The Herald Sun Footy PodcastGlenn McFarlane joins the show hot off the announcement of Dustin Martin's immediate retirement. So where does Dusty rank in the greatest Tigers of all time?
It's been all Dusty all day with the announcement of the immediate retirement of the great Dustin Martin. And while Dusty calling time isn't a complete surprise, it does give footy fans pause to reflect on what's been one of the great AFL careers. Hello and welcome to the Herald Sun Footy Podcast. I'm Andy Belaiz and Glenn McFarlane will join me coming up to talk Dusty. How did he change the game, how will he be remembered? And what's next for the Tigers? Number four and where does he rank in the top five greatest Tigers of all time. He's macha here on the Herald Sun Footy Podcast on this Tuesday. Well, it's Dusty day, isn't it. He's retired, the great Richmond player. Glen McFarlane joins me in the studio. Kodamcha, Andy, How are you?
What a day?
Hey?
I know?
Well, it's the end of an ear, really, isn't it. You know, it's that time that he really just dominated footy. He could be the best player of a generation and braordinary player and really you know, three hundred he celebrated three hundred game. A couple of weeks ago.
In two games thirteen this year, and I'm not going to refer to the draft that he was taken, that your club had two picks before it and wouldn't be that cruel to do that.
Well, yeah, yes, yes, Tom Scully and Jack Tregeger. Hey, all the recruiters say that they were the locks for one and two. It was I think we did talk about that, whatever it was four weeks ago, we did. But you know, Dustin Martin has announced his retirement effective immediately. There's the news has been out there for a few hours now. But yeah, it's really just been a retrospective now about a player who is in the conversation for one of the best players of all.
Time, absolutely, and he's a late awmazaire to be a legend when the time is right now, you may not get that first year. The AFL has a tendency now to sort of hold fire. There's a lot of legends that got to get in there. He'll be a legend at some stage. Anklin will be a legend at some stage. Gary Ablut Junior will be a legend at some stage. Stage. We've been living through extraordinary times where we've seen some incredible players and Dusty I can't think, and I go back a fair way, I can't think of a better finals player, certainly not a better Grand Final player. I think the great Ron Barrassi was best on ground in probably three Grand Finals. They didn't have the Norm Smith medal then, but they did for Dustin Martin, and to win three Norm Smith Medals as a pretty remarkable achievement.
Well, he's the only players to have done that, and he did it in the space of four years.
It's incredible when you think about.
It, it really is. And he had an aura around absolutely in that time from twenty seventeen through to let's say twenty twenty twenty one, where you know, he was almost untouchable. He'd almost got a best on ground before even Yeah came onto the ground because he had the don't argue, he had the look. He was, you know, unstoppable, almost unworldly.
Yeah, and in a lot of ways, lucky enough to speak to Royce Heart today, who were famously wore the number four. Was a superstas an AFL legend himself, and he was saying that, you know, the way Dustin Martin transformed footy, I think the measure of a footballer as if they changed the game, and Dustin has changed the game.
Of course, we had don't argues before Dusty.
There was the famous Hutton's footy francs ad, don't argue, don't argue, Hutton's footy francs is best.
But there was nothing like this.
This is an extraordinary thing that he's been able to transform the game. We're seeing it from Harley Reed now we're seeing you know, you know, very much in its infancy in that regard. But the way Dusty has pushed away some of the greatest players in the competition over a long period of time just marks him.
You know, he's one of a kind in a lot of ways.
Yeah, well, I mean that, don't argue. It's amazing that they never tried to stamp it out like they did with Teddy Witten's flip pass.
Yes, like that, because it.
Was used it as such an attacking, huge weapons, huge web and would have scored many many goals, set up many attacking players. Mackat, you were the guy who broke the story the Dusty was going to be. Basically, you were the one who told us first that Dusty was setting himself up to be a one gay a one team player.
Yeah, well this has gone back to twenty seventeen, Is that the one you're referring to? When everyone thought, including Trent Klotchen and a number of people at Richmond Footy Club, thought that Dusty was going to sign with North Melbourne. It was an extraordinary offer. Richmond offered a lot of money too, don't we He did, okay, he did, okay, But to actually get to knock back and offer that North Melbourne and how the footy world would have changed.
