When he had the Brownlow Medal draped around his neck on Monday night, Dustin Martin revealed he ‘was sick of his ugly face being in the paper.’
The remark as he accepted AFL’s highest individual honour epitomises the very private life of the reclusive Richmond superstar.
‘I don’t like being the centre of attention so people can go and find something else to talk about now,’ he said after signing a contract extension with his beloved Tigers.
So what do we know about the heavily-tattooed, introverted star?
Brownlow medallist Dustin Martin admits he doesn’t like the spotlight. Here he is pictured with Bonnie Anderson, who it was once rumoured he was dating, and his manager Ralph Carr
Martin and Anderson (pictured) had recently met in 2014 and had reportedly been ‘spending time together’
It was rumoured Martin was dating singer and model Bonnie Anderson after the pair were pictured together at the Australian Open tennis finals in 2014
Martin’s relationship status has long been kept private – and he arrived at the Brownlow Medal count in Melbourne on Monday, typically, without a partner.
It was once rumoured he was dating singer and model Bonnie Anderson after the pair were pictured together at the Australian Open tennis finals in 2014.
‘Our prayers have been answered, Dusty has got himself a girlfriend,’ one social media user said at the time.
The pair had recently met and had been ‘spending time together,’ Confidential reported.
In December last year, the duo were pictured together in a snap shared on Anderson’s Instagram page, alongside their manager Ralph Carr.
‘Good night with my lads!’ wrote Anderson, who shot to fame in 2007 when she won Australia’s Got Talent as a 12-year-old.
The 22-year-old glamour is now in a relationship with another man, according to her social media accounts.
When he won Brownlow Medal on Monday night, Martin revealed he ‘was sick of his ugly face being in the paper’
The 22-year-old glamour is now in a relationship with another man, according to her social media accounts
This 2013 snap, one of the AFL superstar’s few social media posts, was captioned: ‘LA familia’
Martin’s own Instagram page gives little insight into his private life, sharing just 12 posts since he activated his account in 2012.
But the page of close friend and former Collingwood star Dane Swan gives a better understanding of what makes Martin tick.
Late last year, the pair embarked on a round-the-world trip to celebrate the end of the football season.
‘Smudge Dennis and Derek do the world,’ Swan wrote alongside a photo of the pair and another friend aboard an Etihad flight.
A video shot in the United Arab Emirates showed Martin being sucked down a water slide at Aquadventure Waterpark.
Late last year, Swan (left) and Martin (right) embarked on a round-the-world trip to celebrate the end of the football season
On one of their overseas trips, Martin and Swan were pictured together with Australian DJs The Stafford Brothers
‘They finally did it, they sent us to hell.. got there quickly,’ Swan captioned the footage.
In both 2014 and 2015, Swan and Martin partied in Las Vegas to mark the end of the AFL season.
One video showed the Richmond midfielder proudly waving an Australian flag on the dance floor at a busy nightclub.
‘Out here representing,’ Swan said of his friend.
The pair share a close bond after fiercely competing in opposing sides as two of the game’s elite midfielders before Swan’s retirement.
The day after Martin was crowned the AFL’s newest Brownlow medallist, he joked that Swan had been eager to congratulate him.
This snap of Martin (pictured left) and Swan (right) posted in October 2014 was captioned: ‘LA life’
Martin and Swan share a close bond after fiercely competing in opposing sides as two of the game’s elite midfielders
‘I had a few missed calls from Swanny at about 5am,’ he said. ‘I’ve had a lot of messages and support which has been good.’
Although he famously hates the spotlight, Martin has struggled to avoid it during his tumultuous – yet increasingly illustrious – career.
From accusations he threatened to stab a woman with a chopstick, to his father’s alleged bikie links, he has seen more than his share of controversy.
During his acceptance speech on Monday night, he said an emergency meeting with his father Shane and manager Ralph Carr was a turning point.
‘I was just a young bloke who liked to play up every now and then and I’m sure Ralph and my old man were sick of it,’ he said.
