Celebrated Richmond Tigers superstar Dustin Martinis is preparing for his 300th game as a single-club player despite numerous attempts by other AFL clubs to lure him away.
Known for his three Norm Smith Medals, Martin has often been the subject of trade rumors throughout his career ahead of his 300th AFL match against Hawthorn.
This Saturday he will join an elite group of Tigers to reach 300 games, including Kevin Bartlett, Jack Riewoldt, Jack Dyer, Trent Cotchin, Shane Edwards and Francis Bourke.
But there were several occasions when Richmond’s talisman came close to playing for another club, including in his draft year.
Richmond’s 2009 recruiting manager, Francis Jackson, played a crucial role in ensuring Martin became a Tiger.
Jackson resisted a major trade offer from the Sydney Swans, who wanted to swap their picks six and fourteen for Richmond’s third pick.
“Sydney (was) very interested in Dustin and they wanted to trade (picks) six and 14 for our pick 3,” Jackson recalled.
“Now, normally you would discuss that and take time (to make a decision), but we didn’t even discuss it; it was never going to happen.”
Dustin Martin to sit out Richmond Tigers for 300th time against Hawthorn on Saturday
While the proud Tigre has been a player for only one club throughout his career, there have been numerous occasions when other clubs have tried to poach him.
Martin has stayed on to claim three premierships with the Tigers after years of struggle before his arrival.
Jackson’s conviction led to the selection of Martin, a decision that has defined the modern landscape of the AFL. Jackson did everything he could to secure Martin, even meeting with his family before the draft.
“We did something unusual,” Jackson said.
‘I organized a lunch with his mother and grandmother. In fact, I told them that we would take Dustin at pick 3, unless something radically changed, that Dusty was going to be a Tiger.’
In 2013, Martin terminated his contract and toured the GWS Giants facilities, considering moving to Sydney to be closer to his father.
GWS offered a substantial deal, but it mysteriously fell through. Martin’s manager at the time, Ralph Carr, said they believed Martin was a GWS player.
“We thought the deal was done, we’d been there, Dustin was meeting his dad in Sydney,” Carr said.
“The deal was done and the next thing I heard it was being pulled from the top.”
Martin was drafted ahead of the 2010 season when he arrived on the AFL scene as a clean-cut, light-skinned youngster.
Martin forged a strong relationship with coach Damien Hardwick and has been linked with a career swan song with his former mentor at the Gold Coast Suns.
Richmond rested Martin for their away game last week so he could celebrate his 300th with fans at the MCG this weekend.
Former GWS coach Leon Cameron later revealed that he persuaded Martin to stay at Richmond.
“He liked the idea of remaining anonymous in Sydney so I asked him about ‘Dimma’ (then coach Damien Hardwick) and the playing group,” Cameron said.
“He said he loved them both. I said ‘why would you want to leave then?’ A couple of days later, she said she would stay with the Tigers.
Martin re-signed with Richmond for less money, a decision that proved pivotal for both his career and the club.
In 2017, North Melbourne offered Martin $11 million over seven years, an offer matched by the Adelaide Crows.
Richmond’s offer was lower, but Carr convinced Martin to stay, believing the Tigers were better equipped to support his ambitions.
“Then we took less than that to stay in Richmond, and I had to convince Dusty,” Carr said.
“I gave him the equation of what we could do outside of football, which I thought was much better.”
Martin became one of the greatest AFL players of all time at Richmond with his three titles and the 2017 Brownlow Medal.
Thousands of Martin fans are expected to flood the MCG to celebrate their hero’s milestone.
Hardwick admitted he was worried Martin might leave, given significant financial offers from other clubs.
“There were a couple of stages where he probably retired, if I’m completely honest, throughout the season,” he said.
“He always told me ‘everything’s fine, everything’s fine’, but there were a couple of times where I thought ‘maybe he’ll leave’.”
Martin’s commitment to the Tigers was solidified after a meeting with his father in New Zealand, leading him to re-sign for seven years with Richmond just before winning the 2017 Brownlow Medal and leading the Tigers to a place of prime minister.
“Martin announced his new seven-year commitment to Richmond before winning the 2017 Brownlow Medal and starring in the triumph of his club’s flag over the team that promised a lucrative sum to lure him interstate,” Hardwick recounted.
Current Richmond coach Adem Yze said Martin was professional as ever before his 300th game and just wants to help achieve a win at Richmond.
As Martin approaches his important game against Hawthorn, Tigers coach Adem Yze emphasized the importance of the occasion.
‘We are looking forward to it. It’s a huge game for him,” Yze said.
“His focus will be solely on performance and trying to get a victory for the Tiger Army, and we will try to do the same for him.”
Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell acknowledged the challenge of facing a Richmond team celebrating Martin’s achievement.
“Probably half of their team are Dusty’s teammates on the main team, so it’s going to be a big challenge for us,” Mitchell said.
“There’s the two hours of the actual game and there’s the event that happens around it, which we have no control over.”
