‘Just got Dusty’d’: What it’s like to play with — and against — Tigers champ

Dustin Martin is football greatness. And this weekend he becomes an AFL immortal by bringing up his 300th game.

There’s the trademark ‘don’t argue’ and freakish ability to break tackles. The razor sharp kick. Being near impossible to beat in one-on-ones. An endless highlight reel of footy magic with big-time moments in finals, Martin is truly one of a kind.

So what’s it like to play with and against Dustin Martin? And to plot against him in the coaches box?

Watch every game of every round this Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial today >

One of the greatest players of the modern era — and as put by Tigers legend Jack Riewoldt, “an enigma” — there aren’t many that have had such an enormous influence and personality on field, yet remain shrouded in mystery away from footy — at least to those not close to him.

Riewoldt has been in Martin’s inner circle, having played the majority of their careers together during a golden era at the Tigers.

A candid Riewoldt paid tribute to his great mate on Fox Footy’s AFL 360 this week, calling Martin an underrated leader and revealing how much he’s meant to him in a football sense.

“Would I be a three-time premiership player if I didn’t have Dustin Martin in my life? Probably not, I would say no,” Riewoldt declared.

That’s some sort of endorsement.

Some would say Martin’s 2017 season is the best they’ve ever seen from a player with his epic triple gong — winning the Brownlow Medal, a premiership and Norm Smith Medal in the same year.

The only three-time Norm Smith medallist in AFL history, Martin has provided countless highlights — both for Richmond fans and the footy world at large.

Picking out one? Riewoldt couldn’t go past Martin’s match-sealing goal in the 2020 Grand Final against Geelong at the Gabba, where he out-hustled multiple nearby Cats opponents — including Patrick Dangerfield — and snapped truly from the boundary line.

“It was literally one v four. And I think there’s an element of Dangerfield there as well — those two had probably been going to-and-fro for who was the best player in the competition for that five-year period,” Riewoldt said on AFL 360.

“There’s something about that that symbolises who Dustin is — he just grabbed that moment and kicked that goal and had that look of euphoria and celebration on his face.

“When there’s a moment like that that happens, 100 per cent he knows it.”

Away from the field, Riewoldt said Martin “couldn’t be more humble,” revealing his 2017 Brownlow Medal win would’ve been “the most non-event of his week” given how focused he was on team success with the grand final that Saturday.

Then there’s being in the enemy camp, which has caused nightmares for some of the game’s greats.

Brisbane Lions star and dual Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale most admires Martin for being a “big-time player” who was “unbelievable” in Richmond’s trio of flag triumphs.

Neale opened up on his own recent experience against Martin where the Lions co-captain fell victim to the trademark ‘don’t argue’ move.

“I actually got done by one when we played Richmond a couple of weeks ago and it put me to my knees,” Neale revealed on AFL 360.

“I think I came to the bench and said to the boys: ‘I just got Dusty’d’.

“I admire that, because that’s something I definitely don’t have in my kitbag.”

Premiership winning Eagle Will Schofield recalled feeling “frightened” whenever Martin would walk towards him in defence, saying only the likes of Lance Franklin and Garry Ablett Jr. have also been able to struck such fear into him.

“Should I say I was lucky enough or unfortunate enough to play on him a few times?,” Schofield said of Martin on Fox Footy’s AFL Tonight.

“He was intimidating to play on both physically and mentally. He knew he was better than you … there was very few guys able to intimidate me that way.

“There’s a lot of good players in the AFL, but he is one of the very best. The best players in our game play well in the big games … I don’t know if we’ll see another player like him.

“When the chips were down and a game had to be won, Richmond looked to Dusty. Just a brilliant player.”

Martin is as much of a headache in the coaches box as he is out on the field.

Former Magpies coach Nathan Buckley coached against Martin during his absolute prime years including some great battles between Collingwood and Richmond in the late 2010s.

Buckley explained Martin was such a “unique challenge” that threw something different at you because of his explosiveness and ability to switch between midfield and forward.

“Dusty was such a tough matchup because you needed someone who could stay with him through multiple areas of the ground,” Buckley told foxfooty.com.au.

“He is basically a front half player … stoppage and attack and Kane Lambert was his wingman covering as he went … they were utilised brilliantly and asked big questions of their opposition.

“Through that stretch we set Levi Greenwood to him in the midfield, and if we could, hand over to Brayden Maynard if he set up deep.

“But even when you got the matchup and handover right, Dusty could find space where there was none or be too good in one-on-ones.

“That’s what makes the champion players what they are.”

Buckley also described Martin as a “quiet but lovely bloke” from his handful of social interactions with him away from footy, likening the Tigers champ to Maynard as “big hearted softies.”

The reserved and introversive Martin has let his footy do the talking over his 299 gates to date.

And when it’s all said done, whenever that may be, he’ll have left as big a mark as anyone on the AFL code — and scars on some opponents.