Richmond superstar Dustin Martin announces his retirement

UPDATE

Richmond CEO Brendon Gale has confirmed that Dustin Martin will be present at the club’s final home and away game for the 2024 season.

The Tigers meet the Suns at the MCG in the last fixture of the regular season and Martin will be there to say goodbye following his retirement.

“He’ll be turning up at our Round 24 game against Gold Coast at the MCG,” Gale said at a press conference.

“That will be another opportunity for him to acknowledge the club and the fans, and importantly that they acknowledge him.

“The 300th game against Hawthorn was an incredible occasion. It will be hard to match that.

“But Round 24 will be another important occasion.”

EARLIER

Richmond superstar Dustin Martin has announced his retirement from the game.

The 33-year-old has called time on his career after 15 years with the Tigers.

The 2017 Brownlow Medallist and three-time Norm Smith Medal winner bows out as one of the greatest players of the modern era.

Martin’s retirement is effective immediately.

“It is hard to put into words what the Richmond Football Club means to me, I love this place so much," Martin said in a club statement.

“I will be forever grateful for the love and the support I have received from the people here.

“To my teammates, the brotherhood that we all share is what I value most as well as the bond with the staff and coaches… thank you to all of you.

“To my family and friends thank you for your unconditional love and support.

“To the Tiger Army, I have always felt so loved and supported throughout my career and for that I will be forever grateful. The memories that we have created together will live with me forever. Thank you.”

He was drafted with Pick 3 in the 2009 draft and went on to play 302 games in yellow and black which stands sixth on the club’s all-time games list. He also kicked 338 goals which stands 11th.

The powerful midfielder, who also spent plenty of time in the forward line, was a central figure in Richmond’s premiership-laden era when the Tigers won a trio of flags in 2017, 2019 and 2020.

‘Dusty’ won two Jack Dyer Medals (2016 & 2017), three Gary Ayres Medals (2017, 2019 & 2020), and was named in four All-Australian teams (2016, 2017, 2018 & 2020).

Richmond CEO Brendon Gale paid tribute to Martin who is regarded as one of the best ever players the V/AFL has seen.

“So much has been said about Dustin's impact on our Club and the competition, but more than anything, and put simply, I think it is the joy that he gave the Tiger Army and those around him that might mean the most,” Gale said.

“Three premierships and best on ground in each of them will always be his legend, and rightly, it, along with his unique aura, will be what he is best remembered for.

“But I think Dustin would be most proud of what he was able to achieve playing for a team… for our team—and the magnificent role he was able to play within that system, which let him be every bit the footballing genius that he was always destined to be.

“That genius was most evident when the stakes were at their highest, when the crowd was at its loudest, when all eyes were on him, and when the moments needed a hero.

“Dustin did it his way, and we are all just so lucky to have been Richmond people during his era of dominance. So, all I can say on behalf of everyone associated with our great Club is thank you to an icon. To our icon.”