‘Heartbroken’: Richmond superstar Dustin Martin grieving dad’s death

It’s unclear when Dustin Martin will return to the AFL after he reportedly took a leave of absence to deal with a very personal loss.

Dustin Martin is reportedly struggling with the loss of his dad. Photo by Michael Klein

Richmond star Dustin Martin is reportedly “heartbroken” over the death of his father as a timeline on his return to the AFL remains unclear.

Martin, considered one of the greatest players of the modern era, played in the Tigers’ round 1 loss to Carlton last week but was granted personal leave from the club effective immediately.

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His coach Damien Hardwick said on Thursday he was “unsure” whether the three-time Norm Smith medallist would play against the GWS Giants this weekend.

“It’s a personal matter … when we’ve got more information to share, we’ll share it,” Hardwick said.

“He’s just taking some personal time at the moment. He’s dealing with a couple of personal issues and whether he’s available to play this week, we’re unsure at this stage.”

Martin endured a difficult off-season away from footy. His father Shane died in December at age 54.

According to Herald Sun AFL reporter Jon Ralph, Martin took his leave of absence because he is still dealing with the grief of his father’s death.

Dustin Martin is reportedly grieving the loss of his dad. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

“My understanding is he’s just heartbroken by the loss of his dad, who of course was a mentor, and he hasn’t really been able to find a person to replace him,” Ralph said on Fox Footy.

“(He was) such an integral part of his life and just a great person to be a sounding board for him.

“Quite possibly (he’ll play this week). Dustin Martin has told the club that he is still very keen to take on GWS on Sunday at the MCG despite missing this week’s training session so far with personal issues.”

Martin has been named in Richmond’s line-up to take on the GWS Giants on Sunday and Hardwick will give him every opportunity to play.

“We won’t close the door, but we just want to make sure that Dustin’s OK,” the Tigers coach said.

“Our number one priority is we are a football club, and it’s important to win games, but the health and wellbeing of our players is our No. 1 priority.

“At this stage we’ll give him his time. He’s so important to the fabric of this footy club, and we just want to make sure he’s OK. Hopefully, he’s getting what he needs.”

Martin with his late father Shane on AFL Draft night in 2009.

Richmond could struggle to account for the 30-year-old’s absence if he were to sit out multiple games.

Martin missed the back half of the 2021 season after suffering an agonising kidney injury in the round 18 clash with Brisbane.

The Tigers floundered without him, winning just one of five games and missing the finals for the first time since 2016.

Martin lost more than 10kg after his kidney injury and recorded 21 disposals and one goal in his first game back last week.

With Jasper Bruce, NCA Newswire