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Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has kept his cards close to his chest regarding Dustin Martin‘s injury status after mysteriously subbing his star man in the fourth quarter.
Hardwick’s side survived a furious Adelaide comeback to run out 32-point winners, steadying the ship after the home side had come from a massive half-time hole to get within a kick.
With the Crows breathing down his team’s neck, Hardwick raised eyebrows when he pulled Martin from the game with just over 12 minutes left in the final term.
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The 2017 Brownlow Medal winner was replaced by young forward Rhyan Mansell, and the move provided instant dividends for the Tigers, with Mansell kicking a goal within a minute of coming onto the ground.
Hardwick was asked about hooking Martin after the game and said the move was made “from a management point of view”.
“We had a couple of boys that we were sort of talking about with regard to what does it look like,” he said.
“His (benching) was just from a management point of view. We’ll see how that pans out.
“Obviously we’ve got a short break like Collingwood, but we’ll work our way through those.”
Martin’s benching was a move that was described as “unusual” by Brisbane Lions great Jonathan Brown.
“It would be unusual that he’d be subbed out as a resting mechanism,” Brown said on Fox Footy’s coverage.
Hardwick’s Tigers face a six-day turnaround before a round three blockbuster against the ladder-leading Magpies at the MCG next Friday night.
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