MARTIN EYES THIRD FLAG
Dusty declares revamped 2020 season premiership just as special for Richmond
RICHMOND superstar Dustin Martin is adamant a third AFL premiership would mean just as much as the first two – even if it comes during the coronavirus-affected 2020 season.
The Tigers’ flag defence was put on hold in March after just one round because of the COVID-19 lockdown.
Richmond have not won back-toback premierships since 1974 and are aiming to hold the trophy aloft for the third time in four seasons to cement their spot as one of the great modernday sides.
Even with the fixture list slashed to 17 rounds, quarters shortened and fans indefinitely barred from attending games, Martin believes winning a grand final would still be a significant achievement.
“It’s certainly going to be different but it will certainly mean just as much,” the two-time Norm Smith medallist said.
“And who knows, we might be playing in front of people in a few months.
“We’re all competitive beasts. Every time we go out onto the oval we all want to win, whether there’s a crowd or not.
“That goes right across the league.” While relishing a return to Punt Road for training last week, the 28year-old made the most of his more than six weeks away from football.
“I really enjoyed the downtime, to be honest. Life gets pretty busy a lot of the time, so it was good to just slow down and simplify life a little bit,” Martin said.
“I made sure I got up really early every morning, banged out all my training.
“That usually takes up most of the morning.”
Boasting an experienced group, many of whom have featured in six of the past seven finals series, Richmond’s players knew the high standards expected of them from coach Damien Hardwick while in lockdown.
“Our older guys are good at checking in on the younger guys,” Martin said. “It wasn’t over the top, just every now and then to ensure everyone’s fine.
“(Hardwick) has great trust in the group, which we’ve built over the years, so all the boys attacked their training really well.”
Meanwhile, AFL fans are expected to be given clarity on the make-up of the 2020 season restart today, with the league poised to announce the first phase of fixtures.
The new schedule of matches will likely be released in four-week blocks, allowing the AFL flexibility to adapt to changing coronavirus restrictions later in the year. A clash between Victorian heavyweights Collingwood and Richmond is widely tipped to re-open the season on June 11.