‘The club too, probably, so they sat me down and told me to pull my head in or they won’t help me anymore. Ever since then I think I’ve pulled my head in a little bit.’
The two close friends are pictured posing for a photo in Las Vegas in 2014
The day after Martin was crowned the AFL’s newest Brownlow medallist, he joked that Swan had been eager to congratulate him
Martin arrives at a team training session at Punt Road in Melbourne the day after winning the Brownlow Medal
In 2012, Martin was suspended by the Tigers for two weeks when he and former teammate Daniel Connors took sleeping pills the night before training. They never made it to the compulsory session.
Martin again made headlines the following year when he crossed his wrists and made a jailhouse solute after kicking a goal during an elimination final.
Tigers president at the time, Gary March, said he and the club were not happy with their star midfielder.
‘It was disappointing, even if it’s not in the context that we think it is. I don’t think players need to be doing that in a game,’ March said.
Martin, who copped a $2,000 suspended fine, later told the club the solute was a message to a friend in jail.
Martin was in the spotlight in 2015 after giving Collingwood fans a two-finger salute as he celebrated a goal
Martin (pictured during Richmond’s 2014 Mad Monday celebrations) has previously been accused of threatening to stab a woman with a chopstick – but was later cleared by police
Martin (left wearing a white shirt) and Swan (pictured right) are seen with friends in Melbourne
He was again in the spotlight in 2015 after giving Collingwood fans a two-finger salute as he celebrated a goal.
Just weeks later, Martin was accused of threatening to stab a woman in the face with chopsticks. He was later cleared.
It was alleged he slammed his hand into a wall above the woman’s head at Melbourne’s Mr Miyagi restaurant after attending Stereosonic music festival.
He was asked to quiet down by a nearby female diner when he grew ‘loud and offensive.’
‘He reacted extremely angrily, very very agitated, began swearing at me, standing over me physically, it was extremely intimidating,’ the woman told Seven News at the time.
During his acceptance speech on Monday night, Martin said an emergency meeting with his father Shane and manager Ralph Carr was a turning point after a string of controversies
From accusations he threatened to stab a woman with a chopstick, to his father’s alleged bikie links, he has seen more than his share of controversy
‘[He] physically stood over me, held a chopstick above my head and threatened to stab me in the face with a chopstick.’
Footage captured by a patron and appearing to show an aggressive Martin being escorted out of the restaurant later surfaced.
He was officially cleared of making threats to kill in 2016 after a police investigation.
Earlier this month, Martin finally broke his silence and spoke of the incident for the first time, nearly two years after what became known as ‘chopstickgate’.
‘It is what it is, it’s in the past now – it was a difficult time at the time,’ Martin told The AFL Footy Show.
‘I’d just been out during the day at a music festival, had a bit too much to drink and was at a restaurant… it wasn’t much, I certainly didn’t threaten anyone.’
He told the Channel Nine program he had learned from his mistakes.
‘You just don’t go out as much and learn new things every year. I do a bit of meditation, a bit of extra boxing – stuff like that,’ he said.
The Richmond Tigers superstar is pictured in a 2012 social media post he captioned: ‘My little mate’
Martin’s father Shane (pictured left) was deported to New Zealand in 2016. Dustin is pictured right
Swan (pictured left) and Martin (right) are seen during an end of season football trip in 2015
In 2016, it was his father Shane making headlines, after he was deported to New Zealand because of his criminal record and ‘association with outlaw motorcycle gangs’, namely the Rebels.
Mr Martin was detained in Sydney in March after his residency visa was cancelled, part of a government crackdown on organised crime figures.
Four weeks later he was deported after the visa failed to meet minimum character requirements.
Although he has never been charged, he remains banned from Australia.
During Martin’s acceptance speech on Monday, he had a message for his father.
‘I know it is tough for you not being here this week, but I know how much you love me and I love you very much,’ he said.
‘I look forward to coming over in a couple of weeks and celebrating.’