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While player comparisons in sport are usually fruitless, this season one player has reminded me of another champion from a bygone era. Indeed, these two players have so many similarities it’s scary.
Dustin Martin took his game to a whole new level this year and he may be this generation’s ‘Raging Bull’, one of the nicknames given to former champion Collingwood midfielder Darren Millane.
A recent flashback of the 1990 grand final provided this Collingwood tragic an opportunity to relive past glories (we need them at the minute).
After watching the last quarter I decided to break out the 1990 Road to Victory DVD and could not believe how much watching Millane reminded me of Martin.
They are essentially the same footballing type, both standing at 187 centimetres and at 23 years old both were around the 90kg mark. They both have hard, inside midfielder bodies and yet have explosive speed and a terrific burst of pace away from the contest.
The attack both display on the ball is ferocious, while both are also blessed with a sublime set of foot skills and subtle touch. Even their running styles are similar and while ungainly are surprisingly effective.
Both Millane and Martin grew up among humble beginnings and football was a way for them to make a better life for themselves. In his early days Millane had trained with Hawthorn before leaving the club unhappy with the environment, heading back to play for Dandenong before settling at Collingwood. Martin too flirted with the idea of leaving Richmond and seeking greener pastures before deciding to commit to the Tigers.
Their character traits show similar personalities both on and off the field, with both players known for enjoying themselves away from football, but being committed to their respective teams’ cause.
While Millane was largely a wingman, Martin runs through both the middle and forward lines, however their ability to win the contested ball is startlingly similar.
Millane would often charge off his wing at kick-outs and be a main marking target due to his one-on-one ability in the air and on the ground. He was a safe kick for Magpie fullbacks because he rarely lost the contest. Incredibly, Martin has turned himself statistically into the best one-on-one player in the competition and this season has a winning percentage of 56 per cent when involved in a duel with an opponent. Giving this figure some perspective, the league average currently sits at just 26 per cent.
Millane was 23 when he won his only best and fairest with the Magpies in 1987, and Martin has followed his runner-up finish last year with another top-three placing in the Jack Dyer medal earlier in the week.
In their 1990 premiership year Millane was then voted by the playing group as the Leigh Matthews Trophy winner as the best player in the AFL, something Martin is certainly capable of in the years to come.
Both are real grunt footballers who play on enormous heart, with the harder edges often disguising their wonderful skills. Watching Dustin Martin carve up the MCG this year has reminded me of all the old footage when the Raging Bull of Victoria Park used to tear down a wing.
Ultimately Millane’s career was tragically cut short while still in his prime at 26 with 147 games and we will never know how good he might have become. But perhaps Martin, given he seems to share so many character and playing traits, may give fans a glimpse of how Millane’s career might have unfolded should he continue to develop into the Tigers own version of the Raging Bull.
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