AFL NEWS: Dusty's season in doubt, grand final parade shake-up divides players, Daisy Pearce's perfect response to critics

Dustin Martin’s season – and future at Richmond – is in jeopardy after the Tigers superstar suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury.

Martin has been on the sidelines since straining his hamstring in Round 16 against West Coast. While initial reports deemed him a chance to play either this week or next, the delay has thrown uncertainty over when he will return in 2022, if at all.

“An aggravation to his hamstring will mean Martin remains sidelined for the medium term,” a Richmond statement reads.

“Richmond will provide a further update when necessary.”

With Martin heavily linked to a move to Sydney this off-season, it is now unclear whether he will ever pull on a Tigers guernsey again.

The 31-year old is arguably the club’s greatest ever player, having won three Norm Smith Medals in the Tigers’ 2017, 2019 and 2020 premierships, while also claiming the 2017 Brownlow Medal and four All Australian gongs.

(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Grand final parade shake-up divides players

The AFL’s plan to change the traditional grand final parade has met a mixed response from players.

According to reports, the league is exploring moving the parade onto the Yarra River, with the two grand final teams making their way to the city centre via boats rather than the usual cars.

However, not all the players interviewed by the Herald Sun at the official joint AFL-AFLW press conference are convinced by the scheme, with Carlton’s Matthew Kennedy and Adelaide acting captain Brodie Smith voicing concerns.

“If you’ve got to play in a grand final, if that’s going to faze you too much going down the Yarra, the day before?” Smith wondered.

“It’s an interesting one, but I do quite like the parade at the moment… the guys get to sit in the ute and whatnot and just embrace all the fans that came to support you and all season.”

Kennedy, a ‘traditionalist’, would prefer to stick with the tried and tested format should the Blues make it all the way to the last Saturday in September.

“I’d just like to make it, so it wouldn’t worry me. But probably boats are a bit too far,” Kennedy said.

“Just stick to the car, I reckon. I’m a traditionalist.”

However, a number of other players have voiced their approval for the move to water, with Sydney ruckman Peter Ladhams saying the plan would be ‘epic’ if pulled off.

Richmond and GWS stars Tom Lynch and Nick Haynes, who featured in the most recent Melbourne grand final parade in 2019 – the big game having moved to Brisbane and Perth in the last two seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic – were also on board.

“I think a boat would look pretty cool and be something different, and the Yarra is a nice little platform to watch,” Haynes said.

Dustin Martin waves to fans during the 2019 AFL Grand Final Parade. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)

“Having experienced it back in 2019, it’s a great tradition we have in Melbourne. For the whole of Melbourne to have a day off as a public holiday is massive and getting the crowds there, so anything to make it more extravagant and good for the fans is a positive.”

Lynch, though, said he’d be open to any grand final parade – provided the Tigers are there to enjoy it.

“I’d love to be floating down the Yarra if it means we’re in the grand final,” he said.

“I don’t care where the parade is, as long as we’re in it. Obviously, the AFL is trying to bring people back into the city for the day and build that excitement.

“I was lucky enough to be a part of the grand final parade in 2019 and it was an amazing experience. To have all the fans out was a great buzz.”

The current grand final day parade has stayed mostly the same since beginning in 1977, albeit with occasional changes to the route into the city.

‘Isn’t a new thing’: Daisy Pearce’s ultra-classy response to critics

After recent criticism of her from sections of the AFL media kick-started a social media firestorm, commentator and AFLW champion Daisy Pearce has responded to the drama.

Recent comments from former broadcaster Rex Hunt, claiming Pearce replacing former great Wayne Carey in the commentary box on Friday nights was due to ‘pressure to have equal genders everywhere’, sparked widespread backlash, which amplified when another past legend in Dermott Brereton defended him.

Speaking on SEN, Pearce admitted dealing with criticism because of her gender ‘isn’t a new thing’, winning praise for her classy response.

“I get this sense of responsibility because other women and non-binary people who aspire to be in the industry or are already in the industry or just love footy and want to connect with footy, they’re disheartened by it and offended by it,” Pearce told Whateley.  

“So, while I’m not [offended] because I’ve done this for 20 years, either through trying to play footy or now working in the media, having your credibility questioned because you’re a female isn’t a new thing that I’m just starting to deal with.” 

Pearce also said she’s ‘not surprised’ by Brereton or Hunt’s comments, saying their history with the game and view from their playing days might be the reason for their stances.

“When I read their comments and heard the spin-offs from it, what I hear at the crux of it is that they feel seen and heard when they watch Wayne Carey and that’s understandable,” Pearce said.

“They played in similar eras, they probably idolised the way each other played, they might have similar values and past lived experiences and, therefore, ways of seeing the game.

“I’m not surprised or offended by that one bit. But that is one way with which to look at the game, and there are many.

“While that might be ruining football for Rex, there might be people out there that can connect and engage with football better now there is greater diversity in the broadcast team.” 

Pearce has quickly become a popular staple of Channel Seven’s AFL commentary, while also serving as Melbourne’s AFLW captain.

She is expected to retire from the game after the upcoming 2022 season, having led the Demons to a grand final berth earlier this year.

Daisy Pearce of the Demons. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

Club legend not convinced Saints can handle De Goey

St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt believes the Saints may not be a strong enough club to handle controversial Collingwood star Jordan De Goey, as rumours swirl concerning a potential trade come season’s end.

De Goey’s future at the Magpies is up in the air after the club withdrew a long-term contract following an incident in Bali earlier this year.

Speaking on AFL 360, Riewoldt, who played 336 games with the Saints and is regarded as one of the club’s greatest ever players, said he’d be concerned whether they can set De Goey straight should he sign on, compared to a rival suitor in Geelong.

“If I’m Geelong and Jordan De Goey walked through the door, then Joel Selwood, Tom Hawkins, Patrick Dangerfield, they grab him and they say ‘you’re going to do it the Geelong way’,” Riewoldt said.

“Who’s having that conversation if Jordan goes to St Kilda?

“Based on Brett Ratten’s post-game that was released to the media about holding each other accountable and driving high standards, I don’t think there’s anyone who’d have that conversation.”

Riewoldt described Saints captain Jack Steele as a ‘great on-field leader… [but] not the most confrontational guy’.

However, he would still be interested in securing De Goey’s services – but not at full price.

“If you could get him on a heavily incentivised contract where it‘s all based on results, then I think you would find a level of comfort with that,” he said.

“Heavily incentivised, three years with upside, but you’ve got to perform. Upside to something like $800,000, but a much lower base to begin with.”

The Saints sit tenth on the ladder with a 9-8 win-loss record amid a form slump that has ramped up pressure on the club.