Words fail Dusty again
IT was a Dusty Martin cold shoulder as lethal as his famous “Don’t Argue”.
After the brilliant Richmond star’s no-show at a scheduled press conference on Monday the media pack made a beeline for him at yesterday’s grand final parade. The famously media-shy Martin started with some genuine insight into Marlion Pickett after the shock debutant bunked down at the Martin residence in his first weeks at the club.
Yet like Martin burning away from a stoppage, he was gone before anyone could tackle him on the curly questions.
His media contribution to the parade lasted just five questions and 76 seconds before Martin turned his back and simply refused to answer any more questions.
Asked about likely tagger Matt de Boer, he simply answered: “Mate, I’m not going to do any more questions.”
And then he turned away from those waiting cameras.
The more the media probed, the further he turned his back and towards his good mate and protector Trent Cotchin sitting beside him in the back of the parade car.
The media was left without answers on the impending de Boer-Martin battle, why he snapped in Round 3 against de Boer and any potential followup sledging of Shane Mumford following his fine for mocking his cocaine episode.
Yet on a day when 43 players were happy to talk it was more comical than controversial — another chapter in those magnificent Dusty Files.
In that minute before he retreated back into his shell he seemed genuinely thrilled for former housemate Pickett.
“He is just a genuine caring person and put his head down and worked hard and I couldn’t be prouder of him or the club for giving him a chance,” he said. “It’s special and he will be up to it. I am looking forward to seeing what he can bring.”
A handful of cars behind him, Jack Dyer Medal favourite Dion Prestia was much more effusive about the challenge de Boer would bring.
“I just talked about it when I went through my tape with Adam Kingsley, our midfield coach. It was showing different things we can do, we looked at different things [Adam] Treloar and [Scott] Pendlebury did,” Prestia said. “I don’t want to give too much away, we just won’t make it easy for him, not being stationary and not allowing him to tag too easily.”