for – and almost demanding – an immediate answer.
Let’s be frank. Few players in the history of the game have earnt the right to have all the time required to consider such a momentous decision. ‘Dusty’ is one of them.
“What we need to remember is that there should be no expectation on what he does or doesn’t do,” his former skipper Trent Cotchin said.
“Because what he’s given people like myself and supporters has been more than anyone could have wished for from one individual in our game.”
It’s a decision Martin hasn’t made yet. Or, more accurately, he hasn’t divulged yet.
The Tigers say they don’t know his intentions and his manager Ralph Carr says he doesn’t know either.
But apparently that doesn’t satisfy a media cohort, however important that he is.
He’s been accused of being a part-time footballer on $1.4 million a year.
He’s been accused of mentally checking out.
He’s basically being accused of putting Richmond in a state of suspended animation.
Parts of all that might be true, but should we care?
Certainly, no one at the Tigers does, which is paramount to this discussion. Because they know. The players know. The former coach knows. Martin helped deliver the Tigers three flags and without him, the players and the former coach wouldn’t be three-timers.
No, the Tigers say Martin owes them nothing and that’s said with deep affection.
The money gibe misses the point. It’s the final year of his seven-year deal, so while he might be overpaid for performance in 2024, he was underpaid through 2017-20 when he turned Richmond from a joke club into a legacy.
An unconventional footballer in many respects, Martin remains probably the least-known icon of Australian rules. The mystery is his identity. And now it’s a distraction apparently.
Not the fact the team is on the bottom of the ladder, or Liam Baker might cut and run, or the search for a new chief executive has dragged on, or the Punt Rd redevelopment has stalled just as the Western Bulldogs unveil their Taj Mahal at Footscray.
No, Martin’s the issue?
Commentator Matthew Lloyd this week called the Dusty situation a circus.
Curious to understand why, we called Lloyd so he could expand on his comments.
“The circus to me is every week it’s Dusty may play or may not, how much will he train,” Lloyd said.
“The circus comment was also about where they’re at as a club. There’s so much uncertainty from the CEO change, the first-year coach, what’s Liam Baker doing, what will happen with Daniel Rioli and Shai Bolton, do they stay or do they go, and Dusty (is part of all that).
“Despite how good he’s been for the club, to me from an outsider, it’s taking control back as a club (because) no one is bigger than the club.”
He indicated that first-year coach Adem Yze was too lenient with Martin.
“I’ve always wondered if Yze was Damien Hardwick and won three premierships, could he be firmer and say, ‘no, no, no, we need to bring this to a head, I need to play for next year, I need to know my list spots. Is he training this week? Is he not training this week? I want clarity’,” Lloyd said.
Lloyd wants clarity so Martin can be properly celebrated.
“He’s played with mystery, he’s a mysterious man, but it’s one of the more stranger potential endings,” Lloyd said.
“I would love to see Dusty, his management and the club come together and do it in a more structured way that celebrates him, rather than it peter out the way it has.”
Carr dismissed the suggestion it was a circus.
“It’s not all,” he said. “Dustin said he will deal with it at the end of the year.
“The media is doing what they want with this. What’s wrong with a guy making a decision at the end of the year? Why does he have to make a decision now?”
The Tigers are tired of the media focus on their champion and refute the suggestion the tail is wagging the dog.
Yze is asked at every press conference about Martin. He maintains Dusty is not a distraction. On Thursday he said: “The external noise … I don’t really care about.”
On Tuesday, veteran Tigers official Neil Balme said: “He will do whatever is good for him and good for us. With the wonderful contribution he has made, whatever he wants to do we will be supportive. We’re certainly supportive, he’s not a problem.’’
Tim Livingstone, the club’s boss of football performance, stressed this week that Martin had recovered from a back injury, was smiling and itching to play.
“He wants to play every game,” Livingstone said.
Observers of Martin have noted a change in demeanour – less stressed, more relaxed – since he returned from New Zealand. That trip was fodder for those questioning the Martin situation. The truth is Martin sought and was given permission to go, and the club agreed that family was important to him at this point.
It was the same in 2017, when he and Carr visited Martin’s father in New Zealand, ahead of Martin deciding he would reject an offer from North Melbourne and stay a Tiger.
It’s certainly not uncommon to seek family nourishment at a period of indecision.
Yze said: “He wanted to get home, he needed to go and see some family while his back was bit grumbly, but the minute he’s walked back in, he’s got a smile on his face.”
He’s at peace. Make of that what you will.
As the decision looms, the Tigers are trying to ignore the noise, but they are tired of it.
While senior Tigers football staff publicly stressed this week there was not an issue, one football journalist called another senior club figure and asked if frustration existed from the club towards Martin. The official said categorically “no”.
The journo still reported, however, that frustration was building internally. Maybe he had other sources. Nevertheless, the Tigers believe a wedge is being unnecessarily driven between the club and Martin when one doesn’t exist.
