Veteran pair Trent Cotchin and Jack Riewoldt are not certain to continue next season amid reports the latter has been “low-balled” by the Tigers’ contract offer.
It is possible they could follow fellow flag heroes Shane Edwards and Kane Lambert into retirement.
Richmond are also on the lookout for new talent from rival clubs to bolster their list.
They met with GWS midfielder Jacob Hopper on Monday and have also been linked with his Giants teammate Tim Taranto.
Martin, who made a modest return from injury in the Tigers’ elimination final defeat to Brisbane last week, is contracted for a further two years.
But speculation continues to swirl around his playing future.
Dustin Martin is helped off the ground. (Photo by Russell Freeman/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Hardwick attempted to put that talk to bed.
“One hundred per cent he’s in our camp,” Hardwick told Fox Footy.
“It probably frustrates us a little bit the constant media speculation because it just adds a click.
“The reality is he’s with us for another two years. Get used to it.
“I don’t have to ask the question, I just know. This guy is so invested in our footy club.
“We had some meetings today and we’re talking about where our list is going and he’s in there. He’s all in, absolutely.”
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Martin’s father Shane died in December and the superstar spent six weeks’ personal leave away from Richmond early this season.
The 31-year-old missed another seven games while sidelined by hamstring injuries at the end of the home-and-away campaign.
“The great players have a really good understanding of what makes them tick and he’s had a challenging year, no question, but he is in the right mindset now,” Hardwick said.
“We’ve seen him flick the switch about where he needs to get to.
“He’s really excited about the off-season and the pre-season, and how he’s going to come back.”
Tuesday looms as decision day for both Cotchin and Riewoldt as Richmond continue post-season player exit interviews.
Both were integral to the Tigers’ 2017, 2019 and 2020 premierships but while sentiment will be considered, Hardwick said the next flag push is the priority.
“We’re probably firmly in the camp that we’ll let those guys make a firm decision,” Hardwick said.
“There’ll be some understanding of what that looks contract-wise and then we’ll make that informed decision tomorrow (Tuesday).”
Hardwick would not directly discuss Giants gun Taranto but confirmed the Tigers will try to do a deal to get Hopper to Punt Road.
“We need to improve our list, like most clubs, and we’ll be into the market to try and improve it as much as we can,” Hardwick said.
Petracca racing clock to be fit for final
Christian Petracca is set to train with Melbourne’s main group on Tuesday in a bid to prove he can push through his fractured leg and corked calf for the AFL semi-final against Brisbane.
Demons star Petracca completed a light session on Monday, albeit with a slight limp and with tape around his right calf.
The big test will come on Tuesday, just three days out from Friday night’s knockout clash at the MCG.
Demons coach Simon Goodwin is confident Petracca will be cleared to play.
“He’ll train fully (on Tuesday) so he’ll be fully fit, there’s no risk there,” Goodwin told Fox Footy.
“Our medical team are one of the best in the competition and they’re not going to make rash decisions with a key player like Christian Petracca. We need him at his best and he’ll train fully (on Tuesday).”
Petracca suffered a hairline fracture of his fibula and corked calf in a collision with Lance Franklin during last Friday’s qualifying final loss to Sydney.
In the fallout from that match, AFL great turned commentator Matthew Lloyd said the Demons had played too “safe” with their forward entries and declared “their system is broken” after they posted just 69 points.
Key forward Tom McDonald could return to add a different look to the attacking mix after making a successful comeback from a foot injury via the VFL last week.
(Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
But Goodwin won’t be making any huge changes.
“If you look at it from a measured perspective, for the last six weeks our forward line has probably operated the best it has for the whole year,” Goodwin said.
“On the weekend we probably didn’t maximise the opportunities as we would’ve liked but that’s linked to a whole range of things; the type of turnovers you get, your ball movement (etc).
“It’s a consistent theme for us that when we start to struggle in games our forward line can have some trouble scoring at times.
“But that’s not what we focus on the most within our game; we focus on our contest, our pressure, our defence and our offensive opportunities on the back of that.”
Friday’s semi-final brings Melbourne and Brisbane back together just three weeks after Lions skipper Dayne Zorko’s on-field sledge brought Demons defender Harrison Petty to tears.
Zorko later apologised but also claimed he was provoked in the ugly incident.
“Our players won’t be revisiting it, they’ll be moving on,” Goodwin said.
“It’s bigger footy than that. We’ve got a game to play, we’ve got a contest to win.
“It’s going to be a big game of footy and that certainly won’t be at the forefront of our mind.”
‘Act like winners’ call a hit with Magpies
If Craig McRae’s demand for his charges to “act like winners” instead of slumping to the ground in defeat raised eyebrows among AFL watchers, it struck a chord with his Collingwood players.
Magpies coach McRae took issue with some of his players “acting like a loser” on the final siren of Saturday’s six-point qualifying final heartbreak final, stressing their season was not yet over.
“We want to act like winners – I must admit, the siren goes and there’s half a dozen of our guys lying on the ground,” he said in his post-match press conference.
“For me, that’s not a winner, that’s acting like a loser. We lost the game, we’re not losers. I just made that point.
“For the lifetime I’m sitting in this chair, maybe barring a grand final, if we don’t win, don’t lie on the ground.”
Veteran Steele Sidebottom backed his coach, saying the situation reminded him of losing a qualifying final in 2018, en route to that year’s grand final. “Although we lost (on Saturday) and clearly boys were tipping in, you’ve got to be able to move on pretty quick,” he told reporters on Monday.
“The way that you carry yourself throughout a game and the way that we’ve carried ourselves throughout the year, and it started from pre-season, is with our body language and everything. “We want to stand tall and be proud and that’s what winners do.
“I support what Craig said and that’s the way that we go about our business around here.”
Teammates John Noble and Darcy Cameron told AAP they were also on the same page as McRae.
(Photo by Russell Freeman/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Collingwood received good news on Monday when Jordan De Goey’s shoulder injury was confirmed as an AC joint sprain.
The explosive midfielder’s contact work will be managed this week but he is expected to be given the green light to take on Fremantle on Saturday night.
Despite suffering the injury early against Geelong, De Goey was still one of the Magpies’ best players and produced a pair of big goals in the final quarter.
“I’ve seen Jordy in here (at the club) today so he’ll be good to go, I’m sure,” Sidebottom said.
“He’s huge and I think in finals games you look for those guys that have that kind of X-factor.
“You look to those guys as well when things aren’t going right. Those goals in the last quarter, not everyone can do that and he makes it look so easy. I’m sure Jordy will be right and he’ll get himself right to put another display in.”
Sidebottom praised vice-captain Taylor Adams, who was at the club supporting his teammates on Monday, despite suffering a season-ending groin tear against Geelong. Adams won’t return to full training in the 2023 pre-season until January.