Martin himself was a case in point. One of the greatest players the AFL-era has seen, Martin was largely an observer on his big day, rather than the centre of attention.
This was among the quietest of his 300 games, but easily forgiven by the crowd of 92,311. There were nearly 58,000 fans when these two clubs last met late last year, so you could say Martin alone dragged another 35,000 through the turnstiles. Hawks coach Sam Mitchell figured half had come to see him.
Dustin Martin thanks the crowd after his 300th game.Credit: Getty Images
Some had left well before the final siren, but most stayed to the end to pay respect to the man who had been best afield in their three grand final victories.
As Martin waved to the masses in a lap of the centre square, some could easily have thought he was bidding farewell. After all, what is there left to achieve for a player who has almost every medal worth winning? Any fears were soon allayed in a rare interview by Martin with former teammate Jack Riewoldt.
Asked by Riewoldt if he would be back in two weeks, Martin’s response drew one of the loudest cheers of the day.
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“Yeah mate. Fresh after the bye, we will see how we go,” Martin told Fox Footy.
He was chaired off by Toby Nankervis and Tom Lynch, two men with the size and strength to carry off a colossus of the game.
“I’m a little bit numb. It’s been a surreal week, it really has. But I just appreciate everyone coming out tonight. It has meant the world to me,” Martin said.
“I’ve been overwhelmed this week with all the support. You’ve really made me feel special and loved. I can’t thank everyone enough.”
Coach Adem Yze said the Tigers had taken a step back in the second half, when they were outscored seven goals to two.
“It’s mixed emotions,” Yze said. “So proud, even sitting where we are on the ladder, our Tiger Army get out and support no matter what through thick and thin.
“To have 92,000 people at the game to celebrate one of our greatest is something we’re really proud of. We’re just shattered we couldn’t put on the performance we really wanted to.”
The Hawks have claimed far bigger scalps this season, but their victory was an endorsement of the growing maturity of Mitchell’s up-and-coming team.
A side that only weeks ago threw away four points in a panic, were not daunted one bit by the magnitude of the occasion, the crowd or the pressure that comes with expectation.
From the moment Martin kicked his goal, they controlled the match. They owned territory and eventually the scoreboard.
Mitchell told his players their role in Martin’s game was to play the villain. They played it to the letter. Some Hawks allowed themselves to be swept up in the moment of Martin’s goal.
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Their pressure was stifling, particularly in the forward 50, forcing the Tigers into hack and hope kicks which invariably landed in brown and gold arms.
Jack Scrimshaw was vital early, part of a Hawks defence, led by James Sicily, which was largely impenetrable. Jai Newcombe and Will Day, the latter missing during their losing streak at the start of the year, have become the torchbearers of Hawthorn’s midfield rebuild. Chol was a force in attack, relishing being the main man in Mitch Lewis’s absence.
“We spoke extensively about the event, it was fantastic experience for our players to be in an event, not just a game,” Mitchell said.
“We knew we had no choice but to play our role in it. Our role was the villain, we had no choice in that so we had to embrace it and make sure we played in a manner we were happy with. We walk away reasonably pleased with the performance.”
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