Dustin Martin turns back the clock and silences critics in Dreamtime thriller: ‘Looks like the Dusty of old’
- Footy Great sends a message to critics with stunning performances
- Martin was in the spotlight around pension discussions
- Essendon won by 12 points in the exciting Dreamtime clash
Once again Dustin Martin let his football do the talking as he almost led Richmond to a stunning AFL win over Essendon.
There was a lot of talk about Martin’s form and future ahead of the Dreamtime At The ‘G clash.
But in his 298th match on Saturday, the media-shy star answered with a match that was vintage Martin.
He scored three goals and was a constant problem for the Bombers, also missing two shots last term.
Dustin Martin (pictured) silenced his critics after Richmond’s narrow loss to Essendon
Martin got a kick inside 50 late in the match but could not find the target and the Bombers were able to close the match 12.14 (86) to 10.14 (74).
“It looks like the Dusty of old,” AFL chief executive Shaun Burgoyne said in Channel 7 commentary.
Coach Adem Yze praised Martin and said the criticism of his form was unfair. He noted that the injury-ravaged Tigers are a very different team to the one that won three premierships between 2017 and 2020.
“It was just good to see him get rewarded on the field. He is trying so hard, trying to lead our young people forward,” Yze said.
‘We have a very young striker at the moment, so synergy may take some time.
‘He has been used to playing with the same boys for ten years.
“We’re not the same team we were five years ago, and we’re dealing with quite a few injuries.”
That injury woes continued on Saturday, with Tyler Young suffering a knee injury during their VFL match.
The footy superstar scored three goals and was a constant problem for the Bombers
Shai Bolton, another key Richmond player who performed on Saturday night, was cut in the final term.
He suffered a concussion when teammate Mykelti Lefau shot him from behind during a marking competition.
It was a crucial blow to the Tigers’ chances and Bolton will miss next Saturday night’s match against the Cats in Geelong.
‘This game means so much to him, as we know. It was unfortunate,” Yze said of the native star.
“Losing him at that point in the match made him look so dangerous.”
With Yze coaching from the bench, Richmond were a transformed side after huge losses in their previous two games against the Western Bulldogs and Brisbane.
In addition to established players such as Martin, Bolton, Liam Baker and Toby Nankervis, youngsters such as Thompson Dow and Kane McAuliffe also shone.
Noah Balta was moved from offense to defense during the game and Yze lamented, “I wish we had two.”
Overall, Richmond was impressive in rallying after a dirty two weeks.
“We feel our supporters would have been proud of the effort, that’s what we expect every week,” Yze said
“The most important thing was our spirit and energy and making the jumper proud… that’s the standard we want.
“They worked as a group all week… just really disappointed that we couldn’t come away with the win.”