Legendary local footballer and ex-Collingwood Magpie Kyle Martin retires

Noble Park champion Kyle Martin, regarded as one of the best local footballers to pull on a boot, has announced he will finish up on Saturday.

Noble Park captain Kyle Martin and coach Steve Hughes celebrate after winning the EFL Premier Division grand final against Rowville in 2022. Martin’s legendary local footy career is now at an end. Picture: Andy Brownbill

Noble Park is preparing to farewell one of local football’s most formidable and decorated players.

Kyle Martin, who surprised football followers when he turned his back on an AFL career and left Collingwood to return to Noble at the end of 2014, will play his last game with the Bulls this Saturday, against Rowville at the Pat Wright Senior Oval.

He informed teammates of his decision tonight.

Martin, who turns 34 next month, missed all of last year after suffering an ACL injury shortly before Round 1.

He resumed playing in Round 6 this season but the knee has given him pain at times and he has made only five appearances, most recently in Round 13.

Before his injury, midfielder Martin had put together a remarkable run of club best and fairests that brought him attention well beyond the boundaries of Eastern league grounds.

Noble Park captain Kyle Martin celebrates after winning the EFL Premier Division grand final in 2022. Picture: Andy Brownbill

It began when he topped the voting for his school team, Haileybury College, in 2008.

Joining Noble Park’s senior team the following season, Martin edged out some fine players to win the best and fairest, the Peter Reece Medal.

An arm injury caused him to miss a lot of football in 2010.

When he returned, award followed award: best and fairests at Noble Park in 2011, at Frankston VFL in 2012, at Collingwood VFL in 2013-14, and at Noble from 2015 to 2022 (there was no football in 2020 because of Covid).

Notably, there were no league medals, perhaps reflecting his tendency, particularly early in his career, to give the umpires some honest appraisal.

Martin played junior football at Noble Park and joined the Sandringham Dragons in the old TAC Cup.

After bursting to prominence with the Bulls, winning his first best and fairest and playing in the 2010 and ’11 premierships, Martin amplified his ambitions and set off for Frankston in the VFL, encouraged all the way by his coach, “Mighty Mick’’ Fogarty.

Making the jump to the VFL look more like a hop, he won the Dolphins’ best and fairest and played for the league representative team in Tasmania.

The Magpies swooped, taking him as a rookie.

Martin played four senior games in 2014 and two the following season.

Then he surprised Collingwood by walking away from the AFL and going back to Noble Park and to his work as a plumber.

He confirmed the news the day after he accepted his second best and fairest as the VFL team’s best and fairest.

Kyle Martin marks against Melbourne during his brief AFL career.

Martin said in an interview in 2015 that he had grown frustrated with a lack of senior opportunity and had not been enjoying football.

“It was a tough decision to make but I weighed up all the options I had in front of me and decided working and playing at Noble Park would make me the happiest,’’ he said.

“I was offered a rookie-list contract.

“Obviously there were options to have a look elsewhere. In talking to my manager, there wasn’t a whole lot of interest and I sort of decided if there wasn’t a primary-list spot it would be tough to go on a rookie list for a third year.

“It was partly financial but there were a lot mental things with it, just having security and, you know, being on the list and being ready and available to play … waiting for something to happen to you, waiting for the door to open. Sometimes that door might never open. It’s tough, mentally. It can get you down. It was also about being able to be myself again, express myself. I have a serious side but I’m a jovial sort of person and sometimes they don’t fit very well into the AFL mound.’’

But he said he had fulfilled childhood dream to play league football.

“It might have only been six games but that’s something I wanted to do since I was a little kid and I managed to do it for one of the biggest sporting clubs in Australia.’’

Noble Park senior coach Steve Hughes said the club without Martin would take some getting used to. The pair’s relationship stretches more than two decades.

“I was actually thinking about it last night – it is a little bit surreal that he won’t be there,” Hughes said on Wednesday morning.

“My main emotion is probably pride more than anything in what he’s made of his footy career but also his life – I’ve known him since he was a little tacker.

“I coached him as a 13-year-old which not everybody knows – I was still playing, but I coached him in my first year I ever coached – and I’ll coach him in his final game.

“He’s a special person to me, as he is to all of his teammates. I think the supporters will be devastated this week.”

Luke Bull gets a kick away for Noble Park. Picture: Chris Eastman

Meanwhile, premiership teammate Luke Bull will also bid farewell on Saturday. He featured in Noble Park’s 2011 and 2022 flags after arriving at the club in 2010 – and Hughes said the defender had been as loyal as any to the club.

“He’s been a heart-and-soul Noble Park footballer,” Hughes said.

“His leadership skills are as good as anyone’s in the club.

“When you’re dragging your feet in after a hard day’s work in the middle of July and it’s cold and wet … ‘Bully’ just lights up the place when he walks in. He’s such an important character within the footy club.

“He gets the young boys up and about, he takes the warm-ups, and he’s a true leader of men.

“He’s had a good year, too. Started a bit sluggish, but his football itself probably in the last five, six or eight weeks has actually been some of the best he’s played under me.”

Originally published as Legendary local footballer and ex-Collingwood Magpie Kyle Martin retires