This is the on the eve of.
The twenty seventeen final series, and of course Dusty went to New Zealand had a discussion at the time with his now late father about what he should do when Ralph and they had the whiteboard and when he came back, no one knew what he was going to do, and we certainly did. Never one thought it would be North Melbourne and then the Footy Show. He signs an exclusive deal for the Footy Show, so we saw an opportunity here to try and just get in and beat the footage show.
So we were very lucky.
A minute after he told North Melbourne, I know we were able to get that up on the heir on some website and just Pip the by couple of hours. I think it was Pip the Footy Show. It was a great when you look at it now.
Who's still here?
I'm hanging on skin of my teeth.
But when you look back on it, what a seismic moment for the Richmond footy club. There's plenty of really big moments. You know, the time they got Tommy Hayfey to coach, getting Damien not sacking Damian Hardwick as one of them as well. You know the power stance. Let's just get rid of the Adelaide powerstance. So there's some seismic moments. The fact that Dustin stayed on you wonder what would have happened to the footy club if he had left. He of course, he won his injury in twenty and eighteen probably cost him a chance to play in a Grand Final that year, and then his performance in twenty nineteen against the Giants and then in twenty twenty against the Cats, that goal before halftime.
It puts the Hackles on the back.
I don't barrack for Richmond, but what he was able to do he lifted that footy club off the canvas and that's the way Dusty was, So I'm not I'm not.
Really claiming the story.
I'm just saying we're in the right place at the right time to say that he was staying.
It's a real turning point then as well, isn't it. Absolutely four twenty seventeen, Dustin Muntin was a very very good for him put it out there, but he was one of many good footballers. Fast forward a month when he's won a normal Smith Meadow, Richmond's won their first flag since nineteen eighty and he's a superstar. And from that point on he's.
And that season I think Andy is one of the great seasons. We've had been lucky enough to see some pretty good seasons and but that is as good a season as you would say. It's really hard to think of too many more that and what he is able to do, and I think the fact that he's.
Going to remain a one club player.
I love this quote today, Like we don't get many quotes from Dusty, it's hard to put into words. Well, of course he doesn't like putting them into words, but I think it's beautiful and there's a lot of little bit of romance about the fact that he's going to be a one club player and now not signed for you know, to play up up in the Gold Coast.
Well, he doesn't need it, does he know. I'm sure he doesn't. I'm not provy to his financials, but.
I'm sure he's doing okay.
I'm sure he's doing okay. And it's the sort of thing where now that he's not a gregarious guy, he's very shy. We know that doesn't like going to the meeter. But he's got he's got this family that that has been created around him and his club, and he's got premiership reunions to be involved in, and he's got yeah, people that he trusts and all that sort of stuff, and he doesn't have to go chase him.
What I would love to see, and this is probably not going to happen in the interim, is to see him somehow stay involved in footage. I'm he's never going to be the guy who's going to coach or be an assistant coach or even be a mentor, but in a lot of ways would be great for have that connection, if you just keep that connection there to the footy club and to those guys who are so close to it.
Would be.
I think it'd beautiful because he's got a lot of geving in him. It's just a question of getting him to do it. Let's hope he does.
Like to see him on the boundary doing the boundary that be?
How would that be?
Should we get him as a columnist next year and the Herald Son.
Let's do it? Get him in the footy tipping footy tipping? Yeah, you might beat him.
Well, I don't think i'd beat not the way I'm going I did we last year.
But I've had a fig and this is the greatest premiership hangover since Collingwood.
Was I going to say? Then?
Well? Yeah, well Macca, We're going to take a break and I'd like to come back and talk about the top five Richmond players of all time because Dusty, well, does he top them? A lot of people say he does. You're on the Heraldson Footy Podcast. You're back with the Herald Sun Footy Podcast. I'm Andy Belaiz, I'm joined by Glenn McFarlan and maca. It's all Dusty all day today. It is Tom Hawkins is also sorry. I feel bad old game league career. What a star he has been timing.
