Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has provided an update on star midfielder Dustin Martin.
The three-time Norm Smith Medallist has taken a leave of absence from the club to deal with personal issues, missing the side’s win over GWS on Sunday.
Rumours and reports have since circulated, including the fact that Martin is considering his long-term future.
Hardwick said everyone needed to give Dusty time to grieve, following the death of his father Shane late in 2021.
“I think Dustin’s taking his time to figure out what he needs to move forward,” Hardwick told AFL 360.
“And as we’ve spoken about, he’s had a really tough six months, none tougher than what he’s had to deal with, first with the injury and then with the loss of his father. He just needs some time to heal.
“Grief is really like an injury, there’s no two ways about it, you have to get some treatment to make yourself heal, and he’s just taking the time to do that.
“His father was incredibly close to him, obviously from a parent point of view, but also his best mate so it was going to take some time, and we’re prepared to give him that. He’s such an important part of the fabric of our football club. We miss him, but not on the footy field, just in the club.”
SEN Chief Reporter Sam Edmund provided the latest on SEN on Tuesday morning.
“I just spoke with his manager Ralph Carr and he said there’s no development as we speak, but there might be later in the week,” Edmund told SEN Breakfast.
It remains unclear whether Martin will return to the Tigers for their Round 3 clash with St Kilda.
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