Traded Stefan Martin (2012-2020)

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100 Club games for Stef Martin
It was hardly big news six years ago when Stef Martin joined the Brisbane Lions.

At 12.08pm on Friday, 26 October, 2012, as the AFL Trade period wound down, The Courier-Mail posted an online story of six short paragraphs and 112 words confirming the deal. Martin, targeted by the Lions to be a ruck back-up to #4 draft pick Matthew Leuenberger despite being nearly 18 months older, was traded from Melbourne to Brisbane in exchange for selections #53 and #73 in the 2012 National Draft. The Demons had originally demanded #33 for the 198cm ex-basketballer, who had played 57 games in five years, but the Lions stood firm and eventually they got their man.

Martin, an Australian basketball representative at 17 who hadn’t played serious football until 2007, was originally secured as a project player by Melbourne with selection #3 in the 2008 Pre-Season Draft. He had played 57 AFL games in five years with the Demons from 2008-12 - 8-19-2-21-7 on a year-by-year basis – and was 10th in the Melbourne best & fairest in 2011. But essentially he’d had two good years and three others.

Having graduated from Haileybury College in 2004 with an entrance score of 99.75 to rank among the top 40 students in Victoria, his focus was split between football and study, and he wasn’t exactly in massive demand among AFL clubs at the time.

Yet with the invaluable benefit of hindsight, the move to lure him north was a super deal for the Lions. Certainly worth much more than 112 words in the local paper.

The Martin trade wasn’t an immediate success. After playing the first four games of his first season at the Gabba in 2013 he missed nine weeks with a bad ankle, spent six weeks in the NEAFL and did his hamstring in his AFL return in Round 20. Season over.

When he missed the first seven games of 2014 with a back problem and then played three games in the NEAFL it meant of a possible 32 games he had played five.

But since Round 12, 2014, he has played 94 of a possible 99. He missed two games through suspension in 2015, was rested in Round 19 2016 and officially listed as ‘sore’ when he did not play the following week.
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Report: Geelong "has been linked" To Brisbane ruckman

AFL.com.au journalist Mitch Cleary believes Geelong could go all-out in pursuit of an elite ruckman in the trade period to fix their struggles at the position. In particular, Cleary said the Cats are looking at Brisbane's Stefan Martin.

“This one is interesting. Rhys Stanley has all but secured and all but agreed to a two-year deal,” Cleary told Sportsday SA. “Luke Dahlhaus is coming in and Gary Rohan. You just think this might be a never-ending salary cap down at the Cats. “They were exposed later this year when Ryan Abbott had to go up against Max Gawn in the ruck. Stefan Martin has been linked.

“Personally, I think that’s a longshot considering he’s 32, but Chris Scott and his list management team has been known to go for the now. “Having lost nine of their last 12 finals, it wouldn’t surprise if they are trying to top up and go all out for a premiership.”
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Dylan12 said:
Report: Geelong "has been linked" To Brisbane ruckman
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AFL.com.au journalist Mitch Cleary believes Geelong could go all-out in pursuit of an elite ruckman in the trade period to fix their struggles at the position. In particular, Cleary said the Cats are looking at Brisbane's Stefan Martin.

“This one is interesting. Rhys Stanley has all but secured and all but agreed to a two-year deal,” Cleary told Sportsday SA. “Luke Dahlhaus is coming in and Gary Rohan. You just think this might be a never-ending salary cap down at the Cats. “They were exposed later this year when Ryan Abbott had to go up against Max Gawn in the ruck. Stefan Martin has been linked.
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Well someone's wrong

JON RALPH, Geelong Advertiser
July 31, 2018 12:00am
Subscriber only

RHYS Stanley has committed to a new two-year deal at Geelong after transforming himself into one of the game’s hottest ruckmen.
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https://www.geelongadvertiser.com.a...l/news-story/603c0d970ed3a2ac0569bec17dad232f
 
Player Review: Stef Martin
#12 - Stef Martin
2018 was the year Stefan Martin defied the belief that as you get older, performances on field suffer. Martin, at 31 years of age, had arguably his best season to date in his eleventh year as an AFL player. The powerful ruckman played all 22 games and had career-best statistics in hit-outs (34), hit-outs to advantage (11) and disposals (19) per game.

