Tigers legend Trent Cotchin drops a bombshell about his great mate Dustin Martin’s future at the club
- Cotchin and Martin won three flags together
- ‘Dusty’ is 32 and there is speculation about his retirement
Retired Richmond premiership captain Trent Cotchin has stated that one of Dustin Martin and Liam Baker will not be at the club in 2025 as a further break-up of the Tiger dynasty looms.
Cotchin’s call comes amid reports that Tiger dynamo Daniel Rioli toured the facilities of the Gold Coast Suns, now managed by three-time Richmond premiership coach Damien Hardwick, while traveling to Queensland during the farewell of the club.
Both Baker and Martin are out of contract at the end of the 2024 season and Baker is being heavily courted by both West Australian clubs for a return ‘home’.
Three-time Norm Smith medalist Martin will be an unrestricted free agent who can walk to any club of his choice and has also been linked with a reunion with Hardwick at the Suns.
There is speculation that Martin (pictured in Perth last weekend) will leave Richmond to join his former coach Damien Hardwick at the Suns
Trent Cotchin (pictured) believes both Martin and fellow Tiger Liam Baker will not wear the black and gold next season
Cotchin, a long-time teammate of both players, stated that the money offered to Baker would be too tempting for him to refuse and was not confident that he and Martin would both play in yellow and black next season.
“I believe one of them, if not both, will not be in Richmond colors next year,” Cotchin said on Seven’s Talking Footy on Wednesday evening.
“As far as Baker is concerned, the numbers I’m hearing thrown around from the west are quite significant.”
Baker met both West Coast in Fremantle in 2022 before deciding to stay with Richmond at the time on a two-year contract.
Speculation about a return West increased when it was confirmed he had recently purchased a multi-million dollar property in Perth.
But he is not a free agent, so West Coast or Fremantle would have to trade for his services.
Martin is 32 and pundits such as football great Matthew Richardson have questioned whether he has the desire to continue in the AFL after winning three premierships
Baker (pictured playing against West Coast last weekend) has big money offers coming his way from the Eagles and Dockers
Martin is in the final season of a seven-year contract and there is ongoing speculation that he may want to retire.
However, on April 9, these rumors were refuted by his manager Ralph Carr.
Rioli, meanwhile, reportedly visited the Gold Coast facilities and met Hardwick at the farewell meeting.
The 27-year-old defender is contracted to Richmond until the end of the 2027 season.