Hey, timing Year announced that at the same time that Dusty maybe he did it on purpose. Interesting, isn't it very interesting?
So no, it is. Yeah, it's a bit of a sad day, but you know, a good day as well.
So top five Richmond players of all time should.
Really do top four with Dusty should we know? No, we'll do top five because it's too hard.
Too hard, it's Dusty number one, who knows, But let's let's go through. Who do you think he?
Probably These are the top five in no order, and I'll probably then try and see if we can do some sort of order. So in no order, Royce Hart, Kevin Bartlet, Francis Burke, Jack Dyer, Dustin Martin. I'm pretty comfortable with those top five. That's you'd find it hard to argue against anyone else coming in, even though they've had some great players. I think given that I've you know, I didn't see I saw bits and pieces of Royce Hart was a bit before my time, but I know a fair bit about him.
I saw the end tail end of KB. I was at his four hundreds game.
I was lucky enough to be there, and I just I didn't see Jack Dyer. I'm a fair Age, and I saw a little bit of Francis burg if I was going, and I would probably go maybe Dusty given that in that scenario, probably KB just for longevity in the like there as well. Royce Hart was an absolute superstar. Jack Dyer, Captain Blood's got to be in there, got to be in there, high out there as well. And Francis Burke, I don't know if you ever remember the great vision of him Claire it all over his face against North Melbourne at Arden Street, still fighting on. He was the wounded tiger who kept fighting on. I'm really comfortable, not sure about the order, but they're the top five.
I'll tell you what. Francis Burk's wan the nicest people, lovely govern met too, So he gets into my top three because he's.
I like it, because who's your top two in order?
I think Dusty has to be I think, and I also think Royce Royce from what you understand, I'm younger, so I don't even know. I never saw him play, but from what you hear, superstar Royce was, as you know, out of this world as Dusty was in some ways you could do things that other people just couldn't do.
On he played one hundred and seventy one games. He had really bad knees and that was the thing. But you know, captain two Premierships, played in another two. I think he wrote a book when it was lucky enough to talk to him today. He's one of the best guys you would ever Maybe he loves Dusty. He did a book, a bit of an autobiography.
I think he was only like twenty one, twenty two, twenty three and he had his name in the in the best team he'd seen. And I think that's fair enough because he was a superstar.
Wasn't there. There was a story that he his short lived career as coach of the then Footscrape Bulldogs didn't go so well because he'd just go out in the field on a training night, kick a goal from sixty and say, see, boys, that's how you.
Do exactly and put and told me that this year I was you know, I had a chat to Calvin for his being inducted in the Australian Football Hall of Fame, and he said, I went out there and Royce could have played.
Like if his knees weren't that bad, he could have got a game and he would have.
Kicked ten maca before I let you go. Who is number six?
Oh that's hard, now, that's pretty I reckon they're set in starting and you're looking at people like Weightman, You're looking at Rains, You're looking at rich O, Big rich. I's got to be up there as well. You're looking at Kotchin, You're looking at Rewold. There's a whole up there, you know, Roger Dean, Clay Victor. I'm going to say this is Jack Titus kicked nine hundred and seventy goals. When you think about that, nine hundred and seventy goals.
And seventy goals in terrible heavy leather boot correct waterlog balls on horrible grounds, yep, you know, place kicking and skinny tighters.
I reckon he's he might be the one there. So it's an interesting field though, isn't it.
It sure is. But I think one thing for certain is that, at least in the short term, we will not see another the like of Dustin Martin, and I think he needs his career. You know, it's we are celebrating him, but it Jeezy deserves to be celebrated.
He certainly does in incredible player, and I can't wait to see him leading the footy tipping in the Harald Sun next year.
Thanks for your time making Thanks Andy, that'll do us. On today's Herald Sunfooty podcast, I'm Andy Belaise My thanks to Glenn McFarlane for joining me today. Make sure you keep an eye out for trade buzz from a huge money ball on Wednesday morning, Mick mcguod on Thursday, all the game day coverage over the weekend, and then as always, Robbos can't mistackle on Sunday night. I'll catch you next week.
