Broncos NRL 2022: Te Maire Martin cleared to make comeback
The Brisbane Broncos have won their appeal to the NRL to clear the path for Te Maire Martin to make a miracle return to rugby league.
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Broncos comeback king Te Maire Martin has been given the green light by the NRL to make a triumphant return to the top grade in Friday night’s clash against the Bulldogs at Suncorp Stadium.
Martin has trained at fullback for the past two days at Red Hill, but his official return was contingent on the former Cowboys playmaker being cleared by the NRL’s salary-cap auditor.
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The 26-year-old was forced to quit the sport three years ago after suffering a brain bleed while playing at the Cowboys.
The Broncos issued him a lifeline last summer, but he was only placed on a development deal, meaning Brisbane had to seek dispensation from the NRL for Martin to be cleared to take on the Bulldogs.
The Broncos successfully argued their fullback options had been exhausted, with Tesi Niu and David Mead injured, while Jamayne Isaako was released last month to play for the Titans.
Martin will play his first NRL game in 1092 days in Brisbane’s round 7 clash against the Bulldogs at Suncorp Stadium and teammate Kobe Hetherington backed the former New Zealand Test star to succeed in the Broncos’ No. 1 jumper.
“It’s good to see Te Maire back again,” Hetherington said.
“With what he went through with his head, I’m glad he is back playing footy.
“He looks good at training and he is looking fit so he will be good for us.
“He is pretty quiet off the field, he doesn’t talk much about what he went through.
“It’s huge for him to come back and it’s good for us boys, too, we get to share a special moment with him on Friday night.”
Martin has experience at fullback, having played 10 of his 55 games for the Cowboys in the No. 1 jumper, including the showdown with the Bulldogs in April, 2019 that represents his most recent outing in the NRL.
Broncos coach Kevin Walters weighed up using rookie winger Selwyn Cobbo at fullback, but he opted for the ball-playing experience of Martin, who played four Tests for the Kiwis and scored the Cowboys’ only try in their 2017 grand-final loss to the Storm.
BRAIN BLEED TO BRONCOS SAVIOUR? NRL COMEBACK OF THE YEAR
Three years after suffering a brain bleed which forced him into a shock retirement, Te Maire Martin is on the verge of one of rugby league’s most remarkable comebacks.
Former Penrith and Cowboys star Martin trained at fullback for the Broncos on Monday and, while coach Kevin Walters is yet to decide whether he will play in Friday’s game against the Bulldogs, it’s clear the talented ballplayer is close to reigniting the promising first grade career which was cruelly short-circuited by a rare injury.
If selected in place of injured Tesi Niu, it would be Martin’s first NRL game in 1092 days.
Ironically, his last appearance was also against the Bulldogs, almost three years to the day since he faced them for the Cowboys on April 26, 2019.
Martin was then diagnosed with a bleed on the brain and officially announced his retirement at age 23 in January 2020 after being unable to gain medical clearances to play.
But after returning to play at an amateur level in New Zealand last year, he received medical approvals to make an unlikely comeback at NRL level.
Martin, 26, has signed a one-year development contract with the Broncos and has been earning positive reviews for his efforts for Wynnum-Manly.
“Compared to how I had to leave the game with the brain bleed, it‘s been a long two and a half years to get my career back on track,’’ Martin said after a Broncos trial match earlier this year.
“When my scans came back giving me the all clear, I wanted to come back. You don‘t realise how much you miss the game and the boys until you are out of the game for two or three years.
“I had a lot of scans and saw specialists. The only healing I could really do was rest. I got a job pushing sand in big machines sitting down all day. Just having a rest and no contact enabled it to heal and the specialists gave me the all year last year to come back with the Broncos.
“When the specialist had a look at my latest scan, he didn‘t notice anything and said it’s all normal. He asked about my plans. I said to get back to footy and he said I was OK to go. “I was very emotional to come back and I‘m really enjoying it here at the Broncos. Everything feels good, even going to the change rooms, just the smell of the dressing room, it brings all the memories back. It‘s been a long time out.’’
Martin’s conjuring skills saw him compared to a young Benji Marshall early in his career and the links were obvious given, like Marshall, he played for New Zealand (four Tests) and Wests (juniors) before moving to Penrith where he debuted in 2016.
He then joined North Queensland and scored their only try in the 2017 grand final loss to the Melbourne Storm, playing 55 games in total before being diagnosed with the brain bleed, bringing an abrupt halt to a career which never quite achieved what it promised.
Martin’s main rival for the fullback spot, Selwyn Cobbo, trained on the wing.
