Dustin Martin’s manager Ralph Carr wants the AFL to introduce loyalty clause in contracts for free agents

THE manager of Dus­tin Martin has praised the Richmond star’s mental strength to withstand the intense contract scrutiny but has no regrets about the protracted nature of the talks.

RALPH Carr has praised Dus­tin Martin’s mental strength to withstand six months of intense contract scrutiny and emerge as the season’s best player.

Manager Carr said he had no regrets about the protracted nature of the talks, saying free agency was a “necessary evil”.

He emerged as the master tactician, eventually securing his client nearly $500,000 a season more than Richmond’s initial offer.

UNTOLD STORY: WHERE IT ALL STARTED FOR MARTIN

TOUGH QUESTION: DANGER OR DUSTY - WHO WOULD YOU TAKE?

MATES RATES: WHY DUSTY GAVE UP $2 MILLION TO STAY

MANAGER’S HARD BARGAIN: THE ART OF RALPH

He called on the AFL to consider a loyalty discount for star free agents to help them stay one-club players.

The AFL has rolled its veterans’ allowance into the salary cap this year, but Carr fears it will be increasingly difficult for clubs to hold onto stars.

The Tigers increased their offer to more than $1.2 million per season, a figure near Nat Fyfe’s new free agency deal.

Dustin Martin with manager Ralph Carr after he returned to Melbourne from New Zealand. Picture: Jay Town

Carr pledged to do everything in his power to ensure Richmond gets full value for Martin’s seven-year deal.

He said Martin, 26, had stayed strong since January, when the Herald Sun revealed he would defer talks until the end of the season.

“It is pretty amazing. It was long and protracted and I feel sorry for the supporters. I was getting a lot of emails and I ­responded to every one, saying please be patient,” Carr said.

“He is pretty tough in that area. I am thrilled with the ­decision and my priority is to do whatever I can to help them get the best out of Dusty.

“I have been doing this for 25 years and some negotiations take a minute and other ones take years.

“There is not one formula for players or artists — it is all ­individualised, there are different negotiations for different talent.

“We are at a point where it is fair to Richmond and fair to Dusty. We didn’t want to rip Richmond off and, as I said to Trent Cotchin last night, I want Richmond to win a flag.”

The Tigers now have five players on significant wages — Alex Rance, Cotchin, Jack Riewoldt and Dion Prestia.

The club has no other stars to re-sign and has locked away its best players long-term.

Riewoldt, Rance, Daniel Rioli and Shane Edwards are signed until 2019, Cotchin is safe until 2020 and Prestia is locked away until 2021.

The veterans’ rule once saw half the wage of loyal servants excluded from the salary cap, before that was cut to $115,000.

Under new CBA changes the veterans are now inside the cap, giving no ­help to clubs trying to ­retain long-serving stars.

Carr said AFL clubs were being left exposed to rivals trying to rip established talent away with monster offers.

“You need to have free agency, but they have got to alter it,” he said.

“I have been an advocate of that for a number of years, a loyalty clause where if you have been at a club since its ­inception there should be some advantage to the club to pay extra money without being disadvantaged in the cap.”