The Dragons have cleared the two-time Michelsen Medal-winning ruckman to Northern Football League division two club Banyule.

"Sandhurst has always been home, so it's tough to leave your junior club,'' Martin said on Thursday.

"I've been travelling back (from Melbourne) to play the past three years. Not being able to train with the boys, and the travel, gets a bit too much and it takes its toll on your footy."

Martin, who works as a fireman in Melbourne, said playing with Banyule was a better fit for his footy and employment.

"Banyule is not far from work and home, so I'll be able to get to training,'' he said.

"When I was playing with Sandhurst I was having to swap four shifts a month so I could get back to Bendigo.

"By playing in Melbourne I can still work night shifts on a Saturday night and I won't have to make up shifts."

Martin departs the Dragons as an all-time great.

He won the Michelsen Medal in 2013 and 2014 and helped the Dragons to the 2016 premiership.

"Winning the flag is the best thing you can do in footy. You can't beat that,'' Martin said.

"We played finals every year I was back at the club, so it would have been nice to convert a couple of those into flags.

"We got one flag and no-one can take that away from us."

Martin said team chemistry had been the Dragons' strength in his time at the club.

"At some stages this year we had eight or nine players in the team who had played more than 100 senior games with the club,'' Martin said.

"That's rare in country footy these days. It's good that everyone has been loyal and stuck around.

"We've played a lot of footy together and built a good bond."

At the age of 30 Martin still has some good footy in front of him.

He enjoyed a strong season with the Dragons in 2018, finishing equal sixth in the Michelsen Medal behind Golden Square's Jack Geary.

"Being able to string a season together without injuries and work interruptions made a big difference,'' Martin said.

"I'd struggled to play 10 games in a season the previous couple of years.

"It was good to get some continuity into my footy and some match fitness."

He joins a Banyule side with a strong Essendon flavour.

Brent Stanton, Ricky Dyson and Scott Gumbleton will play for the club in 2019.

Related: Sandhurst signs key recruits

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