Dustin Martin turned again the clock in Richmond’s slim loss to Essendon on Saturday evening and nobody was happier to see Dusty at his finest than Dale Thomas.
Martin was one in all Richmond’s finest, ending with 23 disposals and three targets within the Tigers’ 12-point loss to the Bombers on the MCG.
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Richmond began effectively and Martin produced a second of classic Dusty brilliance early within the first quarter when he broke a sort out and curled in a snap from the junction of the 50m arc and the boundary line.
Martin celebrated the aim and as witnessed in footage shared on social media, the Triple M commentary field erupted.
“He winds again the clock and reminds all people on the MCG how bloody good he’s. And he’s nonetheless received a lot left within the tank,” Leigh Montagna mentioned in commentary.
Thomas went berserk, getting up from his chair and signalling ‘up yours’ earlier than vigorously flipping the chook with each arms to one and all across the floor and within the neighbouring commentary bins.
“That’s why, if you line up and also you pile into champions and also you need to be the primary to chop them down,” Thomas mentioned.
“They usually come out right here on the most important of levels.
“The (aim) umpire had two fingers out, he had two of them up. See ya later, shove a little bit of that in your pipe and smoke it”.
Earlier this week, Thomas mentioned it was “weak” to criticise Martin for any signal of type hunch on the age of 32.
“While you become old, you’re not going to be pretty much as good as you as soon as had been,” he mentioned.
“The notion is that he nonetheless ought to be profitable video games for the soccer membership. In the event you’re going to be criticising blokes, criticise the blokes who ought to have taken his spot and fulfilled the potential.
“In the event you’re going to have a go at anybody, have a go at a (Shai) Bolton or no matter. Skip the champion, that’s the simple reply as a result of it will get clout due to how good they’ve been.
“I believe it’s a weak course of attempting to clip blokes on the best way out fairly than have a good time them.”
It comes as Martin approaches his 300-game milestone, presently sitting on 298 AFL matches.
In accordance with stories, the Tigers have authorised plans to have Martin rested from upcoming video games so as to have his milestone match performed on the MCG in Spherical 14, fairly than interstate.
Martin will reportedly not maintain a press convention nor do any media interviews within the lead into his main milestone, nevertheless he has agreed to be in a photograph with Richmond’s different 300-gamers — Trent Cotchin, Jack Riewoldt, Shane Edwards, Kevin Bartlett and Francis Bourke.
The tripe premiership winner and three-time Norm Smith Medallist is out of contract on the finish of this season, and it’s unclear if he’ll play on subsequent 12 months on a much less profitable deal at Richmond or reunite with Damien Hardwick on the Gold Coast.
Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd has made a public plea for Richmond followers to show up in droves to have a good time Martin when he hits 300.
Lloyd mentioned it has been “unhappy” to see Martin’s 12 months unfolding because it has.
The Tigers haven’t gained any of the eight video games Martin has featured on this season.
“Reasonably than celebrating what’s to come back, he’s simply been underneath siege, extra so than I’ve ever seen in his profession earlier than,” Lloyd mentioned on 9’s Footy Labeled on Wednesday evening.
“He appears disinterested. Is he working exhausting sufficient?”
Lloyd went on to say: “It is a man that in three weeks’ time, we ought to be celebrating him like Scott Pendlebury. As a result of Scott is contributing as nice as we’ve seen.
“I believe it’s actually unhappy.”
