Dustin Martin’s camp pours water on suggestion he may retire midway through AFL season

Dustin Martin’s camp has moved to swiftly shut down speculation around a potential early retirement, with the Richmond star’s manager saying he wants to remain in the game “as long as possible”.

Melbourne journalist Tony Sheahan raised eyebrows on Monday when he suggested Martin was “threatening to walk away” amid the Tigers’ testing start to the season, saying on The Truth Hurts podcast that the three-time Norm Smith medallist wanted to “finish on a high”.

But Martin’s manager Ralph Carr quashed the suggestion on Tuesday ahead of the star joining the Tigers in a trip west to face West Coast on Sunday.

“Dustin at this point has no intention of retiring, and he has never lost his love for AFL football.” Carr told The Herald Sun.

“The Richmond Football Club, the AFL and family has been an incredible support to him and I personally know that he wants to stay in the game as long as possible.

“I also want to thank all supporters of the game for supporting ‘the people’s champion’ Dustin Martin.”

Martin is yet to taste victory this season, missing Richmond’s sole win in their first five games due to a calf issue before returning for last weekend’s loss to St Kilda.

The 32-year-old is eight games shy of the 300-game milestone as he looks to become just the seventh Tiger to reach the mark, alongside Kevin Bartlett, Jack Dyer, Francis Bourke, and recently-retired premiership teammates Jack Riewoldt, Trent Cotchin and Shane Edwards.