Richmond is beginning to entertain the possibility of Dustin Martin leaving the club, with the prospect of him joining the Sydney Swans “certainly” being considered, according to Caroline Wilson.
Rumours surrounding Martin’s future at Richmond have been rife all season, particularly after Tigers coach Damien Hardwick said the three-time Norm Smith Medal winner had his blessings for a move elsewhere.
Martin comes out of contract at the end of 2024 where he would become an unrestricted free agent, meaning Sydney would have to execute a trade to bring him across the border.
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Wilson, who had previously emphatically shut down suggestions of Martin playing for another club, now said those within Punt Road are preparing for the possibility of it happening.
“I thought the talk about Sydney was a complete furphy, I’m now hearing that perhaps it’s on,” she told Nine’s Footy Classified. “It’s certainly something that is being considered.
“Sydney have shown some interest, not directly necessarily, in Dustin Martin. Dustin Martin, according to people at the club, just isn’t quite as engaged as he was in the past.
“For the first time, I think there are people at Richmond who are looking at life beyond Dustin Martin.”
Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd said it would be sad to see Martin playing for a club other than Richmond, where he is a three-time premiership winner, but said the Tigers could benefit from a break-up.
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“I think it’ll be a sad thing for people at Richmond because wouldn’t you love for Dustin Martin to be a one-club player,” he said.
“If it does happen, I don’t think it’ll be the worst thing for the Richmond Football Club. Dustin has just turned 31. What would he be on, $1.2 to $1.4 million a season? So there’s a lot money at 31 years of age.
“I reckon it’s a big risk for the Sydney Swans to be honest, to be taking on a 31-year-old. He won’t be going there for two years, he’ll be going there on a three or four-year contract.”
However, former AFL coach Ross Lyon urged Richmond to try to hold onto Martin.
“I’m the polar opposite,” he said in response to Lloyd’s comments.
“He’s a legend of the club and we’re taking the short-term view here. The grieving process – he was incredibly close to his father – he has got a broken heart.
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“It’s 16 weeks, four months (since Martin took personal leave). Different personalities work through stages differently.
“He’ll come out. There’s no better club (for him), Brendon Gale is a strong leader, this in Dustin’s life can be worked through and he’ll come out the other side and I’d love for him to come out of the other side at the Richmond Football Club. We’ll lose him in Sydney.”
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