Jack Riewoldt breaks his silence on Dustin Martin’s shock break from footy after the death of his dad: ‘Clear he was struggling’
- AFL superstar Dustin Martin, 30, has taken an indefinite break from the sport
- The gun midfielder is grieving the death of his father Shane, who was just 54
- Tigers teammate Jack Riewoldt said on AFL360 Martin was struggling mentally
Richmond vice-captain Jack Riewoldt is happy teammate Dustin Martin has taken an indefinite break from footy as he grieves the death of his father.
The Tigers have granted Martin personal leave and on Monday coach Damien Hardwick said the club had ‘no clarity’ on whether the champion midfielder will return.
Speaking on Fox Footy’s AFL360 on Tuesday night, Riewoldt, 33, said it was obvious Martin was struggling mentally.
‘But I’m glad that he’s identified it and didn’t just try and push through…and is trying to get himself back to being the best Dustin he can be,’ he said.
Martin’s father Shane died last December in New Zealand aged just 54.
Riewoldt and Martin played in Richmond’s run of three flags from 2017-20, and the centre-half forward acknowledged ‘Dusty’s’ current struggles are more important than football.
Richmond vice-captain Jack Riewoldt is happy teammate Dustin Martin (pictured) has taken an indefinite break from footy as he grieves the death of his father
Riewoldt and Martin played in Richmond’s run of three flags from 2017-20, and the centre-half forward acknowledged ‘Dusty’s’ current struggles are more important than football
Martin’s father Shane (pictured right) died last December in New Zealand aged just 54
‘I’ve texted him and a lot of the players have texted him, and he’s responded to a few guys, but is also taking his time to deal with what he’s dealing with,’ Riewoldt added.
‘He’s (nearly) the face of AFL football, hopefully he can take a step back and people (media) leave him alone.
‘Grief is really like an injury, you have to get some treatment to make yourself heal.’
Riewoldt also expressed his disappointment in the circumstances surrounding Hayden Crozier’s medical scare.
In confronting scenes, viewers saw Western Bulldogs defender Crozier hooked up to a electrocardiogram (ECG) at halftime of his team’s match versus Carlton last Thursday.
Channel Seven showed the heart activity monitor attached to Crozier, and AFL legend Riewoldt felt the free to air broadcaster had crossed a line.
‘I’ve got a real issue with that. I reckon that’s poor,’ he fumed on Fox Footy.
‘I’m assuming that it isn’t played in real time (live). If he had a fit there, and that’s on live TV, because he’s hooked up (to the ECG). That’s way too private.’
Richmond play St Kilda this Sunday, April 3 at Marvel Stadium from 3.20pm.
Both sides are coming off impressive last start wins against GWS Giants and Fremantle respectively.