Richmond are set on extending Dustin Martin's career at Punt Rd, with club CEO Brendon Gale indicating that contract negotiations are expected to take place soon.
Martin signed a mammoth seven-year, $9 million deal prior to September of 2017 in which he collected football's triple crown; a Brownlow Medal, a Premiership Cup and the Norm Smith.
He continued to dramatically over-deliver on this contract in the following years, earning two more Norm Smith Medals in Richmond's three-in-four era to solidify his inarguable status as the greatest to ever don the yellow and black.
The Tigers' recent decline, culminating in the departure of coach Damien Hardwick, seemingly spelt the end of Martin's time at Richmond, with rumours circling earlier this year about a potential move to Gold Coast.
Martin, now aged 32 heading into his 15th season, is fresh off an All-Australian 40-man squad selection, plus a runner-up best & fairest finish in 2023.
He now seems set on helping build Richmond's next era of success under new coach Adem Yze, with stars Shai Bolton, Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper leading the on-field charge.
โDustin is a great of our club and fully invested in helping us write the next chapter โ clearly we will have discussions with his management in the not too distant future,โ Gale toldย The Herald Sun.ย
โHe played some exceptional football last season. Change creates energy and I have no doubt Dustin feels that โ he is a really important and valued part of our club.โ
He will likely add one more year to his deal ending at the 2024 season's end, before potentially closing the book on a storied career at Punt Rd at the end of 2025.
With 289 games currently to his name, Martin is just 11 matches away from joining an exclusive list at Tigerland, with Kevin Bartlett, Jack Dyer, Francis Bourke, Shane Edwards, Jack Riewoldt and Trent Cotchin making up Richmond's 300 club.
โ2024 will be a really exciting year for both the club and himself. His 300th game will be a great occasion but knowing Dustin he will be far more focused on the regeneration of this team under (new coach) Adem Yze," Gale added.
Martin's 300th will be one of the most anticipated stories of 2024, generating a dramatic buzz as the Tiger Army celebrate one of the most illustrious careers in the history of our game.