Martin is an eye-catching player who made spectacular debuts for Penrith and the Cowboys, featuring several tries and a field goal which won his first match for the Panthers.
The Broncos pointscoring has been poor this season and Martin’s creativity and running ability could be useful in a team struggling to land attacking punches.
Pressure builds on Snappy Tom to steer clear of trouble
As skipper Adam Reynolds deals with the wear and tear of a rugged season, Broncos forward Tom Flegler will return this week under mounting pressure to find the line between robust and reckless play.
Rugged forward Flegler is set to return from a two-week suspension after being reported an astonishing four times in a match against the Warriors, which followed two suspensions last season.
As marginal as some of the decisions were, there was still a collective head shake among rugby league commentators at Flegler’s continued, costly recklessness in his fifth first-grade season.
There was a sense during his last game that officials, aware of his recent poor record, were keeping a close eye on Flegler and had little tolerance for his indiscretions.
Fellow forward Corey Jensen was confident Flegler can stay on the right side of the law without dulling his natural aggression as the Broncos prepare for their must-win game against the Bulldogs.
“Flegs is a player who plays with his heart on his shoulder (sleeve),’’ Jensen said.
“He goes out there and rips in. We don’t want anything different from him because he has been in a bit of trouble lately with the penalties, which we are trying to avoid.
“But he plays hard every time he plays. I have no doubt he will go out and play with a bit more discipline. But it’s just the aggression and effort he brings to every game.
“Everyone has their own way about playing footy. Flegs plays on that line. It is up to him to find that balance between being aggressive and not crossing that line and he will find it. He is a great player. He has played Origin.’’
Skipper Reynolds retired from Monday’s training session after just 10 minutes with slight knee soreness.
He is not considered in doubt for Friday’s match but his workload will be managed closely in the twilight of his career.
Former captain fighting for his Broncos career
- Peter Badel
Jake Turpin could pay the price for Brisbane’s horror month of losses with the besieged hooker in the firing line for Friday night’s must-win clash against the Bulldogs at Suncorp Stadium.
News Corp understands Turpin is in danger of losing his prized Broncos’ No. 9 jumper to understudy Cory Paix after making zero runs for zero metres in Brisbane’s heavy 40-12 loss to the Panthers last Friday night.
The off-contract Turpin was named Brisbane’s most consistent player at last year’s club awards after racking up a whopping 904 tackles at an average of 41 per game as the defensive heartbeat of the Broncos.
But the industrious Turpin has an increasingly tenuous hold on Brisbane’s hooking spot as coach Kevin Walters considers starting Paix in a bid to spark the Broncos at the ruck and snap a worrying four-game losing streak.
While Penrith hooker Api Koroisau carved up Brisbane in midfield, Turpin failed to register a single run during his 43 minutes on the field, leaving the Broncos with a one-dimensional look out of dummy half.
Underlining Turpin’s toughness, the 25-year-old has battled pectoral and collarbone soreness in recent weeks to help the depleted Broncos, who missed Payne Haas, Tom Flegler and Herbie Farnworth against the Panthers.
But with front-row enforcers Haas and Flegler to return from suspension for the Bulldogs clash, Walters is weighing up a promotion for Paix, who was impressive in pre-season before he missed round 1 due to Covid.
Walters, who will name his round 7 team on Tuesday, said he had enormous respect for Turpin, but is also mindful of the pressure being applied by the 22-year-old Paix.
“‘Turps’ has been very brave for us this season,” Walters said.
“He was our most consistent player last year.
“Matt Ballin (Broncos assistant coach and former Queensland Origin hooker) has been working with Turps on his attacking game at training.
“Cory was very good for us in pre-season, so he is pushing hard for an opportunity and I am aware of that.”
Turpin has an uncertain future at the Broncos. He remains a free agent for next season and has been linked with expansion newcomers the Dolphins, with whom Turpin has ties after helping Redcliffe to a Queensland Cup premiership in 2018.
Walters is under mounting pressure to find the right formula with his spine, which copped another blow when fullback Tesi Niu damaged his hamstring against Penrith, ruling him out for up to six weeks.
Alarm bells are ringing at Red Hill. The Broncos (2-4) are languishing in the bottom four and a fifth consecutive loss this week to the battling Bulldogs (1-5) would be a disaster.
But Walters dismissed suggestions the Broncos will be finals also-rans for a third consecutive season.
“We will get there,” he said.
“There were plenty of lessons that we can take out of the Penrith game.
“I’m OK with where we are at.
“It’s only round six so our target is to go with teams like the Panthers at the back end of the season.
“If we can do that, which I believe we can, we will be a different footy side.”
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