The fact is Martin has the club’s blessing, And always will.
EASE UP ON DUSTY
The denigration of Dustin Martin by parts of the media is bewildering.
Somehow, the 301-game AFL legend is a “distraction” and a “circus” and creating “frustration” at Richmond as he ponders a crossroad moment of his footy career.
Clearly, it’s also a crossroad moment in his life.
It comes to all of us in our lives at some point. We either zig or zag. Or do neither.
Martin’s decision is simple enough on paper: Retire, play at Richmond or join Gold Coast.
However, it’s not simple at all. Richmond has been his adult life, all 15 years of it, and now the relationship is nearing its end. Either next month or next year.
It’s a massive decision, yet parts of the media are clamouring for – and almost demanding – an immediate answer.
Let’s be frank. Few players in the history of the game have earnt the right to have all the time required to consider such a momentous decision. ‘Dusty’ is one of them.
“What we need to remember is that there should be no expectation on what he does or doesn’t do,” his former skipper Trent Cotchin said.
“Because what he’s given people like myself and supporters has been more than anyone could have wished for from one individual in our game.”
It’s a decision Martin hasn’t made yet. Or, more accurately, he hasn’t divulged yet.
The Tigers say they don’t know his intentions and his manager Ralph Carr says he doesn’t know either.
But apparently that doesn’t satisfy a media cohort, however important that he is.
He’s been accused of being a part-time footballer on $1.4 million a year.
He’s been accused of mentally checking out.
He’s basically being accused of putting Richmond in a state of suspended animation.
Parts of all that might be true, but should we care?
Certainly, no one at the Tigers does, which is paramount to this discussion. Because they know. The players know. The former coach knows. Martin helped deliver the Tigers three flags and without him, the players and the former coach wouldn’t be three-timers.
No, the Tigers say Martin owes them nothing and that’s said with deep affection.
The money gibe misses the point. It’s the final year of his seven-year deal, so while he might be overpaid for performance in 2024, he was underpaid through 2017-20 when he turned Richmond from a joke club into a legacy.
An unconventional footballer in many respects, Martin remains probably the least-known icon of Australian rules. The mystery is his identity. And now it’s a distraction apparently.
Not the fact the team is on the bottom of the ladder, or Liam Baker might cut and run, or the search for a new chief executive has dragged on, or the Punt Rd redevelopment has stalled just as the Western Bulldogs unveil their Taj Mahal at Footscray.
No, Martin’s the issue?
Commentator Matthew Lloyd this week called the Dusty situation a circus.
Curious to understand why, we called Lloyd so he could expand on his comments.
“The circus to me is every week it’s Dusty may play or may not, how much will he train,” Lloyd said.
“The circus comment was also about where they’re at as a club. There’s so much uncertainty from the CEO change, the first-year coach, what’s Liam Baker doing, what will happen with Daniel Rioli and Shai Bolton, do they stay or do they go, and Dusty (is part of all that).
“Despite how good he’s been for the club, to me from an outsider, it’s taking control back as a club (because) no one is bigger than the club.”
He indicated that first-year coach Adem Yze was too lenient with Martin.
“I’ve always wondered if Yze was Damien Hardwick and won three premierships, could he be firmer and say, ‘no, no, no, we need to bring this to a head, I need to play for next year, I need to know my list spots. Is he training this week? Is he not training this week? I want clarity’,” Lloyd said.
Lloyd wants clarity so Martin can be properly celebrated.
“He’s played with mystery, he’s a mysterious man, but it’s one of the more stranger potential endings,” Lloyd said.
“I would love to see Dusty, his management and the club come together and do it in a more structured way that celebrates him, rather than it peter out the way it has.”
Carr dismissed the suggestion it was a circus.
“It’s not all,” he said. “Dustin said he will deal with it at the end of the year.
“The media is doing what they want with this. What’s wrong with a guy making a decision at the end of the year? Why does he have to make a decision now?”
The Tigers are tired of the media focus on their champion and refute the suggestion the tail is wagging the dog.
Yze is asked at every press conference about Martin. He maintains Dusty is not a distraction. On Thursday he said: “The external noise … I don’t really care about.”
On Tuesday, veteran Tigers official Neil Balme said: “He will do whatever is good for him and good for us. With the wonderful contribution he has made, whatever he wants to do we will be supportive. We’re certainly supportive, he’s not a problem.’’
Tim Livingstone, the club’s boss of football performance, stressed this week that Martin had recovered from a back injury, was smiling and itching to play.
“He wants to play every game,” Livingstone said.
Observers of Martin have noted a change in demeanour – less stressed, more relaxed – since he returned from New Zealand. That trip was fodder for those questioning the Martin situation. The truth is Martin sought and was given permission to go, and the club agreed that family was important to him at this point.
It was the same in 2017, when he and Carr visited Martin’s father in New Zealand, ahead of Martin deciding he would reject an offer from North Melbourne and stay a Tiger.
