North Melbourne chasing two huge AFL stars

THE North Melbourne Kangaroos could be making a play for two of the biggest stars in the AFL with an audacious deal.

North Melbourne coach Brad Scott.

RICHMOND will have to fight to keep star midfielder Dustin Martin if North Melbourne have their way.

Fox Sports chief AFL reporter Jake Niall revealed that North were trying to lure Martin to Arden Street and Greater Western Sydney Giants boom youngster Josh Kelly is also in the Kangaroos’ crosshairs as well.

Pulling off the move is an entirely different story however, as the audacious bid would be one of the biggest in recent AFL history. Neither player will come cheap, as both are in high demand.

“They’re going for Dustin Martin as well as Josh Kelly,” Niall told AFL Tonight.

“This is interesting because the Josh Kelly offer is around the $9 million mark for nine years — one of the biggest offers we’ve seen in AFL history.

“Then you look at Dustin Martin, he’s already been offered five years by Richmond at $800,000 and there’s always potential for that to go up.

“He would not entertain leaving for less than $1 million a year. So North believe they can fit both of those players in — that’s Dustin Martin on a million or more a year and Josh Kelly on around that mark, which is remarkable.”

Richmond star Dustin Martin.

The AFL salary cap is set to rise around 20 per cent, giving North Melbourne the room to chase superstar talent.

North have moved on a number of high-profile players in recent years and the strategy could now pay off big time according to Niall.

“They (North) think it’s possible, the cap is going up and just look at some of the names that have left — Nick Dal Santo, Daniel Wells, Drew Petrie, Brent Harvey, Michael Firrito and then you have a few older players like Jarrad Waite who can’t have long to go,” Niall said.

“They’ve got a lot of room and they haven’t landed a big name player on a lot of money, and some of their kids, they’re not the glamour players that command the high dollar.

“20 per cent rise in the salary cap, North believe they can do it. It’s a very interesting position for the football club.”

North Melbourne currently sit in 14th on the AFL ladder. Martin’s Richmond sit in sixth place, while Kelly’s GWS sit in second position. Both clubs are seemingly destined to compete more vigorously for premiership success in future years than the Kangaroos.

Josh Kelly in action against North.

But Niall says North Melbourne have a uniqueness to them that make them attractive to AFL stars.

“Their selling point is that they have a good player culture and a good set up,” Niall said.

“They have good facilities now and they’re always thereabouts. They’re not a club that the bottom falls out of.

“You’ve got to sell your players and sell your coach and they’re stable — so they have all those selling points.

“They’re not going to be able to say they play in front of 80,000 people like Collingwood, Richmond, Carlton or Essendon, so they have a different sort of profile.”

North may not be the only club circling the two in demand stars, as St Kilda could make a player for either.

Former AFL star David Schwarz said he expects the Saints to make a big offer to some of the experienced AFL talent available.

“If (Nat) Fyfe or (Dustin) Martin are there, you’d love to get them. I think they’re a little bit in front of (Josh) Kelly,” Schwarz told SEN’s The Run Home.

“If it’s Josh Kelly and he’s the only one, he’d be a great.”

Originally published as North Melbourne chasing two huge AFL stars