“Peerless in finals”: How Dustin Martin made it count on the big stage

The below piece was written for Dustin Martin’s 300th AFL game in June and appeared in the AFL Record.

Following his retirement, we felt it the perfect time to resurface it.

What holds Dustin Martin above every other player in the history of the game is the fact he won three Norm Smith Medals.

He was colossal in all three of the Grand Finals in which he played, helping guide Richmond to a trio of premierships between 2017 and 2020.

His 2017 campaign was an all-timer.

It will go down in history as one of the most remarkable individual seasons of footy we have ever witnessed.

Martin’s exploits underpinned a drought-breaking premiership for the
Tigers. He set a record for Brownlow Medal votes in the 3-2-1 voting system by polling 36 (later equalled by Ollie Wines in 2021) and won the Norm Smith Medal courtesy of 29 disposals and two goals against Adelaide.

Flag, Brownlow, Norm – no other player in the history of the sport has achieved that trio of accolades in a single season.

Two years later, he again had a pair of shiny medallions dangling around his neck after he conjured four goals from 22 disposals against GWS.

Former Giants captain Phil Davis was present at the MCG on that sunny September day, witnessing first-hand what ‘Dusty’ was capable of on the biggest of stages.

“He’s peerless in finals,” Davis told the AFL Record & SEN.com.au.

“In finals footy, there’s never been anyone like him.”

Davis frequently tangled with the great Lance Franklin, but admits he felt the presence of Martin just as much.

“I’d say there’s only a few players across my time that had a genuine presence and he was one of the very small few,” he said.

“‘Buddy’ (Franklin) and ‘Dusty’ stand out to me as the two who had the most presence.”

The Giants would often scheme to stop Martin, but he had a knack of ruining their best-laid plans.

“He was the No. 1 focus for a long time,” Davis said.

“We were very deliberate with who we played on him and how we would go about trying to stop him.

“I ended up on him a couple of times, but that was terrifying.”

What set Martin apart was his ability to execute under pressure in a final – an arena even the greatest have been known to melt in.

“His skill execution was so high, and that was just magnified with the goals he kicked in finals,” Davis said.

“It’s just his composure in the heat of a final. The ascension piece, in terms of the upper echelon, was that (2017) final series because he was the best player against us in the preliminary final (as well).

“That he was the best player in three separate grand finals is just the most bonkers fact of all time.

“I don’t think we’ll ever see that again.”

Geelong great Joel Selwood was also on the receiving end of a Martin masterpiece in a season decider.

Selwood’s fellow Bendigo Pioneers product helped himself to another four goals from 21 disposals as the Tigers made it back-to-back flags at the expense of the Cats in 2020.

His quartet of goals were so crucial as the Tigers trailed by 21 points late in the second quarter and led by just two points at three-quarter time.

“As the legend grew, and in the five or so years he produced that no one can compare to, we had plans A, B and C for him,” Selwood said.

“We tried a bit of everything at different stages.

“The best method we could use is if Dusty had the ball, we would try to get him running away from goals, which is easier said than done.

“If he received the ball and was facing away from goals, that’s when we would allow him to have it. That was difficult to do.

“He kicks that goal before half-time, then straight after the break he produced a long entry to the top of the square (for a Jack Riewoldt goal). It just set the tone.

“Someone was right on him at the top of 50, so he just dribbled a banana.

“We watched the goals back. He didn’t get much room on any occasion. As the best champions do, he made it count.

“He had maybe the biggest influence on a game that I ever was a part of.”

Martin stood above those around him because of brashness and bravery in games that not many in the game have possessed.

“He took hypothetic gambles that he would have a go at that nobody else would have the confidence in theory to have a go at,” Selwood said.

“That mindset could break games open because he was willing to have a crack at it.

“His resumé is as good as any. It’s impressive.”