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When Dustin Martin announced he was retiring, it was a moment of celebration.
Not for the fact he was leaving the game – no one likes to see a champion go – but a celebration of a footballer who had given his all to the club he loved and achieved so much in the game – almost a perfect career.
It was completely understandable that, after a season where he struggled to get on the field for one reason or another, he decided enough was enough, calling to an end a great career.
He made it to rare territory, the 300th club at his beloved Tigers – just the seventh in the club’s history – stamping his name as one of the all-time greats of the game.
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He deserved all the fanfare and personal accolades, despite his poor Tigers limping over the line to claim the wooden spoon on the back of a disappointing season, plagued by injuries to an already weakened squad.
But it seems like the 33-year-old is not about to go quietly into the world of retirement; the Gold Coast have confirmed talks about reviving his career next season.
The AFL’s rules have this clause regarding retirees and free agency:
17.1 Free Agents
(c) A Player who elects to retire or has lodged a ‘Player Request for Removal from a List’ form in the form prescribed in Schedule 1 as Form 40, will not be a Free Agent under Rule 17.1(b) in the relevant year.
The first part of the clause, ‘a player who elects to retire’, seems to fit Martin to a tee: he has definitely done that through press announcements, interviews and even Richmond selling retirement merchandise.
However, it seems the catch is that the official retirement form does not get officially signed off on by the AFL until the end of the season, meaning he’s still a contracted player, and can ultimately change his mind as often as he likes until then.
Therefore, he remains a free agent, and it has been revealed that he has reached out to his former coach Damien Hardwick for a potential reunion.
A break of a couple of months seems to have rekindled his passion for footy in a very similar way to Hardwick – who was adamant he was burnt out at his retirement media conference from Richmond, but a few months later signed as coach of Gold Coast.
Martin’s move to the Suns wouldn’t be as much of an issue if everything was open and honest, and the transfer handled in the correct manner.
He was out of contract at the end of 2024 after his mega seven-year deal signed at the very height of his career in 2017 – nothing was contractually keeping him at Punt Road.
But still, why all the smoke and mirrors? Why go through the charade of retiring if that wasn’t his ultimate plan?
It seems fishy that this idea just popped into his head from scratch over the past month while travelling.
This story was actually one of the worst-kept secrets this season. At least two former players, David Schwarz and Brendan Fevola, not to mention other media figures, adamantly went on the record that discussions to get Dusty to the Suns were well underway from very early on this season.
Dustin Martin of the Tigers celebrates kicking a goal. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Martin is famously a man who doesn’t like talking or giving interviews to explain himself, so who knows what his motivation really is… Is it that he loves footy so much he cannot give it away, does he want more premierships, or just to be at a club that is winning more consistently?
The disappointing thing is that Richmond is set to get nothing from losing one of their greats, as he is likely to head north as an unrestricted free agent because of his so-called ‘retirement’.
Another big issue is his wage at the new club, which is reported to be around a quarter of his former deal per year.
Martin showed glimpses of his best in 2024, with several great goals this year reminding us of his prime, including three against Essendon in round 11, and then a superb finish from 50 for the first goal of his 300th game.
But his consistency week to week, as well as his ability to step up and lead a younger playing group, seemed beyond him – Father Time catches up with us all.
Yes, Martin is no longer the player that he was, but was he just going through the motions this year in the final season of his contract, biding his time until he could move to reunite with Hardwick again?
Is the reported $250,000 to $400,000 that he may get a season at the Suns a fair price for a player with all his skill and honours? It seems like a sneaky way to wedge a star into a tight salary cap.
On the one hand, it could be argued that he is well past his prime; on the other, you don’t lose your football IQ and game smarts overnight, and with the rising talent at the Suns, he could well have a renaissance and become one of the Suns’ best right away.
Damien Hardwick during his Richmond coaching days. (Photo by Graham Denholm/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
It just feels fundamentally wrong for the Tigers to receive nothing in compensation for a champion of their club and the game – and the underhanded nature of the departure of a player who means so much to the yellow and black seems a bitter way to end his time at Punt Road.
The AFL needs to move to stop this loophole that allows players to do as Dusty is set to do: the retirement clause should be registered and take effect immediately on the day of their official announcement, whenever that may be.
Whether they care or not given the three premierships he brought, Tigers fans have been played for mugs – they thought they were saying goodbye, and many loaded up on Martin merchandise as his farewell played out.
An explanation to them, at the very least, would be handy.
It’s not a good look, especially given it appears Martin wants this to happen just as much, if not even more than, Gold Coast. If money is not the motivator, and he won’t get much, then what is the driving factor? Why the Suns and not the Tigers?
Personally, I don’t see much benefit for either party, except for marketing value; selling memberships and merchandise for his new club and giving them a marquee face to continue their attempts to crack a traditionally rugby league-dominated market.
In all likelihood, should Martin become a Sun, Harwick will fit him in somewhere, taking a spot from a younger, inexperienced player. There’s a good chance, given his recent record, that he will only play a fraction of the season to manage injuries and fatigue.
The Suns should make the finals either this year or next for the first time in their history, and then he’ll have another retirement.
All in all, it’s a move that probably doesn’t need to be made. Dusty has achieved so much in the game as it is – enjoy retirement, get to the footy as a spectator if the love is still burning, and even mingle with fans.
Gold Coast had better be careful, too – signing a player near the end like Martin has the potential to disrupt progress more than boost it. The Suns are a team already heading in the right direction without him, and really don’t need this potential distraction.
Dusty isn’t the first player to un-retire in recent years, but he is the most prominent: the AFL need to outlaw ‘fake’ retirements before they become a trend.
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