Richmond‘s Damien Hardwick has revealed star midfielder Dustin Martin is taking time away from the club and could be in doubt for this weekend’s match against GWS.
“It’s a personal matter … when we’ve got more information to share, we’ll share it,” told the media.
Having missed a number of recent training sessions, Hardwick said he was “unsure” whether the triple Norm Smith medallist would face the Giants at the MCG on Sunday afternoon.
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“He’s just taking some personal time at the moment. He’s dealing with a couple of personal issues and whether he’s available to play this week, we’re unsure at this stage,” he said.
“We won’t close the door, but we just want to make sure that Dustin’s OK.
“Our number one priority is we are a football club, and it’s important to win games, but the health and well-being of our players is our number one priority.
“At this stage we’ll give him his time. He’s so important to the fabric of this footy club, and we just want to make sure he’s OK. Hopefully he’s getting what he needs.”
Martin lost his father Shane in December and suffered a serious kidney injury in round 18 last year which saw him miss the remainder of the season.
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