DUSTIN Martin appears almost certain to remain at Richmond, after his last remaining suitor, the Brisbane Lions, officially withdrew their interest on Sunday.
A Lions statement on Sunday morning said the club had contacted Martin's manager Ralph Carr late last week to tell him it was not interested in trading for the midfielder.
"After evaluating our list and discussions with our general manager of football operations, Dean Warren, and senior coach, Justin Leppitsch, we have decided not to pursue Dustin in the upcoming trade period," Lions national talent manager Rob Kerr said in the statement.
"We wish Dustin all the best in his career but at this point in time our key focus is on retaining the club's young talent, and we're working hard to try and achieve this."
The Lions follow Melbourne and Greater Western Sydney in declaring they will not pursue the talented 22-year-old, whose off-field behavior is seen as an issue.
In mid-September, Richmond sensationally announced that Martin would be pursuing offers from other clubs, after failing to reach agreement on a new contract despite months of negotiations.
But, with no other club declaring interest, the former No.3 draft pick's only option may be to re-sign at Punt Road, possibly on a lesser deal than that originally offered.
New Lions coach Leppitsch, who has worked with Martin as an assistant coach at Richmond, has declared his top priority is to retain the club's young talent.
Young Lions Elliot Yeo, Billy Longer, Sam Docherty, Jared Polec, James Polkinghorne, Patrick Karnezis and Aaron Cornelius have all either requested a trade, or remain undecided about staying.
