Comparisons to the retired AFL superstar has followed No.1 draft pick Lalor from country Victoria to his arrival at Punt Road.
And the hype has only grown after the Bacchus Marsh teenager hit the scene with a dazzling performance in the Tigers' 13-point upset over Carlton in round one.
The similarities between Martin and his heir apparent were striking at the MCG, with a buzz cut-sporting Lalor fending off the Blues to kick two goals.
He had overcome a fractured jaw and a concussion in four weeks to make his first-round debut.
But Lalor, earning a Rising Star nomination for his eye-catching display, can't say he sees the resemblance.
"Well, if I could be half as good a player as he was, I'd be pretty happy," Lalor said on Tuesday.
"But no, I don't see too many similarities. I try to play a bit like him.
"No one in the club has said anything, so that's all I care about really."
Lalor won't lean into the hype around potentially wearing the No.4 guernsey made famous by Martin either.
The number was shelved this season to honour the legendary midfielder, with Lalor handed the No.22 shirt.
"You've got to earn your stripes and you've got to deserve the number," Lalor said.
"If it happens in the next few years or whatever, I'd happily take it, but for now I'm happy with 22."
Richmond will aim to sustain their early momentum when they play Port Adelaide away on Saturday.
"We know there's going to be bumps in the road this year, but we'll take it step by step," Lalor said.
"We've already got some plans in place for Port and we're training hard throughout the week, so we're happy to go into the first interstate game of the year and hopefully we can beat them."
23°C