Dustin Martin retires from AFL, Richmond confirms farewell during round 24 game against Gold Coast
Dustin Martin had been ‘indecisive’ for weeks – but this morning he made the final call and told his teammates. Plus, Brendon Gale confirms Richmond fans will have one final chance to say goodbye.
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Richmond supporters will get another chance to farewell Dustin Martin when the Tigers face Gold Coast at the MCG in the final round of the season.
Tigers chief executive Brendon Gale said Martin would attend the round 24 clash to say goodbye to fans after the superstar announced his immediate retirement on Tuesday.
Gale said Martin’s decision to call time on his 302-game career had not come as a surprise, revealing the 33-year-old had been in an “indecisive” state for weeks over his future.
Fronting the media without the elusive Richmond great, Gale said the game had become too “physically and mentally challenging” for Martin to continue on into a 16th season.
“It’s been a work in progress for a little while I guess … there was a meeting with the players this morning,” Gale said.
“He spoke with the players, spoke very well – he was emotional, he spoke of his love for the players, his teammates.
“Dustin loves his teammates and he loves the club. He expressed that, and there were no surprises – just appreciation and gratitude.”
Gale believed Martin had been close to hanging up the boots immediately after his 300th game against Hawthorn, which had been a fitting celebration in front of a huge MCG crowd of 92,311.
“It didn’t sit well with him, it was a difficult decision for him to make. The game was hard physically for him to get up each week,” Gale said.
“I just thought (the 300th game) was a wonderful occasion, an incredible occasion and one of those memories people keep forever.
“We wanted him to arrive at the decision in his own way, in his own time. We felt we owed him that, and he was indecisive.”
Gale, who said his favourite Martin moment was his four-goal masterclass in the 2020 grand final, thought the four-time All-Australian still underestimated his own importance to the sport.
“To this day, I don’t think Dustin really understands his standing in our game, in our club and his impact,” he said.
“That’s the humility of the man – he’s a man that is incredibly humble despite everything he’s achieved, everything he’s done.
“He’ll be turning up at our round 24 game against Gold Coast at the MCG. There will be another opportunity for him to acknowledge the club and the fans, and importantly they can acknowledge him.
“Look, the 300th game against Hawthorn … it was an incredible occasion, he spoke so sincerely and authentically and it will be hard to match that, but round 24 will be another important occasion.”
Gale reflected on the crossroads Martin found himself at during the 2017 season before he decided to knock back a mammoth contract offer from North Melbourne to remain at Punt Road.
He said Martin agreeing to a deal with the Kangaroos could have been “closer than what I thought”.
“Sometimes players in those situations have a disengaged look about them … I never saw that, I never experienced it,” Gale said.
“We wanted him at the time to explore all the options available to him and make a really, really strong decision, not withstanding the offers that were in front of him.
“He made a really strong decision, didn’t he? And the rest is history.”
Dusty calls time on a remarkable career
Dustin Martin has announced his retirement.
The Richmond champion and three-time Norm Smith medallist told his teammates at Punt Rd this morning.
Like he has done things for so much of his iconic career, Martin ended things on his terms.
Just as fellow superstar Lance Franklin did, Martin walks into the sunset without a farewell game, without a farewell press conference, safe in the knowledge his legend will live forever as one of the game’s greatest.
The three-time Norm Smith medallist, triple premiership player, Brownlow Medallist, four-time All Australian, three-time Gary Ayers Medallist, and dual club best and fairest was lauded for the “profound” effect he had on the game after confirming his retirement, with immediate effect.
Martin retires as one of the most celebrated footballers of his generation, one of the best finals players of all time, and Richmond declared him “an icon”.
Collingwood legend Nathan Buckley was quick to highlight the stunning impact Martin had on the Tigers from the moment he made his debut in 2010.
“What he’s done on the field and what he was able to do with his club over a long period of time was profound,” he told SEN.
“He’s played the sixth most games ever for Richmond and he’s kicked the 11th most goals ever for Richmond. He’s done everything there is to do in the game and he can rest easy. He emptied himself out and contributed everything he had to give.”
Another Tiger legend, Matthew Richardson said “Thanks for the joy you gave the Tiger army” in a post on X.
Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said it was obvious to all Martin would be an “amazing player” before he even played his first AFL game.
“I remember way, way back when Richmond drafted Dusty, and one of my great mates Jase Taylor is Melbourne’s national recruiting manager,“ Beveridge said on Tuesday as the news reverberated around the AFL.
“Jase said to me at the time, ‘I love this kid, he’s just going to be an amazing player’. He’s usually pretty right, Jase, and he definitely was with Dusty ... when you think of the heroics during (Richmond’s) premiership years and what he’s been able to do.
“I have nothing but respect and admiration for him, and on behalf of our club we wish him well with whatever the next part of his journey is.”
Martin rarely did interviews throughout his stunning 302 game career, and stayed true to form as he bowed out, offering his love and thanks for Richmond via a club statement
“It is hard to put into words what the Richmond Football Club means to me, I love this place so much,” Martin said.
“I will be forever grateful for the love and the support I have received from the people here.
“To my teammates, the brotherhood that we all share is what I value most as well as the bond with the staff and coaches … thank you to all of you.
“To my family and friends, thank you for your unconditional love and support.
“To the Tiger Army, I have always felt loved and supported throughout my career, and for that, I will be forever grateful. The memories that we have created together will live with me forever. Thank you.”
Martin, 33, played 302 games and booted 338 goals but had battled back issues in 2024 which limited him to just 13 games in the final year of his seven-year contract.
But he has officially put to bed speculation of a possible reunion with former coach Damien Hardwick at the Gold Coast Suns by hanging up his boots.
Richmond chief executive Brendon Gale echoed that it was hard to put into words Martin’s contribution to the club.
“So much has been said about Dustin’s impact on our club and the competition, but more than anything, and put simply, I think it is the joy that he gave the Tiger Army and those around him that might mean the most,” Gale said.
“Three premierships and best on ground in each of them will always be his legend, and rightly it, along with his unique aura, will be what he is best remembered for.
“But I think Dustin would be most proud of what he was able to achieve playing for a team, for our team, and the magnificent role he was able to play within that system which let him be every bit the footballing genius that he was always destined to be.
“That genius was most evident when the stakes were at their highest, when the crowd was at its loudest, when all eyes were on him and when the moments needed a hero.
“Dustin did it his way, and we are all just so lucky to have been Richmond people during his era of dominance. So, all I can say on behalf of everyone associated with our great club is thank you to an icon. To our icon.”
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