Former Tiger skipper drops Dusty exit rumour as ‘significant’ play for teammate emerges
Retired Richmond premiership captain Trent Cotchin has declared one of Dustin Martin and Liam Baker won’t be at the club in 2025 with further break-up of the Tiger dynasty looming.
Cotchin’s call comes amid reports Tiger dynamo Daniel Rioli toured the facilities of the Gold Coast Suns, now being helmed by three-time Richmond premiership coach Damien Hardwick, while on a trip to Queensland during the club’s bye.
Both Baker and Martin are out of contract at the end of the 2024 season and Baker is being heavily courted by both Western Australian clubs for a return “home”.
Three-time Norm Smith medallist Martin becomes an unrestricted free agent able to walk to any club of his choice and has also been linked to a reunion with Hardwick at the Suns.
Cotchin, a long-time teammate of both players, declared the money being offered to Baker would be too tempting for him to refuse and wasn’t confident he and Martin would both be in yellow and black next season.
“I believe that one of them, if not both, will not be in Richmond colours next year,” Cotchin said on Seven’s Talking Footy on Wednesday night.
“With Baker, the numbers that I’m hearing being thrown around from the west are pretty significant.”
Baker met with both West Coast in Fremantle in 2022 before deciding to stay with Richmond on a two-year deal at the time.
Speculation about a return to the west intensified when it was confirmed he recently purchased a multimillion-dollar property in Perth .
But he’s not a free agent so either West Coast or Fremantle would need to trade for his services.
Martin is in the final year of a seven year deal and there have been constant talks about him possibly wanting to retire.
Rioli, meanwhile, reportedly toured Gold Coast’s facilities and met with Hardwick during the bye.
The 27-year-old defender is contracted at Richmond until the end of the 2027 season.