Richmond assistant coach Adam Kingsley provides Richmond Media with an insight into Dustin Martin's form this year.
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Coaching against him as an opposition coach
“You’re always concerned. You know that at any moment in the game, he can just turn it, whether it’s kicking goals or just creating goals through his run and carry or his kicking, his clearance work. You always put work into him and hope for the best…When he’s in the mood to change the game and get the ball, he’s impossible to stop.”
Ranked No. 1 at Richmond for inside 50s and centre clearance
“The most impressive thing for us is not only does he clear the ball himself but he creates clearances through his movement and his organisation in there, which has been the most pleasing aspect for me. We know he’s a great clearance player and he can be really damaging with those clearances, but to be able to bring Dion Prestia, Jack Graham, Jack Ross and Shane Edwards into the clearance game as well, is really important for us as a whole midfield.”
His centre bounce attendance
“He’s still right up there in terms of his centre bounce attendance. He’d be the leading player for us. One, because he’s played a lot of games and we’ve had a few guys miss games through injury, but he’s very good at them too. So, we do tend to put him in there and let him get to work.”
His high player rating as a midfield-forward
“I think Dimma has identified how dangerous he is midfield-forward and wants to play him there predominately. You’ll see him deep full-forward at time, he’s a really difficult match-up there, but also centre square and around the stoppages. He’s quite versatile, he’s willing to play in any position that we think might maximise our performance, and generally impacts the game really well.”
His positioning throughout the game
“He makes that call (to go to the goal square) himself depending upon how he’s feeling, the match-up that he has, the state of the game, how other players around him are going. So, he’s got the licence to really dictate where he plays. Every now and then, Dimma will send down the message that we want him specifically on this part of the ground and he’s really good like that, he’ll follow Dimma’s instructions and get to work.”
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Peaking at the right time
“Looking at the last three years… certainly the year before (last) was an outstanding finals performance and we’re hoping for the same this year.”
What he works on at training
“Mainly defensively, in and around the contest. He’s usually very good at it, but at times, given the speed and the effort he exerts, he can stand and watch a little bit. All players do that, particularly though the midfield. It’s a work in progress but we’re pretty comfortable with where he sits.”
