Craig McRae has revealed he bumped into Dustin Martin on Tuesday near Collingwood headquarters, and the Richmond champion asked him (albeit jokingly) why he hadn’t received a call about playing for the Pies next year. Martin announced his AFL retirement earlier this month and played his final game for the Tigers.
But according to reports, his management has been in contact with the Suns about a potential move to the Gold Coast to reunite with coach Damien Hardwick in 2025. Former Tigers captain Trent Cotchin has declared he thinks there’s almost zero chance Martin will backflip on his retirement and play on next season, but that hasn’t stopped the rumour mill running wild.
On Wednesday, Collingwood coach McRae revealed a chance meeting he had with Martin this week in which the topic of him playing on was briefly discussed. “I was walking to work after the Brownlow and was crossing at the lights – right near the club – and Dusty’s there,” McRae said on SEN radio, revealing the 33-year-old was driving past in his car.
“He winds down the window and says ‘where’s my phone call?’ I said ‘yeah I’ll call you mate, come play for us’.” McRae’s comments were tongue-in-cheek, but Martin is good mates with Collingwood player Jordan De Goey and a move to the Pies would make a lot of sense.
