Is this the last we will see of Richmond champion Dustin Martin?
The AFL world is collectively holding their breath, after Martin was subbed out of the Tigers’ 61-point loss to Carlton on Sunday at the MCG.
The 33-year-old was removed from the match during the third term, citing back soreness as his reason for sitting out.
FOLLOW LIVE: NRL Round 17 Sunday action
READ MORE: Stuart accuses refs of ‘guessing’ after latest loss
READ MORE: Knights debutant drops F-bomb in hilarious interview
It comes after Tigers coach Adem Yze remained coy on Martin’s immediate future, confirming before the Carlton match, that he would not travel to face the Dockers the following week.
“We’ll sit down with him and work out a plan,” Yze said on the eve of the Blues match.
“He’s going to be one of those players that we’ve got to decide with (because) we’re starting to prepare for eight-day breaks and six-day breaks.”
Now, Martin’s playing future is under an even darker cloud.
Melbourne great Garry Lyon expressed heartbreak at the thought of this possibly being Martin’s last game.
“He had no impact on the game whatsoever,” Lyon said on Fox post match.
“His future is going to be debated, and that’s just life.
“Father Time is unbeaten.”
“He just seized up,” Yze said of Martin’s back post match.
But Yze saw the best in Martin’s act, allowing sub Sam Banks a chance to get some run into his legs.
“For him to put his hand up …. to give (Sam) Banksy a go, I was really impressed.”
Back in Martin’s 300th at the MCG in round 14, Richmond went down by 48 points at the hands of Hawthorn, with the triple premiership champion taking extra time to complete a lap of honour around the MCG to thank the Tigers faithful.
While Martin denied that he would finish after that 300th game or any matches following, his fresh back concerns have thrown a serious spanner in the works.
Richmond got within six points of the Blues before the main break, with Carlton putting on a show in wet Melbourne conditions, booting seven unanswered goals in the third term.
The Tigers will remain 17th on the ladder, facing a difficult trip to play Fremantle at Optus Stadium next week, without Martin in tow.