After his brilliant performance on Saturday night to guide the Tigers to a third premiership in four years, and an historic third Norm Smith Medal, it might now just be a table for one.

His coach Damian Hardwick declared the Castlemaine product the greatest "finals player ever" after Martin kicked four goals and collected 21 possessions as the Tigers rallied from a 21-point deficit just before half-time to win by 31 points at the Gabba.

AFL Hall of Fame member Terry Wallace went one step further in his praise for Martin.

"There's only one person I can compare Dustin Martin to... And that's Leigh Matthews. In big moments, they're the best two that I've seen," Wallace said on AFL Nation.

Simply, without Martin the Tigers wouldn't have won on Saturday night.

The Cats looked the better side for much of the first half and that 21-point lead late in the second term should have been more than 30 points had Geelong not squandered several chances.

It was Martin who sparked the Tigers with a goal in the dying minutes of the first half.

He roved a pack, gave his opponent Jake Kolodjashnij a signature don't argue fend-off to the chest and then snapped the ball around the corner for a fine goal.

It gave the Tigers belief and they carried that momentum into the second half.

Martin put the Tigers in front in the third quarter when he bounced home a right-foot banana kick and then he put the nail in the Cats coffin in the final term.

Martin's third goal from outside 50m gave the Tigers a handy buffer before he produced the play of the night that will be replayed for years to come.

After Geelong ruckman Rhys Stanley spilled an uncontested mark, Martin swooped on the ball in the left forward pocket, shrugged off a Patrick Dangerfield tackle and snapped truly from just inside the boundary line.

It was a moment that exemplified Martin's greatness and encapsulated the respective second halves of the Tigers and Cats.

"It's just surreal," Martin told Channel 7.

"I can't believe I've won three premierships and that's (the Norm Smith Medals are) just an added bonus."

At the post-match press conference, Hardwick lauded his superstar.

"The significance of his goals were really, really important," Hardwick said.

"He kicked some really good goals on the biggest stage and when you look at the quality of work he put in throughout the game you probably knew his third Norm Smith wasn't far away."

Martin paid tribute to Hardwick for the impact he's had on his life - on and off the field.

"The care that he's got for his players ... ever since we started together 10 years ago he's almost (been) like a second father to a lot of us,'' Martin said.

"He's a friend first and then a coach second and I couldn't be anymore grateful.

"He's helped me become a better person and, along with all the other boys as well, we'll walk away from this footy club as better people."

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