It’s certainly not uncommon to seek family nourishment at a period of indecision.
Yze said: “He wanted to get home, he needed to go and see some family while his back was bit grumbly, but the minute he’s walked back in, he’s got a smile on his face.”
He’s at peace. Make of that what you will.
As the decision looms, the Tigers are trying to ignore the noise, but they are tired of it.
While senior Tigers football staff publicly stressed this week there was not an issue, one football journalist called another senior club figure and asked if frustration existed from the club towards Martin. The official said categorically “no”.
The journo still reported, however, that frustration was building internally. Maybe he had other sources. Nevertheless, the Tigers believe a wedge is being unnecessarily driven between the club and Martin when one doesn’t exist.
The fact is Martin has the club’s blessing, And always will.
I don’t give a *smile* what Dusty does this year.
He’s earned the right for a little latitude.
Based on available evidence, it should probably be his last campaign with us.
If the club can either see him happily retired or moved on, that is a win.
He’s earned the right for a little latitude.
Based on available evidence, it should probably be his last campaign with us.
If the club can either see him happily retired or moved on, that is a win.
Blame JimJessTorp, he put a half a dozen posts on that page.
This summarises modern media to a T.
Can’t trust them.
Wish blobbo called out who it was.
He did. There's one journo who went public with the story. The same *smile* who has said every year, "Martin is leaving" the club.
*smile* Sam Mc *smile*
I feel i should be Doordashing Dusty breakfast for about 20 years.
Regardless of what we fans, and the club may owe Dusty, the ridiculous thing about the so called "media circus", created and driven by the media, is that for us from a footy perspective, what Dusty does is so far down the list of priorities. he is a 33yo who isnt in our best 10 players and we will get next to nothing for him if he goes elsewhere, if anything at all.
His decision doesnt effect our list management decisions, our rafting or our trading.
On the other hand a guy like Tim English, if he leaves the suddenly have a 1st rd pick, but no ruck. Surely they need to know what he is doing. but that barely gets a mention.
Scott Pendlebury is 45, but still one of the Pies best players. has a decision been made if he is playing on? A team in the premiership window like the Pies are need to know what a good midfielder is doing.
Has Jake Stringer re-signed? The Bombers will enter 2025 as one of the flag favourites, and there is no better big game player than Stringer (so Ive heard.) While the Dons are probably that good they will cope with his loss surely his decision is more pressing than a 33yo at a team that many will have as wooden spoon favourites.
His decision doesnt effect our list management decisions, our rafting or our trading.
On the other hand a guy like Tim English, if he leaves the suddenly have a 1st rd pick, but no ruck. Surely they need to know what he is doing. but that barely gets a mention.
Scott Pendlebury is 45, but still one of the Pies best players. has a decision been made if he is playing on? A team in the premiership window like the Pies are need to know what a good midfielder is doing.
Has Jake Stringer re-signed? The Bombers will enter 2025 as one of the flag favourites, and there is no better big game player than Stringer (so Ive heard.) While the Dons are probably that good they will cope with his loss surely his decision is more pressing than a 33yo at a team that many will have as wooden spoon favourites.
Robbo's ghost write doing some good work there.
This is exactly whats wrong with the media:
"
Commentator Matthew Lloyd this week called the Dusty situation a circus.
Curious to understand why, we called Lloyd so he could expand on his comments.
“The circus to me is every week it’s Dusty may play or may not, how much will he train,” Lloyd said.
“The circus comment was also about where they’re at as a club. There’s so much uncertainty from the CEO change, the first-year coach, what’s Liam Baker doing, what will happen with Daniel Rioli and Shai Bolton, do they stay or do they go, and Dusty (is part of all that).
“Despite how good he’s been for the club, to me from an outsider, it’s taking control back as a club (because) no one is bigger than the club.”"
So the club has come out and said Dan Rioli is going nowhere, the story was created out of Dan meeting up with a long time friend, someone he lived with for a while in Dimma when on the GC. Nothing as far as I'm aware from Dans camp that he wants to leave, so media build it up, the club shut it down, the media say "we don't believe you" but the club is the circus.
Exactly the same story as above with Shai, reports he met with a club, club shuts it down, media say we don't believe you, but the club is the circus.
He claims they haven't heard what the club wants to do with Dan and Shai, yet the club have come out and said something, and the media chose not to believe it, so if they club again come out and say it, the media probably won't believe it, so why say anything?
The footy media in Australia is frankly a disgrace and nothing short of a whole bunch of ambulance chasers.
Take the Dusty angle, all through his career he's been torn down by the media, and again now, he's being torn down by the media, but this was the same media that only a few months ago, were crying into their iced caramel, soy milk lattes that he wouldn't talk to them about his 300th game. The media can go *smile* themselves.
Robbo has clearly worked out how to use one of the artificial intelligence platforms. That can't be his work.
What about all the clowns down at Essendumb?Matthew Lloyd talking about a circus at Richmond.
