SEN footy analyst Terry Wallace believes Dustin Martin is a better fit for St Kilda than Nat Fyfe and Josh Kelly.
With the Saints rumoured to be offering a mega-deal to lure Fyfe out of Fremantle, Wallace pinpointed Martin as the better option.
“I’d go Dustin Martin and why I’d do that is because I think he’s a little bit of an inside and outside (player) and that suits the Saints,” he told SEN’s The Run Home.
“If you’re going Kelly you’re going to be selling the farm financially, as you would with the other two as well, but you’ll also be committing everything from the point of view of getting the trade done. Martin and Fyfe are free agents, so while their clubs can try and match any bid, and we’ve seen that happen with Patrick Dangerfield, there’s also a chance no trade is required.
“To get Kelly will take first round picks, or a first round pick and a very good player.”
With St Kilda holding Hawthorn’s 2017 first round selection, the Saints are well placed whichever direction the club chooses to go.
But Wallace says to land Martin, and retain two top-end national draft picks, would be a monumental boost to its current direction.
“Free agents are the best way to recruit and for St Kilda is makes sense,” he said.
“Imagine getting Martin and have those two first round picks. That would be an enormous coup.”
SEN Breakfast host Garry Lyon rated Kelly as the best fit for the Saints because of his skill set as an outside playmaker.
Martin’s manager Ralph Carr reiterated the Tiger playmaker’s desire to put contract talks on hold.
While recent history – Gary Ablett, Lance Franklin and Dangerfield – suggests players putting talks on hold means they have one foot out the door, Wallace believes that will only happen if the Tigers don’t up their offer.
It’s been reported the Tigers offered Martin around $800,000 a season while market rates have his price tag north of $1.1 million per season.
“I don’t get nervous until Richmond says it is not going to up the ante on his offer,” Wallace said.
“If the Tigers say ‘no more negotiation’, that’s when fans should get nervous, but I don’t think that will happen.”