Dustin Martin’s manager confirms multiple clubs have expressed interest in the superstar

After 92,000 people showed their adoration for Dustin Martin on the weekend, attention is turning to the superstar’s future. JON RALPH has the update on Dusty.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIAÉ June 15, 2024. AFL Round 14. Richmond vs. Hawthorn at the MCG. Richmonds Dustin Martin during the 4th qtr. . Pic: Michael Klein

Richmond says Jacob Hopper will return against Carlton next week alongside 300-gamer Dustin Martin as his manager Ralph Carr made clear his star would play out the 2024 AFL season.

Martin appeared to quash those retirement rumours when he said in the post-match of his return after the bye: “Yeah mate, freshen up for the bye and we’ll see how we go”.

The Tigers will assess Jack Graham’s hamstring tightness, with coach Adem Yze saying it wasn’t worth risking him after he was battling soreness with only three minutes left in the loss to Hawthorn.

Hopper will return from his own hamstring issue against Carlton, while the Tigers are hopeful Dion Prestia (calf) will also be there in for the Sunday afternoon clash.

Shai Bolton will also be fit after a corked leg as Richmond’s midfield core gets closer to full strength.

Martin’s future remains a significant discussion point in the AFL.

Carr confirmed the Herald Sun’s reporting that multiple clubs had asked about Martin’s future in recent weeks.

Asked on 3AW if clubs had “kicked his tyres” about his plans for 2025, he said: “Yes, a number of them”.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIAÉ June 15, 2024. AFL Round 14. Richmond vs. Hawthorn at the MCG. Richmonds Dustin Martin during the 4th qtr. . Pic: Michael Klein

But he said “I think he should” play on next year and believes it might still be at Richmond.

“I am hoping so. We often have those discussions at the end of the year and we don’t like to talk about it during the year so it’s one of those things.”

Coach Adem Yze made clear Martin was still making a valuable contribution on and off the field.

“He will discuss (his retirement) as it gets closer to the end of the year, right now he’s in a really good space, he’s training well, he’s enjoying training and he’s loving being around the footy club,” Yze said.

Yze said the club was determined to continue playing kids to give them chances even as the likes of Hopper, Taranto and Lynch returned to the senior side.

Richmond is one of many clubs who are hopeful the AFL does not change its draft points system despite AFL football boss Laura Kane making clear it was a possibility.

Richmond is the most affected of any club given it has stockpiled a collection of late-draft picks it had hoped to use to trade up the draft order.

Clubs like Carlton, Gold Coast and Brisbane would have hoped to trade early picks with Richmond for a collection of later selections worth more points.

But it is possible the AFL might rule all picks over 40 have no points value, which means they are useless for matching bids.

Richmond has Fremantle and West Coast’s third-round picks as well as Port Adelaide and Collingwood’s fourth-round picks.

Added up, those picks could have been worth a first-round selection so the Tigers will be desperate for the AFL’s tweaks to the system to come next year or not affect the points value of draft selections.