Dustin Martin’s father Shane dies in New Zealand as Richmond mourns – Sporting News AU

Shane Martin - the father of Richmond superstar Dustin - has died in New Zealand, the Tigers have confirmed.

A statement released by Richmond on Saturday morning confirmed the news, with the club asking for respect to be shown to the Martin family.

The cause of death for Shane, who wasin his early 50's,is not yet known.

"The Richmond Football Club can confirm the passing of Shane Martin, the father of player Dustin Martin," a statement from the club read.

"The club extends its heartfelt sympathy to Dustin, his brothers Bronson and Tyson and the entire Martin family.

"We ask the media to respect Dustin and the Martin familys privacy in this extremely difficult time."

According to the Herald Sun, Richmond were told of Shane's death on Friday and have thrown their full support behind the Martin family.

Shanewas deported from Australia in 2016 on grounds of character and wasn't able to return to Australia despite repeated attempts.

Dustinhas spoken regularly about how difficult it has been to live in a different country to his father, with the star midfielder regularly trekking to New Zealand to visit him.

Dustin's last publicised trip to visit his father in New Zealand came in April when the Brownlow Medallist was sidelined from AFL match action with concussion.

It was the first time Dustin had seen Shane in 12 months because of travel restrictions due tothe COVID-19 pandemic.

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Dustin Martin's father Shane dies in New Zealand as Richmond mourns - Sporting News AU