'Same page': Inside NBL legend's cross-code impact

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It's no surprise to see Perth Wildcats legend Damian Martin take the leadership skills made him perhaps the NBL's greatest captain into the AFL at the Fremantle Dockers.

But he's also learned he could never commit to a full-time coaching role.

"I get to see what it takes to be a professional coach, and while I admire how much passion they've got for the sport and their players, I enjoy the role I've got and don’t see myself ever transitioning into a full-time coaching role," Martin told basketball.com.au.

"It is an addictive environment to be in because it's elite and everyone is on the same page in so far as their overall team goal to win on a weekly basis.

"To see what goes into one game of football on a weekend is incredible, and you don't want to be the reason the team is let down.

"That's where the culture is at the footy club where everyone goes above and beyond what their job description is because they just want nothing but good things because of how they are treated, and the love of the playing groups."

As someone who grew up in Gloucester, NSW, dreaming of a rugby league career before his long-time coach Rob Beveridge hooked him to basketball, AFL is foreign territory to him.

He did start to grasp the sport in a stint on radio on SEN WA with former Dockers great Paul Hasleby, and when Fremantle wanted him on board as leadership adviser, he jumped at the opportunity.

Martin is now nearing the end of his first AFL season working at the Fremantle Dockers and has loved everything about the experience including the work ethic and dedication shown by the coaching staff led by Justin Longmuir.

It's also shown to him that a full-time coaching role even in basketball isn’t for him as he enjoys juggling life working with sport management firm ProMondo, co-owning First National Real Estate Genesis, and having wife Britt and three daughters at home.

Just focusing on helping with leadership

There's little doubt that Martin is the best defender the NBL has ever seen. After all, the Best Defensive Player award he won six times is now named the Damian Martin Trophy so that tells you all you need to know about what he did defensively in his 342-game career.

He also turned himself into the most successful captain in league history leading the Perth Wildcats to five championships on the back of the 2010 title he won in his first season at the 'Cats when Shawn Redhage was captain.

Given the leadership Martin showed with the Wildcats but also with the Australian Boomers including being on the Rio 2016 Olympics team, it's no surprise clubs have wanted to tap into what he has to offer.

What's pleasantly surprised him so far is that his lack of AFL background hasn’t been an issue whatsoever.

"It has been an incredible learning curve and so much has been learning on the go, but once I truly understood my role and embraced it, the beautiful thing about being a leadership adviser to the playing group is that the reality is they won't ask me football specific questions," Martin said.

"I also don’t need to know them and there's a reason there are line coaches, development coaches and Justin as the head of the snake as the senior coach.

"One of the things I love about the Freo footy club is how they embrace people fully buying into their role and doing it to the best of their ability, and not having to deviate from why they've been brought in to help the team and the players.

"Whether it's the sports psychologist, the line coaches, the nutritionist, the physios, the weights coach, we all have specific roles. I love the one that I've got because I do get to be part of the inner sanctum and pick the brains of elite, young professional footballers."

The reward of helping people

Ultimately what makes Martin so engrossed in all his different roles is that they provide him the chance to help people.

Whether it's helping players achieve their sporting dreams, helping people buy and sell their homes or helping Fremantle players chase that premiership glory, what he thrives on is helping people achieve whatever they are searching for.

"Despite the different job titles they all complement each other, and life isn't a dress rehearsal so you have to do what you love and believe in the most," Martin said.

"For me, it's family and magical moments. As an optimist, I believe magical moments can happen all the time if you do the hard work and surround yourself with the right people.

"I love people and getting to know them beyond the surface that most people get to see.

"I get to see people go through the highs and lows of life and don't take for granted the trust the give me when they allow me to be there with them during lows but also the pride I get when I'm a part of their inner sanctum to share in the highs they achieve.

"Whether it's winning football games, selling a person's home or guiding young athletes as they work towards fulfilling the dreams, it's all very similar with dealing with people, emotions, goals and life and I love it."

Blown away by selfless playing group

What has immediately stood out to Martin from what he's found within the playing group at Fremantle is the selfless mentality they have.

