Dustin Martin breaks silence on Suns move in two word statement

Richmond legend Dustin Martin has broken his silence on his much-discussed potential move to the Gold Coast Suns.

Dustin Martin is “happily retired”. Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

Richmond legend Dustin Martin has broken his silence on coming out of retirement for a potential move to the Gold Coast Suns.

Speculation has been rife that Martin would reunite with former premiership winning coach Damien Hardwick at the Suns but as yet, the 33-year-old AFL legend had kept quiet on the situation.

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However, the quietly spoken Martin said a lot with just two words at the Tigers’ best and fairest awards.

Arriving at the Jack Dyer Medal on Tuesday night, Martin told 9News Melbourne that he was “happily retired”.

The 2017 Brownlow Medallist and three-time Norm Smith Medal winner pulled the plug on his AFL career after the Tigers’ last game of the season, announcing his retirement with immediate effect.

Dusty looks likely to stay a one-club man. Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

All season Martin had been linked with a move north to the Gold Coast and the speculation didn’t end after his retirement after the Suns confirmed talks.

“Dustin has reached out to the club but that’s as far as it goes at this point in time,” Suns CEO Mark Evans revealed via the Herald Sun last month.

Hardwick himself spoke on the situation the following week.

“We’ve had conversations,” he began on Fox Footy.

“What we’ve just got to sit there and figure out is: ‘Can it work for both of us? Is it a viable option for both parties? Are we motivated to go into this?’

“And look, there’s no rush from our point of view — those sorts of decisions aren’t made until about a month’s time.”

But while there appeared to be some momentum behind a potential move during the season, the will appears to have cooled somewhat.

The Herald Sun’s Jon Ralph said that if the Suns signed Martin, they’d have to “move on a required player”, and suggested: “If the Suns were to make a decision on Martin now it would be unlikely they would invite him to continue his career at the club.”

Dustin Martin broke his silence on his mooted Suns move. Picture: Mark Stewart

Speaking on AFL 360 on Monday night, former Tigers teammate and friend Jack Riewoldt said: “I don’t think so. It’s starting to get less likely. I can’t see it happening.”

Departing Tigers administrator Neil Balme also told reporters Martin “would be mad to go and play again”.

“I think he’s done his work and I think the Gold Coast is probably not doing the right thing is that’s the type of player they want to recruit because I reckon they need to build with youth.

“But if he does, then we would totally support it. He’s been a great person for footy and for Richmond so we wouldn’t be crook on anything.”

While Martin would have been free to sign with the Suns as an unrestricted free agent, meaning the Gold Coast and Tigers wouldn’t have to orchestrate a trade, it was believed that Martin would have been looking at a salary between $350,000 and $500,000 — a long way from his reported seven-year $9m deal, worth approximately $1.3m a season.

Martin played 302 matches for the Tigers, winning three premierships and claiming the best on ground honours in all three.