Dustin Martin is worth every dollar clubs throw at him, writes Jon Ralph

CHAT RE-CAP: Do you agree Richmond should sell the farm to keep Dustin Martin? Jon Ralph believes North Melbourne’s mega offer could prove inspired.

Dustin Martin will decide his future at the end of the season. Picture: AAP

IF you are writing a $10 million cheque, you don’t want it to bounce.

This week Richmond’s wasted investment in Chris Yarran has resurfaced at the same time as they are weighing the risks of a Dustin Martin mega-deal.

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Should the Tigers match a rival bid at any cost, or is there a breaking point at which Martin’s price becomes overblown?

Time will tell, but paying most 26-year-olds more than $1.2 million over seven years borders on insanity.

Not Dustin Martin.

Martin is about to show his limitations as a marketing figure, set to win every AFL end-of-year award on offer and unlikely to provide a series of riveting interviews.

Already Richmond and media organisations are this week starting to work through how they tackle that challenge, given Martin is the most reluctant of interviewees.

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But on every score so far Martin is worth whatever money anyone wants to throw at him.

Few players have provided the bang for buck Martin has, the durability, the star power, the membership draw, the consistent matchwinning performances.

There is a strong argument to say that Martin has been among the four most consistent players in the AFL these past eight seasons.

Dustin Martin could command a minimum $1.2 million over seven years. Picture: AAP

He’s clearly not the greatest — September heroics play a part in that judgment.

Yet if you were considering the risk-reward proposition of signing him on a seven-year deal of $8.4 million or above, he ticks every box.

In those eight seasons he has played 174 of a possible 178 games, rested by the club once in his first year and forced to serve a two-week internal suspension in 2012.

He also missed Round 22, 2014 with a minor hamstring injury that was as much of a freshener as anything else.

That’s it.

He doesn’t get suspended (touch wood), doesn’t get injured, just plays to a ridiculously high standard each week.

Only 26 in June, a seven-year deal would see him hitting 33 at the end of his contract.

By that stage you can imagine him playing exclusively as a small forward in the mould of Leigh Matthews, kicking his 40 goals a year as a matchwinner.

Martin remains one of the top handful of one-on-one players in the forward 50, likely to be the smaller version of Alastair Lynch ageing gracefully despite a long-term deal.

Aside from 2012’s 10th placed Jack Dyer finish, he has never been out of the top four in seven completed seasons, about to win his second in succession.

He is in the conversation as the most consistent, which is remarkable in itself given his career is only eight years old.

Ahead of him a trio of 29-year-olds have put together some of the most awesome best-and-fairest results you would ever want to consider.

Martin will be worth his huge price tag. Picture: Getty Images

Scott Pendlebury has finished first (five times) or second in every Copeland Trophy since 2010 and might have been leading this year’s until a Round 17 finger injury.

Sydney’s Josh Kennedy hasn’t finished outside the top three since 2010 and will almost certainly win the Bob Skilton Medal again.

And Joel Selwood has finished top three in every Carji Greeves Medal since 2010 except for a sixth-placing in 2011, where he missed six games.

Only the Tigers know whether they have spare salary cap room if they can match an offer that hovers closer to $1.5 million.

As a firebrand teenager no one knew how he would turn out, but you would bet the house on him to remain a power for seven seasons to come.

BEST & FAIREST FINISHES

DUSTIN MARTIN (Richmond)

2010: 4th

2011: 3rd

2012: 10th

2013: 2nd

2014: 3rd

2015: 2nd

2016: 1st

2017: Likely 1st

JOSH KENNEDY (Sydney)

2010: 3rd

2011: 2nd

2012: 1st

2013: 3rd

2014: 2nd

2015: 1st

2016: 1st

2017: Likely 1st

JOEL SELWOOD (Geelong)

2010: 1st

2011: 6th (Missed 5 games)

2012: 2nd

2013: 1st

2014: 1st

2015: 3rd

2016: 2nd

2017: Will miss too many games

SCOTT PENDLEBURY (Collingwood)

2010: 2nd

2011: 1st

2012: 2nd

2013: 1st

2014: 1st

2015: 1st

2016: 1st

2017: Will miss too many games