He started the year strongly with an unbelievable individual effort in Round 3’s close loss to Port Adelaide. That afternoon Martin had 49 hit-outs, 30 disposals, nine inside 50s, seven marks and seven tackles. He was awarded nine of a maximum of 10 Coaches Votes for his contribution.

Martin’s most special game for the season was Round 15’s win over Fremantle. In his 150th AFL game, a feat he never imagined he would achieve, he had 46 hit-outs and 19 disposals.

As one of the members of the Lions’ leadership group, Martin is admired by his peers for his dedication in the gym and overall professionalism around the Club. At this year's Club Champion, Martin finished in third place for the Merrett-Murray Medal and in doing so, received the Alastair Lynch trophy.

Coaches Comment - Ben Hudson, Ruck and Midfield Assistant Coach

"Another strong performing season from Stef where he managed to play all 22 games and continued to grow his leadership skills on field. He took on the challenge at the start of the season to remain our number one ruckman with the both Archie & Oscar vying strongly for the role. He came back in the pre-season the fittest he has ever been and this transferred into his season with the ability to be able to work his opponents over all around the ground."

Senior matches: 22
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Trading places
On the way out?

Stefan Martin — The Lions star ruckman has been linked with a move back to Victoria, with Geelong expected to put an offer forward to the veteran. But the Lions have been strong in saying they won’t entertain offers for the star ruckman.

Geelong - Linked to ...

Stefan Martin — Geelong is understood to have asked the question about the Lions ruckman, and received ‘no’ for an answer.
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Is age is just a number for these veterans?
Ruckman Stefan Martin has suffered from a couple of minor niggles to his back and ankle and been kept out of a handful of drills. However, the 32-year-old has missed no running and will take part in match simulation this week. Following four excellent seasons, in which he's finished top four in the best and fairest count each time, Martin deservedly has the inside running for the top ruck job but now has Oscar McInerney and Archie Smith snapping at his heels.
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Stef v Archie: Lions' starting ruck position up for grabs (Michael Whiting)
CHRIS Fagan has again put Brisbane's ruck position up for grabs, and incumbent Stefan Martin is facing a stiff challenge to retain his spot. Martin has been hampered during pre-season by back and ankle niggles and 23-year-old Archie Smith has pounced, forwarding a compelling case for the number one spot.

With Martin reduced to playing as a forward in match simulation sessions, Smith has impressed, regularly among the best players with his clean hit-out work and improved follow-up at ground level. When the pair squared off in Friday's intraclub – Martin's first full run in the ruck – Smith got the points, although his more senior opponent will be improved for the run.

It's an intriguing run-up to round one with the duo duking it out and Oscar McInerney seemingly locked in as a third tall forward that will back-up the main man.

Speaking to AFL.com.au prior to the intraclub, Martin said he was happy with his progress but looking over his shoulder at the improving competition. "Having Fages put the ruck spot up for grabs has spurred me on to see if I can improve my game," Martin said. "I enjoy the challenge. "I want to squeeze every last drop out of my career as I can. "There'll be a day when that's out of my control, but I still feel it's within my control. "I'm as desperate as ever. I want to be part of this rising team."

Martin has runs on the board, and plenty of them, finishing third in last year's best and fairest to make it four straight years of top-four finishes. He's missed just four games in the past 100. Despite the interrupted pre-season Martin's speed and endurance is better than ever. He just needs more time to contest and compete. "I've had to temper my expectations of my pre-season a bit," he said. "I enjoy training and competing at training. I've had to have a bit of trust in the work I've done the last 12 years. "I'm definitely keeping an eye on how many days there are until round one because those days are now important for me because I haven't had the match play the other boys have had."

