Former Essendon champion and current SEN and Channel Sevenย broadcaster, Tim Watson, believes Dustin Martin will leave Richmond at the end of the season.
Reports emerged yesterday that Martin has put contract talks on hold with the Tigers until the end of the season, as speculation on his future mounts.
Martin will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season and is believed to have already attracted interest from several rival clubs, including St Kilda.
Watson told SEN on Tuesday morning he expects Martin will walk out on the club.
โWhen you put off negotiations at this stage, it means one thing (he is going),โ Watsonย said.
โLook at (Patrick) Dangerfield last year, all year โ deny, deny โฆ it was already done.
โThere are clubs that have been circling Dustin Martin for a couple of years.
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โIt would be my belief that there is already a deal that has already been agreed in principle somewhereโฆI would think he is staying in Victoria.โ
Watson said Martin is in the four best midfielders in the competition at the moment.
โThe four very good very, very, very good midfielders โ Dangerfield, Martin, Pendlebury at 29, Josh Kennedy in Sydney at 29 โ you look at his stats over the past three years and match them against those other three players, its stands up,โ Watson said.
โ60 goals he has kicked in the past three years, only Dangerfield has kicked more at 62.
โI donโt think anyone that has watched Dusty play would say that he hasnโt got the capability to influence the team more than any other player on the ground when heโs in full swing."
