DUSTY WATCH: TIGERS INSIST STAR WILL PLAY
Star trains away from main group but Tigers dismiss talk of an injury
RICHMOND superstar Dustin Martin has trained away from the main group amid growing intrigue about his fitness for Friday night’s AFL preliminary final against Collingwood.
Martin, who suffered a cork during the Tigers’ qualifying final win over Hawthorn, took part in stationary kicking drills before yesterday’s session was closed to media and was later spotted jogging laps with backman Nathan Broad.
It comes after Martin left the training track early last Friday, failing to take part in an hour-long match simulation session.
Tigers defender Dylan Grimes played down concerns about the reigning Brownlow medallist.
“I think he’s fine to be honest,” Grimes said before yesterday’s training session.
“It was a bit of a storm in a teacup. He did exactly what he’d planned on doing.”
Small forward Daniel Rioli was sent for scans on Friday after jarring his finger and midfielder Kane Lambert also left the track early but both trained with the main group yesterday.
Richmond football chief Neil Balme last week allayed fears about Martin, who has missed just three games during his nine-season career to injury.
“Dusty had a knock last week but it’s all right now,” he said. “We have no doubt that he’ll be playing next week.”
Martin had 19 disposals and kicked three goals during the Tigers’ 28-point victory over Collingwood in round 19, despite a hard tag from Levi Greenwood.
The grand final qualifier will be the first final between the powerhouse Victorian clubs since the 1980 decider.
The Tigers will line up at the MCG having not played for 15 days while the Pies will be coming off a six-day break and a trip to Perth.
Grimes said the Tigers had approached their week off in the same fashion as they did during last year’s triumphant finals series.
“There’s a lot of sore bodies around on both sides of the fence and it’s been a good opportunity to freshen up,” he said.
Forward Jordan De Goey looms as a game breaker for the Magpies after booting three goals during their semifinal win over GWS. Pundits were quick to identify Grimes as a potential match-up for De Goey but he believes the job could fall to All-Australian fullback Alex Rance.
“I noticed (on Saturday) he was playing quite deep a lot,” Grimes said of De Goey.
“We like to maintain our back six and have Rancey in those deepest (spots).”