Dustin Martin tribunal: Richmond star's suspension reduced to one week

Tom Naghten

•
Dustin Martin tribunal: Richmond star's suspension reduced to one week image

Richmond star Dustin Martin's suspension for his strike on GWS' Adam Kennedy has been reduced by a week at the AFL tribunal on Tuesday night.

The Tigers will now be without the 2017 Brownlow Medallist for Saturday's match against Port Adelaide, but he will be free to play Sydney in a fortnight.

Martin was originally hit with a two-game suspension for striking Kennedy in the second term of the Tigers loss, with match review officer Michael Christian assessing the hit as intentional conduct with medium impact to the head.

MORE: Dustin Martin's woes mirror Richmond's early-season struggles


Martin was represented by Michael Tovey QC and Sam Tovey, while Jeff Gleeson QC was the AFL's legal counsel.

The Tigers were attempting to have the impact downgraded to low, which would mean the suspension was reduced to one game.

They were only risking a $10,000 fine if they failed.

Umpire Nathan Williamson and Kennedy were called to give evidence in the hearing that lasted more than an hour

Gleeson argued the impact should be graded as medium due to the potential to cause serious injury.

It took the tribunal around 15 minutes to come to a decision, reducing the grading of the hit to low impact.

That wasn't the only matter that the Tigers midfielder found himself in the headlines for following the 49-point loss to the Giants.

During the same quarter in which he collected Kennedy with the elbow, he stuck up his middle finger at an opponent before mimicking a snorting action and appearing to say "have a f***in' line."


The AFL issued Martin and the club a 'please explain' over that matter.

On top of the disciplinary issues, the superstar midfielder was also on the wrong end of the stat sheet, picking up just 15 disposals, while his direct opponent, Matt de Boer, picked up 21.

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick made a point to call out the treatment Martin got from de Boer and the rest of the Giants players, saying umpires should look after the ball players.

Martin's form and suspension is just another headache for Hardwick who is attempting to turn around the club's fortunes in the midst of an injury crisis.

Captain Trent Cotchin (hamstring) is set to be sidelined for at least the next fortnight, joining Jack Riewoldt (wrist/knee) in the treatment room, while Alex Rance (ACL) will miss the entire season.

Rebounding defender Jayden Short (elbow) is also set to miss around two months.

The 1-2 Tigers will attempt to overcome those losses when they take on the Power at Adelaide Oval on Saturday afternoon.

Tom Naghten

Tom Naghten Photo

Tom Naghten is a senior editor at The Sporting News Australia where he's been part of the team since 2017. He predominantly covers boxing and MMA. In his spare time, he likes to watch Robbie Ahmat's goal against the Kangaroos at the SCG in 2000.