AFL 2025: Richmond coach Adem Yze ramps up pitch to secure Dustin Martin as specialist coach

Richmond coach Adem Yze says he would “love to have” AFL and club great Dustin Martin make his return to Tigerland.

The doors at Punt Rd are “always open” for a Dusty homecoming.

AFL great Dustin Martin has made a quiet exit from the spotlight since his retirement but roared back into conversations when he was recently spotted in the changerooms.

Richmond coach Adem Yze has since said he would love to have Martin alongside him at training and ramped up his pitch on Wednesday.

Yze said he saw a glimpse of Martin’s unmatched knowledge last year as he taught his then teammates things few coaches could.

“I did have our coaches’ T-shirt for him when he walked in a few weeks ago,” Yze said with a laugh.

Dustin Martin celebrates one of his 338 career goals. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

“He’s an amazing Richmond man but not only that he’s such a smart player.

“He would hate being here presenting, but out there the things he could teach our younger forwards would be things we can’t coach.

“The door is always open for him, depending what he wants to do with his future, come and mentor, be a skills coach, he would be more than welcome.

“If he does decide to go down that path we would love for him to have our colours on – I know if he does he would have such a good impact on a lot of young players.”

Yze said Martin wouldn’t enjoy the attached extras to coaching such as presenting in big meetings or to the media.

But he was confident Martin had a passion to teach and saw it in his reluctance to leave the club in that recent visit.

“The impact he could have on a lot of our younger boys, I know Sammy Lalor when he met him a couple of weeks ago was starstruck,” Yze said.

Richmond coach Adem Yze says he would ‘love to have’ AFL and club great Dustin Martin make his return to Tigerland. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

“I am so clear on the impact he could have with our players, there’s no better player to teach goalkicking, snapping and just execution with the footy – we’d love to have him.

“During his playing days he didn’t like this (meeting) room especially, he didn’t like that pressure, but in a line meeting he was so good, let alone one-on-one.

“His impact he had all throughout his career was high-level coaching in different environments, I think he’d be very good at it.

“The good thing about it, that day he didn’t want to go home – he still loves the place and feels a part of the place.

“He’s a great Richmond man, a lot of our first-year players were in awe of him and we still are – he was an amazing player and is an amazing person.”

Originally published as AFL 2025: Richmond coach Adem Yze ramps up pitch to secure Dustin Martin as specialist coach