Dustin Martin retires

[ledge]

What a player and it was pretty obvious when you look at it, his last year or two and the way the tigers are going.
Be interesting to know if he turned down any contracts and just said nah I am done or didn?t get any offers. No doubt the tigers would have told him they weren?t going to sign him again.
It was the right move by both I believe.

[hujsh]

https://i.ibb.co/HYjQMvf/Capture.png
It's like a poem

[Sedat]

Best big game player this century. Still my favourite non-Bulldog moment was late in the 2020 GF when he made Dangerfield eat dirt on the way to another Norm Smith - it was beautiful.

I've always loved that he gives the media absolutely nothing. It doesn't work for everyone but it suits him perfectly, and ironically it has made him even more of a superstar.

[ledge]

Now Hawkins has retired , coming thick and fast but this was always going to happen.

[comrade]

Now Hawkins has retired , coming thick and fast but this was always going to happen.

Can Cameron and Danger retire too?

[jazzadogs]

Richmond shared a graphic with King Dusty sitting on a throne, with a number of opposition players in front like they are worshipping him. Fyfe, Danger, Naicos, Reid, Neale...thankfully they didn't dare to include Bont! Thought it was a pretty classless graphic. Have all his premiership teammates worshipping him, not opposition!

Can you say that Dusty had exceptional moments in his career and his best is unmatched, but his overall career was overrated? I don't think he was anywhere near consistent as many of his contemporaries...even Hawkins you could argue had a better or comparable career. Even if you give one or two of his Norms to Houli it changes the story...

[Happy Days]

My bravest take is that Dusty’s only really generational finals performance was the 2020 GF in a lightning premiership game. You could’ve raffled those other two Norms.

His 2017 season is the best season ever though, undeniable.

[Sedat]

My bravest take is that Dusty’s only really generational finals performance was the 2020 GF in a lightning premiership game. You could’ve raffled those other two Norms.

His 2017 season is the best season ever though, undeniable.
He was massive in other finals between 2017-2020 as well. Just ask Brisbane supporters what a mess he made of them at the GABBA in a couple of those QF's. Also the 2019 PF against Geelong was in serious jeopardy until Dusty virtually single-handedly got them over the line in the 2nd half.

I thank Dusty enormously for being the key barrier to preventing 2 potential additional Geelong flags in 2019 and 2020 - the Chris Scott and Dangerfield smug-o-meters would have been off the charts if that spew-worthy scenario eventuated (2022 never happened as far as I'm concerned as there was zero evidence of its existence from the Greek Islands at the time).

[Axe Man]

Imagine if Dusty took the monster deal from North? He would still have 2017, but probably not much else worth remembering. Certainly an occasion where forgoing the extra dollars was the correct decision.

[angelopetraglia]

Dusty not even turning up to his own retirement presser is so Dustin Martin. But it does irriate me just a little. Without the fans and the media he doesn't have anything, he can repay just a little. Something? Anything? You don't need to front every single media and do the rounds but just a few words to thank your fans, the club and the game for making you an immortal icon .... just drop us mere mortals a few words.

[Sedat]

Can you say that Dusty had exceptional moments in his career and his best is unmatched, but his overall career was overrated?
It depends what you rate. Premierships and elite performances on the big stage are the litmus test for all players (that's why Bont is so highly regarded outside the kennel because he had one hand on the Norm in 2021, and he was sneaky close to BOG in 2016 as a teenager).

Dusty has 3 flags and 3 Norms, and a Brownlow for good measure as well as multiple B&F's and AA's in premiership years - if one of our players somehow managed that, they would be deified for life and rightly so. Even if the Norms could have gone to others, he was top 2-3 players on the ground at worst. And he was massive in other key finals as well. It's an unmatched CV at the pointy end.

[whythelongface]

It depends what you rate. Premierships and elite performances on the big stage are the litmus test for all players (that's why Bont is so highly regarded outside the kennel because he had one hand on the Norm in 2021, and he was sneaky close to BOG in 2016 as a teenager).

Dusty has 3 flags and 3 Norms, and a Brownlow for good measure as well as multiple B&F's and AA's in premiership years - if one of our players somehow managed that, they would be deified for life and rightly so. Even if the Norms could have gone to others, he was top 2-3 players on the ground at worst. And he was massive in other key finals as well. It's an unmatched CV at the pointy end.

100%. He may not have been consistently good in all his games but when it counted he was remarkable. Close to the best. Just a wonderful wonderful player.

[chef]

Best clutch player I've seen, absolute legend.

Also love how he doesn't want anything to do with the media.

[bornadog]

Best clutch player I've seen, absolute legend.

Also love how he doesn't want anything to do with the media.

Me too.

Dusty - I am retiring, see you later.

Gone

[Sedat]

Me too.

Dusty - I am retiring, see you later.

Gone
Heeney did more media after a 1 week suspension than Dusty did over the course of 302 games and 15 years.

[bornadog]

Heeney did more media after a 1 week suspension than Dusty did over the course of 302 games and 15 years.

so true

https://media3.giphy.com/media/gj0QdZ9FgqGhOBNlFS/200w.gif

[Grantysghost]

Heeney did more media after a 1 week suspension than Dusty did over the course of 302 games and 15 years.

I thought doing it at Bondi in his budgie smugglers was a little over the top even for I to the Saac.

Speaking of Isaac I manage a guy who played underage footy with him in Sydney. He said he just ran around everyone like they weren't there.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

It was a joy to watch Dusty at full flight and I echo Sedat's thoughts on his ability to deny Geelong 2 flags. That alone immortalises him in my eyes.

Is it weird that I literally watched highlights of him from the 2020 GF just a few days ago?

The guy was incredible in big games and virtually unstoppable in 1-v-1s.

[Happy Days]

Heeney did more media after a 1 week suspension than Dusty did over the course of 302 games and 15 years.

Exact moment they fell off btw.

[Sedat]

Exact moment they fell off btw.
Yep, don't think I've seen a bigger media douche move by a player/club in years. Toby Greene mocking this was absolutely brilliant.

Martin's (non)media strategy is proof that less often leads to more. He has forged an extremely lucrative career outside of footy and he gave absolutely nothing to the media during that time. Often when you are too available and too open as an elite professional sportsman, your commercial brand becomes diminished.