The prospect of luring Dustin Martin to Gold Coast this year is fraught with danger for the Suns.
If the club is wise, it will resist any lingering temptations to fly Martin north in October, even if the three-time Norm Smith Medallist requests a trade from Richmond.
For a club which has rarely enticed anyone of note to its headquarters – remember when they offloaded pick 2 because Lachie Weller was keen? – it will be difficult to say no to Martin.
His superstar status. His game-changing ability. His connection to new coach Damien Hardwick. Yes, they are all appealing at first glance.
But the most important thing for the Suns is its list strategy, premiership build, and salary cap. If they are to be considered a serious club, the football must outweigh any backroom desire for marketing and increased ticket sales.
For Gold Coast, footing any more than a few hundred thousand dollars of Martin’s $1.5 million salary in 2024 would be grossly irresponsible.
Why? Because the club has worked overtime to rebalance its books after a rocky few years in which player managers had the Suns over a barrel.
The 2016 national draft saw Gold Coast select Ben Ainsworth (pick 4), Jack Scrimshaw (pick 7), Will Brodie (pick 9) and Jack Bowes (pick 10).
Dustin Martin celebrates with Damien Hardwick after Richmond won the 2020 AFL Grand Final. (Photo by Jono Searle/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)
Of those four, only Ainsworth remains. To stem the exodus, the Suns were forced to pay overs to extend Scrimshaw, Brodie and Bowes. Their salary cap was squeezed. It took several years for list boss Craig Cameron to neutralise the damage.
Additionally, there is no way Richmond will pay a large portion of Martin’s salary for him to play with Gold Coast in 2024.
“I just can’t see a scenario where he is not at Richmond,” Tigers chief Brendon Gale said to ABC Radio on Saturday.
Don’t get me wrong – there is only a small percentage of romanticism in my perspective.
Football is a business and whether we like it or not, Sam Mitchell, Doug Hawkins, Wayne Carey, Jordan Lewis, Travis Cloke and many others spending a year or two away from their initial clubs did nothing to harm their overall legacies once they retired.
But from a pure football perspective, Martin to Gold Coast lacks sense.
He has earned his cheque, Richmond is adamant it will not enter a full-scale rebuild, and the Suns have enough talent and flair without needing Martin to complement their list.
From a pure legacy standpoint, Martin will need 10 games to reach the 300 mark next year.
If he gets there, sees out his contract and decides he wants to play on in 2025 as a 33-year-old, it is then and only then when the Suns should contemplate whether to bring him in.
The difference between October 2023 and October 2024 is significant. Firstly, Martin will be an unrestricted free agent in 13 months. He would only cost the price of his contract, not draft picks which the Suns must hold to acquire academy talent.
They would also have the opportunity to negotiate a fresh deal, with no lingering cash from his current arrangement.
If his body and mind is willing, a late-career switch to the Suns could prove mutually beneficial, bearing in mind he will turn 34 halfway through 2025.
This scenario is a long way down the track. Who knows how Martin’s form will be after another season.
As it stands, Hardwick is not pushing for his star pupil, and on Monday said he is ‘not the messiah’ for the Suns. But he remained coy on whether Martin is a player of interest, other than to say “he’s contracted”.
From a pure coaching perspective, it would be folly to unilaterally upend Gold Coast’s entire list build to bring in Martin.
If he was 25, fair enough. But he’s no longer the player he was – even if he can still do remarkable things from time to time.
Hardwick, whose arrival at Gold Coast reminds me of Mick Malthouse’s ascension to the Collingwood job in 2000, is best served utilising the talent on his current list.
The master coach must create a brand new narrative distinct from Richmond’s dynasty, and forge a fresh path without Martin to begin with.
Then, if everything is equal, they can have this conversation this time next year. But right now, the Suns need to squash any prospect of Dusty playing for them in 2024.
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