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7 months ago
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Retired Richmond premiership captain Trent Cotchin has declared one of Dustin Martin and Liam Baker won't be at the club in 2025, with further break-up of the Tiger dynasty looming.
Cotchin's call comes amid reports Tiger dynamo Daniel Rioli toured the facilities of the Gold Coast Suns, now being helmed by three-time Richmond premiership coach Damien Hardwick, while on a trip to Queensland during the club's bye.
Both Baker and Martin are out of contract at the end of the 2024 season and Baker is being heavily courted by both West Australian clubs for a return 'home'.
Three-time Norm Smith medallist Martin becomes an unrestricted free agent able to walk to any club of his choice and has also been linked to a reunion with Hardwick at the Suns.
There has been speculation that Martin (pictured in Perth last weekend) will leave Richmond to join his former coach Damien Hardwick at the Suns
Trent Cotchin (pictured) believes both Martin and his fellow Tiger Liam Baker won't be wearing the black and gold next season
Cotchin, a long-time teammate of both players, declared the money being offered to Baker would be too tempting for him to refuse and wasn't confident he and Martin would both be in yellow and black next season.
'I believe that one of them, if not both, will not be in Richmond colours next year,' Cotchin said on Seven's Talking Footy on Wednesday night.
'With Baker, the numbers that I'm hearing being thrown around from the west are pretty significant.'
Baker met with both West Coast in Fremantle in 2022 before deciding to stay with Richmond on a two-year deal at the time.
Speculation about a return to the west intensified when it was confirmed he recently purchased a multimillion-dollar property in Perth.
But he’s not a free agent, so either West Coast or Fremantle would need to trade for his services.
Martin is 32 and experts like footy great Matthew Richardson have questioned whether he has the desire to carry on in the AFL after winning three premierships
Baker (pictured playing against West Coast last weekend) is having big-money offers thrown at him by the Eagles and Dockers
Martin is in the final season of a seven-year deal and there has been persistent speculation about him possibly wanting to retire.
However, as recently as April 9, those rumours were refuted by his manager Ralph Carr.
Rioli, meanwhile, reportedly toured Gold Coast’s facilities and met with Hardwick during the bye.
The 27-year-old defender is contracted at Richmond until the end of the 2027 season.
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