NOTE: This was initially published before Dustin Martin's 300th game.
Three premierships. Three Norm Smith Medals. A Brownlow Medal. Dustin Martin has achieved a lot in his AFL career, and this weekend plays his 300th game in yellow and black when Richmond takes on Hawthorn at the MCG.
With so many accolades and memories to choose from, our writers have come together to share their favourite Dusty moments from over the years.
Jesse Robinson
The moment that removed all doubt from the tortured minds of the Tiger Army. Dusty tracking a wobbling Riewoldt kick as it floated overhead towards two Adelaide defenders, juggling the ball from the contest before a patented powerful snap across his body to put the Tigers 53 points ahead with 5:53 remaining on the clock in the 2017 Grand Final. The goal was the sealer, but the moment that sent the stands at the MCG, the Punt Road live site next door, and the living rooms of Richmond faithful across the country into madness was the eventual Norm Smith winner raising his arms in triumph before pulling at his jumper in a display which showed just what the moment meant. The celebration has become iconic; Dusty's jumper pull became a premiership tradition and a signal that he had put the finishing touches on another Richmond flag.
Jarryd Barca
There are genuinely so many moments you can pinpoint for this, but I really can't go past one of the best goals of his, and in my opinion, the best goal any player can execute in the game of Aussie Rules. Dusty's effort against Hawthorn in the 2018 qualifying final was truly phenomenal -- forced up against the boundary line in the right forward pocket and facing the crowd while kicking a high drop punt across the body in an act that defied trigonometry. The degree of difficulty in this kick is extraordinarily high and, although Brisbane star Jason Akermanis pulled off an almost identical moment of skill against Geelong earlier this century, the ease in which Martin was able to kick this goal is everything that is great about him.
Matt Walsh
It's so difficult to pick just one footy moment which sits clearly above the best, so for me, I'll go with Dusty the character being so incredibly entertaining. His entire offseason following the 2019 Grand Final win was something out of a movie. Martin, who secured a second Norm Smith Medal as the Tigers blew past the Giants, clearly enjoyed celebrating the win, because it was first noticed that his car remained at the MCG more than a week after the final siren. Many expected Martin to swing by and pick it up when the celebrations dies down. The issue? He ... didn't. The next twist in an epic story was Martin appeared in none other than 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams' Instagram stories as she partied with her husband in the Maldives, perplexing the footy world. It turns out the couple met Martin while at their resort, and hung out for the duration of their holiday. As for Martin's car? It spent 65 days in the bowels of the MCG.
World No.1 Dustin Martin chilling with world No.10 @serenawilliams ... 🤯 pic.twitter.com/tiYnSktjQV
— Sam Landsberger (@SamLandsberger) November 12, 2019
Ashton Tresidder
Some people remember Dusty for being one of the best big game players for only his Grand Final performances alone, but the man was consistently one of the most impactful in every Tigers final. One moment, or game, that sticks vividly in my mind is the 2020 prelim against Port Adelaide, after Richmond had already lost their qualifying final to an up-and-coming Brisbane Lions side. Backs against the wall, win or go home, Dusty managed to kick two of the Tigers' six total goals against the minor premiers. His first (and the first of the game) being a patented Dustin Martin crumb and snap from a precise run. The second, some vintage use of brute strength to out-mark the defender and a perfect follow through to convert the set shot. What couldn't he do? Not only elite in the midfield, but just as good in front of goals too. In a low-scoring affair, Port looked like they might just take out the reigning premiers but one of the greatest of all time put his team on his back once again, being only one of three players with at least two goals in the game and helping them to another Grand Final.
Jarryd Thomas
There's very few moments in time when you know you're witnessing history. With a minute to go in the 2020 Grand Final, I knew. With the game absolutely won and Dusty already on his way to a third Norm Smith Medal, he just about saved his best trick until last. Robbing Rhys Stanley after a dropped mark in the pocket, Dusty brushes aside (as he so often did) a fellow champion in Patrick Dangerfield and snapped towards goal. You knew it was home as soon as it came off the boot, as Dusty sailed in his fourth major of the night and sent the crowd, along with so many locked down spectators at home, into an absolute frenzy. It was arguably his most comprehensive Norm Smith victory, capped off with one of the more incredible Grand Final goals in history. Not only did the goal secure his place as the best-on-ground, it defined the Richmond dynasty and genuinely entered his name in the upper echelon of players that have ever stepped foot in the highest level of Australian rules football.