‘I struggled to understand what balance meant’: What Martin’s evolution means for a new Essendon

Essendon vice captain Andy McGrath asked the hard-running Nic Martin recently to describe the biggest shift he had made in his game since he was added to the list as a pre-season selection on the eve of the 2022 season.

Martin told him he had moved from making sure everything he did made him a better footballer, to making sure all his actions were directed towards improving the team.

Nic Martin has become a Bombers leader in a short space of time at Tullamarine.Credit: AFL Photos / Getty Images

It is an attitude that will make Martin a more valuable footballer, but not one everyone adopts – particularly in the first half of their career.

“I probably thought it is a bit of a natural progression, and it is a lesson everyone learns – and [Andy] said it is not,” Martin said.

The 24-year-old is a quick learner. He was finally added to an AFL list aged 20 after being overlooked for three years and suffering an ill-timed injury in his home state when training with West Coast in the hope of joining their squad.

He worked part-time in maintenance, cleaning and gardening at a primary school while completing an accounting and finance degree and winning a flag with Subiaco before the Bombers gave him a chance.

On debut, Martin kicked five goals and earned two Brownlow votes in a deflating loss to Geelong. He soon became the Bombers’ shining light amid the gloom.

Such was his diligence to the game, he followed sometimes-obsessive skipper Zach Merrett’s habits, setting standards for himself and others that saw him graduate to the leadership group in 2025.

That approach means he has had to learn important life skills to balance his drive with perspective.

“It’s a massive challenge. You often hear about balance – I struggled to understand what balance meant because I really enjoy footy, I love the game and I love learning about it. Figuring out the balance and what it meant to me is different to someone else,” Martin explained.

“[Now] I can have that moment where I go, ‘I have done the mental prep. I have done the physical prep. I can relax now’. That has taken learning some skills to recognise when I am going over the top, or if I am ruminating – especially on my performances or the games.”

Martin and Andrew McGrath are striving to break a cycle of mediocrity at Essendon.Credit: Getty Images

Martin has worked closely with former Lion and Kangaroo Ben Robbins, a highly regarded psychologist now at the Bombers, to find the right headspace to play consistent football and give to the team at the same time.

“My routine meditation is an everyday practice. It promotes staying focused in games, and it is also good for my mental wellbeing and mental health as well, which is a bonus,” Martin said.

“Visualisation is something all the best athletes around the world are doing because it is science-based.”

Martin has a personal script he follows as he goes through the visualisation process – a practice scientifically based on neuroscience and cognitive psychology.

“I visualise stuff with the contest, stoppage, who I am playing on, what they do, what I do, how I am going to react if the opposition get a run on, [and] how I am going to lead in that moment and present myself,” Martin said. “In times of adversity in games, the young players are looking towards the leaders to see how they are reacting, and if I am all over the place, then they will be.”

The wispy Martin might be steady in the mind, but his team has needed him to be all over the place in his first three seasons. He says he is not fussed where he plays, saying such versatility is essential for players.

But he is even less interested now about the external measurements such as kicks, marks and handballs. Martin, who snared 44 disposals against St Kilda in round three last season, is just as happy to get 20 touches as long as he contributes to the team’s needs.

“I shy away from what the externals really value in those matches. What I value is how I make teammates better,” Martin said.

“It is hard to explain that, but it might be giving the right feedback, presenting myself in the right manner in terms of on-field performance, and playing a variety of different roles as to where Brad [Scott, Essendon’s coach] needs it,” Martin said.

He has also learned to deal with the highs and lows of being a Bomber during this era where the supporters are desperate for success. There is no pleading for patience from Martin. As a footy fan all his life, he doesn’t have to learn supporters’ emotions.

Martin’s attitude to the pressure that sometimes descends on Essendon is that it’s best for the team to accept the reality and be grateful for the opportunity to make a difference in front of big crowds.

“If you can just embrace that and own it a bit, and go, ‘Yeah we are a big club, we want to play in big games and we are lucky to get these games’, then it frees you up, and you can really just perform,” Martin said.

Martin plays with freedom beyond his years, but that freedom is hard-won. It comes down to his adherence to preparation and his willingness now to give to the team, rather than focusing his mind entirely on assessments of his own performance.

“I can’t really remember a time when it clicked,” Martin said.

“I think you are quite selfish as a young kid quite naturally because you think the world revolves around you, and you care about how you perform, but I remember letting go of that and letting go of trying to control everything in how I perform.

“It freed me up to help others develop because it will ultimately help us be a better team. All I care about is team success.”

That team success can seem like a pipedream to some, but not to Martin who says the Bombers’ first three matches this season have been a mixed bag. However, the win over Port Adelaide after a poor performance against the Crows showed that the team is building enough grit to prevail when the going gets tough.

“The thing I appreciated was how hard and how personal we took the loss, because it just shows the amount of care around the place,” he said.

Martin’s maturity is beyond his years and his urgency to get results is clear.

“When you have got such a young group, you don’t want to use that as [an excuse] ... we are as capable as anyone.”

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