Richmond star Jack Riewoldt believes the Tigers can follow in the footsteps of Geelong and St Kilda in a bottom-up rebuild which will bring AFL success.

The Tigers have tied up Riewoldt - likely to be the competition's leading goalkicker this season - and exciting first-year midfielder Dustin Martin until the end of 2013 on contract extensions.

It is understood Riewoldt, 21, could now be on as much as $500,000 a season, with Martin, 19, on not much less.

Signing the duo keeps them out of the clutches of concession-loaded expansion clubs Greater Western Sydney and Gold Coast for the foreseeable future.

Riewoldt, who has enjoyed a breakout fourth year booting 75 goals including a bag of 10 against West Coast, said both he and Martin believed in the Tigers' future.

"A lot of us pride ourselves on being a group here and I think Geelong have built the same thing ... St Kilda have done the same thing," Riewoldt said.

"They are the groups who have been successful. We're building something from the bottom up here.

"We're building a group here that is going to take us forward and hopefully we are going to have success in the future with the guys who are playing out here."

Martin, who has averaged 20 possessions a game in his debut season, played most of his junior football in Victoria.

However, he did play a season in Sydney, and with his original contract set to expire after next year, he would have undoubtedly been on the radar of the new GWS franchise prior to its AFL debut in 2012.

But Martin played down suggestions he may have considered a switch.

"It didn't bother me too much. That was discussed between my manager and (Richmond football boss) Craig Cameron," Martin said.

"I just concentrated on my footy and it didn't faze me too much.

"It's been really exciting with the other young blokes around me.

"Having a few wins has made it a lot more exciting and hopefully we can finish off this weekend."

Cameron said the decision by Riewoldt and Martin to buy into coach Damien Hardwick's long-term rebuild sent a clear message about how the Tigers were placed.

"They firmly believe in the direction we're headed, which is great, because they form an integral part of our plans for the future," Cameron said.

"I'm sure all Richmond supporters would be thrilled by the efforts of both Jack and Dustin this season, and the particularly pleasing aspect is they're so young, with scope for much more improvement."

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