Dustin Martin set to sign biggest contract of his career, and all thanks to Ralph Carr

DUSTIN Martin’s contract stand-off is Travis Cloke all over again: a year-long will he-or-won’t he rollercoaster where rival offers were bigger and better, and the same man was at the centre of both.

HOW’S your sense of deja vu, Collingwood fans?

Five years after an out of contract Travis Cloke took Collingwood on a year-long will he-or-won’t he rollercoaster, Dustin Martin strapped Richmond onto the same ride.

In both instances it was the biggest payday in the player’s career, yet in both instances the rival offers were bigger and better.

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Ralph Carr and Dustin Martin arrive back from New Zealand. Picture: Jay Town

In both instances club legends begged for the restricted free agent to re-sign.

And in both cases there was a bloke named Ralph Carr.

Contract stand-offs for Carr are par for the course. This is not a crack at Carr; it’s closer to the opposite.

As one Carr client said this week: “You want him on your team cause s--- gets done. That’s the best thing about him.

“Out of anyone I’ve ever seen, he is the best at talking people around. It’s the art of Ralph. He is the best convincer out there when it comes to changing minds, changing attitudes and changing perceptions.”

Dustin Martin is set to sign the biggest offer in Richmond history. Picture: AAP

Richmond’s offer for Martin earlier this year sat at $825,000 a year for four years.

By late August it was seven years at $1.1 million a year and the biggest offer in Tigers history.

The influential onballer is on around $635,000 this season.

The Pies in early 2012 offered Cloke a four-year deal at $700,000.

By September that year he was signing a five-year contract worth around $800,000 a season, with the last year incentive-based and ultimately not fulfilled.

A passionate Carlton supporter and former board member, Carr launched RCM Sport in 2012 as an offshoot to Ralph Carr Management.

“It’s dealing with clients I see as brands”, he said.

Travis Cloke, who was also managed by Ralph Carr, signed the biggest deal of his career at the end of 2012. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

The man who managed — and married — Chains singer Tina Arena, has had the Richmond and Collingwood board in chains as they desperately try to keep their marquee men.

The manager to the stars — literally — deals with singers more often than footballers.

In 2017 Carr’s AFL stable contains Martin and young teammate Shai Bolton and GWS’ Nick Haynes.

Where the AFL’s more prominent managers may need to keep the waters calm for other clients, Carr has no such concerns.

Where other managers who push hard for the best deal for one player may affect a teammate of similar ability also in their stable, Carr doesn’t need to worry.

Put simply, he doesn’t need to make friends. Just get the best deal.

Ralph Carr with Dustin Martin in 2012. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

We’ve been here before with Martin and Richmond contracts anyway. Who can forget the hard hats and the GWS facility tour in 2013?

Former player manager Ricky Nixon, who handled Martin’s previous Tigers contract, was one of many at the time to question Carr’s handling of the situation.

“How could you take your client to Sydney for a meeting without a written offer on the table?” Nixon said.

But Carr doesn’t do uniform.

If football is volatile, entertainment is like fire walking. In an industry where stars and their managers can be a case of early ripe, early rotten, Carr has been a 25-year constant.

We’re not sure when Nick Haynes is out of contract. But when he is, God help the Giants.