Business as usual for Dusty Inc

DUSTIN Martin’s ink isn’t a patch on Dustin Martin Inc.

The challenge now is Dusty Martin Inc — the burgeoning business side of the Richmond megastar — doesn’t interfere with Dusty Martin the footballer.

The most enchanting figure in the AFL starts his 2018 campaign against Carlton tonight and while several aspect of Martin’s life have changed in the past six months, those close to him say the success, the money and the publicity have not changed him at all.

“From what I have seen Dustin is more determined than ever to play good football for seven years to repay the faith Richmond has put in him,” his manager Ralph Carr said. “It’s business as usual.” Wayne Carey at North Melbourne was the first millionaire player to combine football and personal brand. He says Martin won’t be influenced by the trappings of success.

“Dusty proved last year the outside noise doesn’t matter,” Carey said. “I don’t think there’s been a player in the history of the game who’s been under that sort of pressure. You think of Dangerfield when he was in Adelaide, but that was the Adelaide media compared with the Melbourne media.

“How he handled the year, and didn’t sign until just before the finals, and to be able to perform under that pressure, and then sign and have the hoo-haa about signing and still perform maybe even better ... there’s not too many athletes, not just in footy but I think in the world, that can cop or handle that pressure and still perform.”

It might be business as usual on the field, as Carr said, but it’s certainly not off it. Business is booming. Martin has been a long-time client of Puma, but in the offseason Carr added Bonds to the Dusty stable.

Martin was also one of the faces in Foxtel’s endearing “Mrs T” campaign alongside Steve Smith, Patrick Dangerfield, Tim Cahill, Sam Kerr and Cameron Smith and was centre stage for the Fox Footy promo.