FAMILY & CHILDHOOD

Dustin Martin (also known as Dusty) was born to parents Shane Martin and Kathy Knight, on June 26th 1991, in Castlemaine, Victoria. He also has two brothers, Bronson and Tyson.

He's half Maori (from his father) and half Australian (from his mother). However, when he was 14, his parents divorced and he moved to Sydney with his father, where he dropped out of school and worked a full time job as a forklift driver, later saying he hated "working long days" in what was "not a very good job." Martin's hard work and resilience has been quite evident since he was young, with this job proving it.

BECOMING FAMOUS

First taking up AFL at the age of six, he learned to play with the local Auskick program. He would also frequently play with his brothers in their self constructed paddocks at there family home. From there on, he played junior football for Campbell's Creek, before playing for the Bendigo Pioneers under 15's squad. Once he moved to Sydney, he showed no signs of stopping and started with the Ingleburn Magpies Junior Australian Football Club's under 16 side. He stayed for just four matches however, dominating so comprehensively he was moved to the Campbelltown Football Club  under 18's team despite being aged only 15. He was even enquired by the Sydney Swans to join there junior academy, however, he had not met the requirements of living in Sydney for a minimum of 3 years.

After a year in Sydney, he moved back to Victoria to live with his mother, by late December 2007. He kept on playing AFL, as this was his one true passion that he desperately wanted to succeed in. During his first summer back, he trained with Castlemaine's senior side and impressed enough in four matches to be asked back into the Bendigo Pioneers' junior program. For the most of the season, he continued to play for Castlemaine, winning the Bendigo Football League's rising star title. He returned to the Pioneers the next year, becoming a star player yet only playing 11 games.  ranked first at the club for disposals, contested possessions, clearances, inside 50s and score assists despite playing so few games, and placed second at the club's best and fairest awards night.  In 2009, Martin was drafted to the Richmond Tigers, although the Sydney Swans were still keen on him as well. When it became clear that Melbourne (who held the first and second picks in the drafts) would select other players before Martin, Richmond officials travelled to his Bendigo home to assure him that he would be selected with their pick.

MENTAL HEALTH STRUGGLES

In an interview with The Age in 2019, Martin revealed he'd been struggling with depression and anxiety, after feeling a "weird empty feeling," throughout the 2018 season, which led him to seek professional help. He stated, "I woke with a weird empty feeling inside and it was really strange. I had everything I wanted and everything I dreamt of, but I didn't feel fulfilled or happy. I didn't know what was going on." These struggles came to be a year after he become one of the most marketable players, which saw him play his best season yet, winning a premiership, Norm Smith Medal and his first Bronlow Medal.  

He started to feel pressure to live up to his high standards, and stated, "I started worrying about what others would say about me if I wasn't at that level anymore. I realised it doesn't matter what people think; if I just do my best, that's all I can do. I stopped worrying and I was suddenly free. It was small guided steps, but I learned to live my best life and not take on board what others think of me." Martin said he had developed an appreciation for yoga to relax his mind and body, while he has taken up reading books in his spare time which he says adds perspective to his life, and this really helped him through his struggles.

GETTING HELP

Martin went and got professional help, and strongly recommends that if anyone is struggling, anyone they know is struggling they should go and seek help, because in the long run it helps so, so much. Martin also turned to yoga and reading as something to help, saying it relaxes him and adds a new and different perspective to his life. At the time of the article (March 2019) the AFL was in the process of hiring a mental health officer, after identifying the challenges the players face that deeply affect them. 

    HIS CHARACTERISTICS

Throughout this all, Dustin Martin has shown a strong passion and hard work ethic towards his football career, which proved to be successful as he's regarded as one of the best players in the league. His perseverance also played apart in his success, and his courage for getting help, because it can be so hard to finally be able to talk to someone. All these have made Dustin Martin a kind, caring and wonderful man, who is loved by everyone, especially his Richmond fans and team mates.