Smith is entering his sixth season, and after failing to add to his nine career games in 2018, is hungrier than ever. Martin is in the final year of his contract and said he had nothing but praise for the two men chasing his spot. "I think both of their follow up [work] is more instinctive now," he said. "They're getting stronger too. Their workrate around the ground is improving. "They're always in front of a computer screen trying to pick apart the best rucks in the League and they audit their own games often and I think that shows in the way they're addressing the weaknesses they've had. "I've got to make every day count. "It's been a good little mental challenge for me, I'm still very optimistic."
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Dayne Zorko to captain Lions in 2019 (Josie Fielding)
Zorko will front an eight-man leadership group with Harris Andrews as Vice-Captain. Ryan Lester, Stefan Martin and Allen Christensen will return to the group, with new additions Darcy Gardiner, Jarrod Berry and Lachie Neale. The group will continue to be mentored by Luke Hodge.

The seven members joining him are thrilled to lead beside him:

Stefan Martin – “I feel grateful to the group for trusting me to help lead the team, and would like to repay the faith by giving as much as I can to the group.”

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Tap guns: Who's your No.1 ruckman, what happens in an emergency? (Michael Whiting)
The main man
In the past four years Stefan Martin has been a model of consistency, barely missing a game and among the Lions' best players week in and week out. His mobility around the ground makes him a difficult matchup for opponents, but a slightly disrupted pre-season means his grip on the top job is loosening.

Next in line
Entering his sixth season, Archie Smith is knocking the door down. His fantastic leap means he invariably wins centre bounce hitouts, giving his midfield an extra edge under the new 6-6-6 rules. HIs ruck craft and ability to follow up at ground level are on a rapid ascent.

Can they play together
It's unlikely Martin and Smith could play together as both struggle to contribute when moved forward, but therein lies the value of Oscar McInerney. The lanky Victorian showed last season he was a genuine ruck who could take contested marks and kick goals, meaning he will backup whoever gets the top job.

Break glass in case of emergency
Aside from the three primary candidates, there's no other genuine ruckmen on the list. Josh Walker, Dan McStay and youngster Connor Ballenden could be pitchforked into a backup role if required.

Danger signs
The main question mark over Martin's game is the centre square. Often battling opponents significantly taller, he does well to break even at centre bounces. There are some theories around the Gabba that Smith and McInerney's extra height might provide the midfield with more opportunities under the 6-6-6 rule change.

We say
Big Stef is still the man but on a short leash.
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AFL trades: The top ten out-of-contract players to watch in 2019
Stefan Martin
Ever since experiencing something of a career-revival in late 2014, barely a year has gone by without there being some hint of speculation about Stefan Martin having an interest in returning home to Victoria. In the past, these discussions have usually died off quickly thanks to the lengthy contract extension Martin signed at the end of 2015 – but at the end of 2019, he will be out of contract.

Geelong, in particular, were linked to him at the end of last year, and aside from drafting mature-age ruckman Darcy Fort, didn’t really do anything over the offseason to address this need. If, at the end of the year, the Cats still feel like they can have a crack at the premiership in 2020, it wouldn’t be a total shock if a few things fall neatly into place and Martin makes a move home to Victoria.

Some other Victorian clubs might have an interest depending on how their own ruck options perform in season 2019, but at this early stage Geelong would seem the most likely suitors. Martin won’t qualify for free agency this year as he hasn’t spent the minimum eight years total the Lions and was never previously a free agent at Melbourne.
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The Lions also face a selection dilemma in the ruck.

Unheralded big man Archie Smith has enjoyed a brilliant pre-season and is on the verge of overtaking best-and-fairest winner Stefan Martin.

While Martin remains the better prospect around the ground, Smith is growing into a fine tap ruckman and has honed his chemistry with the refurbished midfield all summer. Smith, 23, played the last of his nine AFL games in 2017 but looked promising in Sunday’s pre-season win against Hawthorn.

Martin played in Saturday’s 43-point NEAFL scratch match win against Aspley. Former Melbourne teammate Max Gawn believes the new ruck rules will suit ruckmen with brute strength such as Martin.
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