Dustin Martin dominated the AFL landscape in 2017 like few have before
THE 2017 AFL year was dominated by one man. From his contract saga to all the awards and a fairytale flag, here’s a look back at 12 months of Dusty.
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THE 2017 AFL year was dominated by one man, to an extent rarely — if ever — seen before.
Dustin Martin inspired headlines from the moment he put contract talks on hold a year ago to when he lifted the cup on Grand Final day after a Richmond premiership no one saw coming.
Along the way he collected an astonishing collection of trophies and awards, travelled to New Zealand to see his exiled father, signed a seven-year mega contract, maybe got a new tattoo and played babysitter to Trent Cotchin’s young daughters.
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Remarkably, none of it seemed to go to his head. The kid from Castlemaine known to the world as Dusty maintained his shy, somewhat mysterious demeanour, offering only rare insights into what makes him tick.
From his contract saga to all the awards and a fairytale flag, here’s a look back at 12 months of Dusty.
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THE SEASON
For the record, his stats for the year were 479 kicks, 265 handballs, 103 marks, 37 goals, 37 frees for and 44 against, 88 tackles, 23 running bounces, zero hitouts and about 100 of his trademark don’t argues.
His best individual game came against North Melbourne in Round 11 when he busted the game open with 38 disposals, eight marks, six tackles, nine clearances, nine inside-50s and two goals.
Either in the midfield or in the goalsquare, he was almost unstoppable.
THE SAGA
When Martin indicated he was putting talks about a new contract on hold, multiple clubs including Essendon and St Kilda were rumoured to be backing up the truck with huge cash offers to lure him away from Tigerland.
In the end it came down to a monster offer from North Melbourne that took Martin to the brink of leaving. At one stage he even met with Kangaroos coach Brad Scott and senior players including captain Jack Ziebell — he said that driving to the meetings “I felt like I was cheating on my girlfriend”.
On a pre-finals trip to New Zealand with manager Ralph Carr, Martin and his father weighed up his options.
“We flew over to see Dad, got a hotel room, bunked up in there and just put it all out on the table and had lengthy conversations and spoke about what I wanted and what would be best for my future. Within an hour or two we had a decision,” Martin said on August 31.
“There were plenty of conversations but in the end Richmond’s home to me.”
THE FINALS
Martin almost single-handedly carried the Tigers into the Grand Final with virtuoso performances against Geelong and the Giants.
The 10 minutes either side of three-quarter time in both games was ‘Dusty time’, with Martin producing awesome bursts that generated multiple Richmond goals.
In the Grand Final there was less of the breathtaking runs and more grit and power as he repeatedly beat multiple opponents to win the footy and release teammates.
He capped it off with a goal over his shoulder in the final quarter that put the result — and his Norm Smith Medal — beyond doubt.
THE AWARDS
Martin’s year was recognised with an unparalleled series of awards and medals, culminating in a record-breaking Brownlow win.
In a short speech, he thanked his family, manager, coach and teammates: “This medal is because of each of you and the connection we have and the support we give each other. I couldn’t think of a better group of guys to go into a Grand Final with.”
BROWNLOW WIN: DUSTIN MARTIN’S FULL BROWNLOW SPEECH
CHARLIE IN DETAIL: EVERY GAME, EVERY VOTE
Dusty's 2017 trophy cabinet
- Brownlow Medal
- Polled a record 36 votes including a record 11 best on grounds to edge out Patrick Dangerfield (33) with Tom Mitchell (25) third.
- Norm Smith Medal
- Earned 13 of a possible 15 votes in the Grand Final after collecting 28 disposals and two goals. Bachar Houli polled 10 votes.
- AFL MVP
- Became the first Tiger to take home the Leigh Matthews trophy after earning 1333 votes in the award voted on by fellow players.
- Jack Dyer Medal
- Won back-to-back Richmond best-and-fairests, polling 89 votes to edge out Alex Rance and surprise third-place Kane Lambert.
- Premiership Medal
- Also a Tigers life member after helping break a 37-year premiership drought.
- AFLCA Player of the Year
- Also claimed the coaches association award with a record vote tally. Martin's total of 122 was four clear of Dangerfield.
- Gary Ayres Medal
- Being named player of the finals series added to Dusty's incredible 2017 haul.
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Originally published as Dustin Martin dominated the AFL landscape in 2017 like few have before