Richmond Senior Club Advisor Neil Balme has again refuted rumours that Dustin Martin will seek a move to Gold Coast, claiming that he is a certainty to stay at Punt Road.
After Damien Hardwick signed a six-year deal to become the new head coach of the Suns on Monday, talks again circled around whether Martin would consider a move to play under his former mentor.
However, Balme moved to shut down those claims completely, saying that he’d be “surprised” if he left.
“He’ll stay for sure. Why would he go?” he told SEN’s Sportsday SA.
“It’d be a great thing for ‘Dimma’ (Hardwick). It wouldn’t be that good for us.”
After building one of the most decorated resumes of all time with the Tigers, which has included three Premierships, three Norm Smith Medals and a Brownlow, Balme believes that Martin wouldn’t bother moving in the twilight of his career.
“He’s at the stage now where he should just finish at Richmond, (and) I think he will,” he said.
“There’s nothing to suggest that he won’t.”
Hardwick’s move to the Gold Coast also sent shockwaves around the footy world, as the announcement comes just three months after he cited burnout as his reason for quitting the Tigers job.
However, although disappointed, Balme was pleased with the way Hardwick dealt with the situation.
“I’m very proud of the fact that our club works the way it does in that it trusts us enough to tell us the truth,” he said.
“He trusts us to say, ‘I reckon I’m worn out; my message is not getting across and I don’t quite have the energy to say it again and I think I’m probably done’.
“It’s rare that a coach is able to say that. He normally goes off and we finish up thanking him. I’m really pleased with the way that he handled it.
“He’s one of our men, he’s a Richmond guy, so we hope he goes really well.”
Richmond will conclude a turbulent season on Sunday afternoon against Port Adelaide, whilst Hardwick will begin his new role following the Suns’ clash with North Melbourne on Saturday.