He is helping to work with them on to ensure that everything is about helping get that team success he enjoyed so much of with the Wildcats.

"They are incredible people but they are also on the back page of the sports section most days of the week and being spoken about on radio every day like I used to do when I was on air," Martin said.

"Seeing behind the curtains and how they approach a sport they are extremely good at, and the mental side of it that I work on with them, has been a lot of fun.

"So I don’t see Justin turning over his shoulder to ask me for advice during a game in the coaches box, but I do enjoy going to have to have conversations with Caleb (Serong), (Andrew) Brayshaw, Alex Pearce or whoever it may be from a leadership point of view.

"One of the things we're big on is that what if leadership isn’t measured on what you do, but what others do because of you. I think Alex is the epitome of that and so is the whole leadership group in so far as putting ego aside to help their teammates for the best of the team."

Admiring what coaching staff do

Martin had great relationships with his coaches during his career including his championship winners Rob Beveridge and Trevor Gleeson at the Wildcats, but until he has worked at Fremantle, he never fully realised how full on coaching in professional sport was.

While he has the basketball insights and leadership qualities to coach should be want to, he has learned that a full-time coaching role isn’t for him because of how much he admires the Dockers coaching staff he works with on a daily basis.

"I've got a whole lot of respect for what coaches do and if I get down there at 7 or 7:30am, I'm yet to beat any of the coaches to work and if I'm leaving anywhere to 2-4pm because it's only part-time for me, I'm still yet to see any of the other coaches leave before me," Martin said.

"The hours they put in is absolutely incredible and they want to make sure they have options A, B, C and D well and truly covered, but more importantly they want to make sure that they are developing really strong relationships with every single individual.

"Whilst I work predominantly with the AFL group, there's still handful of players that play in the WAFL and are trying to break in or are coming back from injury.

"The care that is shown from those coaches to those players is unlike anything I've seen in any sporting environment, and it's to be admired."

Giving all areas extra focus

Martin has never been someone to do things by halves and since his NBL playing career ended back in 2020, he's always had multiple jobs he has taken on while his family with wife Britt has grown to include daughters Maggie, Bonnie and Poppy.

However, he likes having the different areas to give his attention too and right now the mix of his sport management, real estate and Fremantle AFL roles all work nicely with one another.

"You just have to stay on top of things by compartmentalising and the two hours I spend in the car work out really well for me because in the morning the time difference works out well for me with our agents and athletes based in the USA," Martin said.

"So that gives me the chance to get ahead of the day with the sport management side of it and then once I'm in the four walls of the footy club, it's nice to embrace that and it's good to get out there on the field too to get some exercise.

"Since I retired from the Wildcats, I've done very little so getting back into that space and trying to test myself against some of the best athletes in the AFL is good fun, and provides a few laughs because clearly I'm out of my depth.

"Then with real estate, I just make sure I stay on top of the clients I've got and helping the agency that I'm an owner in.

"It is a juggle but the good part is that a lot of the work I can do from home so I'm present with my kids and helping them with their sport, and knocking out some work in between."

Looking to NBL26 with Bryce Cotton in Adelaide

Martin hasn’t moved on from basketball completely, though, and will still be part of the NBL commentary team in Perth for the upcoming season.

And while he admits it's going to be strange seeing Bryce Cotton in an Adelaide 36ers uniform, he hopes the Wildcats fans welcome him warmly at least before the game for that highly anticipated return at RAC Arena on Sunday December 7.

"I'd like to think they will put together an incredible montage for Bryce and with all the highlights he's provided it would be hard to trim it down because it could go for hours," Martin said.

"So they might show that and thank him before the game and hopefully he gets a really warm reception and standing ovation from the crowd, but as soon as the ball tips off he will now be playing for the 36ers.

"That's when they will officially move on but I am looking forward to seeing Bryce out on there on the court and I'm just grateful that he's still in the NBL and it will be interesting to see him trying to drop 40 against the Wildcats instead of for them."