AFL Rich 100: Dustin Martin remains the highest paid player in the AFL as he completes the final stages of his $9 million deal
There is one more year to run on Dustin Martin’ $9 million deal at Richmond, but speculation about finishing his career at another club won’t go away. What would a move cost him?
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Richmond superstar Dustin Martin has the fattest contract in the game this year as he looks to fulfil the final component of his whopping $9 million deal at Richmond next season.
The champion forward is on at least $1.25m-$1.35m in 2023 to edge out Fremantle’s dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe ($1.05m-$1.15m) as the AFL’s top earner, according to the AFL Rich 100 List.
Eagles’ intercept king Jeremy McGovern, midfield teammate Tim Kelly and inspirational Western Bulldogs’ captain Marcus Bontempelli are all on $1m-$1.1m, meaning bottom-placed West Coast has two of the top-five highest-paid players in the game as they sink towards the worst-ever finish in the club’s history.
Powerhouse Melbourne pair Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca, who have signed bumper long-term deals to stay at the club until at least 2029, are sixth and seventh on about $950,000-$1.05m each.
Geelong premiership spearhead Jeremy Cameron has reaped the rewards of his move to the Cattery both on and off the field, while Richmond premiership key forward and best-and-fairest winner Tom Lynch and flying Collingwood defender Darcy Moore round out the top 10.
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Moore is the only defender inside the top 10, while there are four GWS Giants playmakers hovering next in line in a sign of the enormous salary cap pressures which forced the club to jettison Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper to the Tigers last year.
Martin, 31, turned down as much as $1.5 million per season from North Melbourne when he re-signed the whopping contract at Tigerland on the back of his stunning Brownlow Medal season in 2017.
And despite a persistent hamstring injury last season on the back of serious kidney injury in 2021, Martin has delivered incredible bang for buck on the historic deal, helping to guide Richmond to three premierships.
In that stunning stretch since the start of 2017, the aggressive playmaker has won three Norm Smith Medals and ranked fifth in the league for score involvements and inside 50s, according to Champion Data.
Only Tom Hawkins and Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong), Jack Macrae and Bontempelli (Bulldogs) and Petracca (Melbourne) have racked up more score involvements in that time, showcasing Martin’s lethal impact in the forward half.
There was speculation Martin would consider leaving Richmond for the final season of his contract next year, in a bid to help reinvigorate the Tigers’ list following the departure of coach Damien Hardwick.
But Martin’s manager Ralph Carr, who orchestrated the $9 million deal at Richmond after two meetings with North Melbourne’s senior leaders, has denied Martin is interested in a fresh start north of the border, barring a shock backflip from his client.
The two Sydney clubs as well as Gold Coast have been linked to a move on Martin to help the tattooed cult figure escape the Melbourne football fishbowl, but Carr has been adamant Martin is fully invested at Punt Rd.
In any case, Martin would likely have to accept a considerable pay cut to move elsewhere for next season, regardless of any AFL ambassador payments which could be added on top of a new salary at a franchise club.
Martin is again expected to be at the top end of footy’s pay rankings next year with an expected salary of $1.2m-$1.3m as Richmond’s highest-paid player.
But goal kicking midfielder Shai Bolton is expected to close the pay gap on Martin in 2024 after receiving a considerable pay rise in his whopping five-year contract extension which Bolton signed last season in recognition for his supreme midfield talents.
Martin has again been one of the Tigers’ most damaging and consistent players this season, averaging 21 disposals and one goal a game through the first 12 matches of the home-and-away rounds.
Speculation is certain to swirl around whether Martin will play on beyond this deal when it concludes in late 2024, but any decision seems unlikely until later next season as the Tigers adjust to a new coach and chase another finals appearance.
The Eagles are certain to face heavy scrutiny for their salary cap management with star midfielder Kelly and McGovern both paid remarkably well this season in a team which has won only three matches since round 19, 2021.
McGovern will sign a new contract for next season at West Coast as the club prepares to begin saving money to have a crack at Western Bulldogs pair Aaron Naughton and Tim English, both of whom originally come from Western Australia.
Melbourne has managed its salary cap smartly to keep powerhouse midfielders Petracca and Oliver despite enormous rival interest in their signatures, along with star defenders Jake Lever and Steven May, and jet ruckmen Max Gawn and Brodie Grundy.
The Demons have not yet maxed out their salary cap, with the club still believed to have a little bit of wiggle room, despite amassing one of the most talented lists in the competition.
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