Tigers great Francis Bourke, a five-time premiership player, former coach and club immortal, said it was unfair to label Martin the greatest Tiger of all time, but told this masthead Martin belonged alongside two of the club’s most fabled names.

“I would put him in the ranks of Kevin Bartlett and Royce Hart, though. We are talking the cream of the cream here,” Bourke said.

“He has unique talents, his ball handling, his beautiful kicking skills, his ability, when he is at his best, to kick goals from upside down, inside out, roundabout – he just never missed, did he?

“I am thinking particularly of the Geelong game [2020 grand final] that we won up in Brisbane. He kicked them from the boundary, he kicked them from everywhere. I am sad to see him go, but I am so grateful he did what he did.”

Hawkins played 359 games and kicked 796 goals for the Cats, the same club his father Jack, and maternal grandfather Fred Le Deux played for.

“Tom has been an incredible presence both on and off the field at Geelong for the past 18 years, with his ability to play consistently at an elite level, along with humility and care for his teammates, trademarks of his career,” Cats football department boss Andrew Mackie, a former teammate, said.

“He is a generational player who will rightly be celebrated for his achievements on field, as well as the role he has played shaping our club into what it is today. We thank Tom, his wife Emma, and their children Arabella, Primrose and Henry for all they’ve given our club.”

The Tigers took to the training track on Tuesday, still digesting that Martin, who played 302 games and booted 338 goals, has called time on his grand career.

Richmond chief executive Brendon Gale said he was told on the weekend Martin was preparing to retire.

He said the “burden” of football, mental and physical, had become too great for the man who had helped to revive the once struggling club.

“It wasn’t a surprise. It’s a decision, I would say has been burden for some time with Dustin. He has found the game physically and mentally challenging over the last few weeks, particularly wrestling with his decision. So we just felt, for somebody of his stature, it was important to arrive at it in his own way and his own time,” Gale, who will soon leave to be CEO of the new club Tasmania Devils, said.

“He is a guy who has played football for a long time, has had some challenging personal circumstances for the last few years. It’s a tough game. A lot is expected of this game. He has played at a very, very high level for a long time.”

Gale said Martin would not be joining the Suns.

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“Dustin has retired from AFL football, that’s our understanding, and we’ll just leave it at that, at this stage,” he said.

“It will be a chance to step out of the bubble, recharge, reflect and renew, I guess, and see what’s next. He has been well paid, so he’ll be OK.”

Martin’s retirement comes almost two months after 92,311 turned up at the MCG to celebrate his 300th game when the Tigers hosted Hawthorn in round 14, and follows ongoing speculation about his future.

Gale suggested he thought Martin may have retired after the Hawks’ clash, Martin speaking passionately about his love of the club and supporters in a brief post-game interview on the field.

“I just thought that was a wonderful occasion, an incredible occasion, and one of those incredible memories that people take with them forever. But we wanted him to arrive at the decision in his own way and his own time. We felt we owed him that - he was indecisive,” Gale said.

Gale said he was delighted Martin would be a one-club player.

“We are lucky we are part of a club that has featured some of the greatest teams in the history of the competition, some of the greatest, iconic players, and Dustin is one. We are so proud that he is an icon of our football club,” Gale said.

His final game for the Tigers was Saturday’s loss to North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium, a result that left the club mired to the bottom of the ladder and now likely to finish the season with the wooden spoon.

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But that mattered little to Tigers fans – nor other footy lovers – on Tuesday as tributes started to flow for the esteemed master of the “big game”.

On X, Martin’s long-time manager Ralph Carr described the Tigers No.4 – who was recruited to the Tigers via the Bendigo Pioneers and Castlemaine – as “the people’s champion”.

“Dustin Martin ‘the peoples champion’ to me exemplifies loyalty and excellence in AFL. His dedication to the RFC and fans was and is unquestionable … Love you my friend,” Carr posted.