I reckon Dustin might question this statement.
Disproved, Naish tackled Dusty once at training:
The teammate who brought Dusty down
When Steve Smith made hundred after hundred in the 2019 Ashes and England’s bowlers were bereft of ideas as to how to get him out, Nathan Lyon wondered what the fuss was about.
Lyon routinely got him out in the nets, the off-spinner laughed in an ABC interview on grand final day 2019.
Richmond winger Patrick Naish is like Lyon. He wonders what all the fuss is about.
During a practice match early last year, Martin had the ball and looked up to see the menacing figure of Naish. Generously listed at 78kg, possibly while wearing clothes, boots and carrying a bag, Naish went at Martin with trepidation and a plan.
“It was a bit weird because he sort of fended me off but because I have a massive physique I was able to stay with him. Look, I am massive, so I was able to tackle him. Yeah, I brought him down,” Naish recalled.
“He had the ball and pretty much tried to take me on and I just caught him. With Dusty you have to get a bit lower which is what I did. By the time I tackled him he was a bit too slow getting the don’t argue up. I completely beat him for pace.”
Martin didn’t like it. But the rest of Richmond did.
“He hated it. He whacked me afterwards. He said ‘stop being a champion’,” Naish said.
“The boys loved it though, especially Shane Edwards. He loved it the most. He gave it to Dusty. He went straight to him and said ‘Not today mate’.”
During the Tigers’ long stretch in hubs last year, the moment Naish brought down Martin was revisited more than once. In team meetings, at breakfast, on a bus, a voice would float over the room: “Hey Dusty remember the day I tackled you?”
Richmond superstar Dustin Martin breaks twice as many tackles as his nearest rival, Patrick Dangerfield. Here’s how he does it.
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