Dusty Martin: A Tribute to an AFL Legend

A crowd of 92,311 packed the MCG to celebrate and pay respects to the career of Dustin Martin, one of the greats of the modern era, as he played his 300th match.

It was only fitting and written in the script that the midfielder would open the scoring, although not that Richmond would then go on to lose against an in-form Hawthorn.

Considered “the history’s best big-game player”, he is the only person to have won three Norm Smith Medals; amongst his many accolades, is also a 4 x All-Australian, 3 x Premieship and a Brownlow Medallist that is adored by the ‘Tiger Army’.

Not known for doing interviews and tending to try and shy away from the spotlight, he broke tradition by speaking to former team-mate Jack Riewoldt on Fox Footy.

Addressing the crowd, ‘Dusty’ said “Disappointing result today for the club but I love the Tiger Army so much. All the love I have received this week has meant so much to me, so thank you to everyone who sent me a message, via social media and the radio. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, I really appreciate it.”

He added “It has been a surreal week, I just appreciate everyone coming out tonight and it has meant the absolute world to me.”

Asked for a career highlight, he responded “This is pretty special. There are too many. I have been so blessed throughout my whole career; it has been an unbelievable journey. I don’t really know what to say, I am just so grateful for all the support; it is awesome.”

comeback kings collingwood do it again

Reigning Premiers Collingwood moved up to third on the ladder after pulling off their second biggest comeback, in club history, to beat a valiant North Melbourne outfit.

They were behind by as much as 54 points, early in the third, but still able to find a way, breaking Kanga hearts, with Bobby Hill scoring the winner (one of five goals).

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It was a debut to remember for defender Tew Jaith, who came through the ranks at Gippsland Power, as he lived out his dream with family and friends in attendance.

In a post-match segment, the 19-year old (pictured below with his family) said “Everything from the third quarter has been a blur. It is so hard trying not to be a fan when you are playing but it is just much of the same in that you are ecstatic, you don’t believe what is happening and unfolding in front of you. But when the siren goes and you are in front, after being down by so much, you just put your hands on you head.”

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He went on “The step up is huge, obviously you have less time on the ball, but the way the boys made me feel comfortable, the licences that the coaches gave me to play to my strengths, it is just the perfect club to play your first game at.”

“Credit to my parents for getting us out of Africa and a better life over here. I am so happy that we are in this position and I am just trying to make them proud.”

Amartey has a night out

Leaders Sydney had to overcome yet another poor start, fourth game in a row that trailed at quarter time, but then went on to put away Adelaide in convincing fashion.

Will Hayward (pictured below with his family) lined-up for his 150th start, having turned down ‘free agency’, after putting pen to paper on a long-term contract extension until the end of 2029.

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However, there was no doubting the star of the show, in the City of Churches, with Joel Amartey having a night to remember by kicking a career-high nine majors.

Talking post-siren to Swans TV, the 24-year-old forward (pictured below) said “Definitely a career highlight I guess; the Adelaide Oval is such a tough place to come and win and to win well like that, after a bit of a slow start, is really impressive.”

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“It was a close game all the way through, so I think that I was just lucky to get on the end of a lot of them tonight. But if you look at some of the work that our mids put in, after a slow start, and some of the pressure we started applying. I think by the end was up above the mid-twos, so that speaks volumes of where this group is and to be able to change it mid-quarter and get over the top.”

On the big New South Wales derby, next week, he concluded “Always a competitive game against those guys. We got the win the first time, so they will be coming out ready to go, so hoping a lot of members and supporters come out to the away game for us. It will be a good game.”

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West’s career-high goals haul

Rhylee West scored a career-high four goals, in his 50th appearance, for the Western Bulldogs as they put Fremantle to the sword in a 67-point belting at Marvel Stadium.

He is the son of Scott West (club record 7 x Charles Sutton Medallist, 5 x All-Australian, AFL Hall of Famer, Rising Star who also represented the state of the Victoria), considered one of the Doggies/Footscray greatest-ever players.

It might have been a tight first quarter but once the hosts broke the contest open, they didn’t look back with a dominant display and also boosted their percentage.

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Speaking in the rooms to the club’s website, the 23-year-old forward (pictured above) said “It was great to get the win and 50 games was exciting. The team put in a great performance, so really thankful for that.”

“Footy is always fun to play in but when you’re scoring over 140 points, you are feeling dangerous down in the forward line and so it was really good. The spread amongst the boys, everyone had their lick when they needed to; so a few kicking goals here and there, we play our best when everyone is getting into it like that.”

Asked about heading into the ‘bye’, he responded “Just get rested, put the feet up. We will get a bit of a training block in there, but mostly just rest and then launch into the back end of the season so it should be good.”

lions beat saints in a shoot-out

Joe Daniher (pictured below) booted five majors for Brisbane as they managed to overcome St.Kilda in what proved to be a bit of a surprise shoot-out style, high-scoring affair.

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In what was just the fifth match this season where both teams reached 100 points, the Saints managed to register their highest score of the year despite losing.

However, on the flipside, given they are so renowned across the competition for their strong defence, will have been disappointed to have had the most kicked on them.

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Greater Western Sydney defeated Port Adelaide in an encounter where both teams appeared to have left their shooting boots at home (combined 15 goals, 34 behinds).

They leapfrog above the Power after managing to get some ascendency in the second half but, unable to put the game away, were then reliant on the visitors’ inaccuracy in front of the big sticks before eventually able to get over the line.

The Giants were boosted by the return of key midfielder Josh Kelly, following a month out with a calf injury, and he made an immediate impact with a fine display.