HE'S SCOOPED up just about every accolade available and now Richmond superstar Dustin Martin has added another achievement to reinforce his reputation as the best player in the competition.
Martin has overtaken Geelong gun Patrick Dangerfield as No.1 on the Schick AFL Player Ratings, as determined by Champion Data, ending a reign by the Cat that lasted almost two years.
The dual All Australian became just the fifth person to take over top position since the standings began in 2012.
It's the latest achievement on Martin's long list after his stellar 2017 saw the bullocking midfielder win the Norm Smith Medal as the Tigers won the flag, the Brownlow Medal and the Jack Dyer Medal.
His versatility was on show last Saturday, with his six goals helping Richmond punish a Brisbane outfit that managed just two.
Since the start of last season Martin has led the AFL in several areas. He ranks No.1 for average inside-50s (5.9), score assists (1.9) and centre bounce clearances (3.4), and his fierce fend-off means he also leads the competition in broken tackles (3.1).
His ability to not only move the ball forward but help his side keep possession is reflected in his ranking as the best player in the AFL in that time for average retained metres gained (317m).
For Dangerfield to hit back and reclaim the No.1 spot after round five, he needs to outscore Martin by at least 10.5 points. To put that into context, Martin has averaged 21.4 points per game since the start of last year.
The Player Ratings take into account an individual's past 40 games over a rolling two-year period.
History of No.1 players
Gary Ablett (Gold Coast) – round one, 2012-round four, 2015
Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood) – round five, 2015-round 16, 2015
Nat Fyfe (Fremantle) – round 17, 2015-round 11, 2016
Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong) – round 12, 2016-round three, 2018
Dustin Martin (Richmond) – round four, 2018-?
