The NZ Warriors have announced the signing of former Kiwi International Te Maire Martin for the next 3 seasons.
Martin, who has returned to the game after a 900 day lay off, has resurrected his career after being diagnosed with a brain bleed in 2018 that would see him walk away from the game at 24 not knowing what his future held.
Stints at progressive levels of the game has led to Martin being offered an opportunity with the Wynnum Seagulls that were a feeder to the Brisbane Broncos attached to it. After satisfying the club with his current fitness and a clearance of his injury, he eventually arrived in Australia to join the Broncos preseason in mid January 22
After a couple of hit outs at the QCup level and a few injuries hit the Broncos squad, Te was thrust into the side and didn’t look out of place in his return. Fast forward another 6 undefeated games and it was becoming clear there could be a second chance for Te in the NRL.
Speaking with Martin he was excited his future had some security attached to it; “It is quite surreal to be going to the Warriors finally. I had agreed to terms with them back in 2015, but the opportunity fell over at the last minute.” “I am genuinely excited at the prospect of returning home to NZ to play in front of Z crowds that contain family and friends. It was a huge risk to try again but as I have said before, sometimes you don’t know what you had until you lose it. I’m really looking forward to linking up with the squad for my first full preseason since 2018. I do want Hannan Laban from the Wynnum Seagulls for the interest and the commitment to put me into their feeder arrangement with the Broncos, without him specifically, none of this would have been possible. Obviously the coaching staff and players at the Broncos were a major part of everything along the way ad I am grateful to them for that.”
Speaking with the Head of Football Operations at the NZ Warriors they were extremely excited to get Te Maire; “It’s quite a unique situation, and we are extremely happy to be benefiting from having Te Maire come to us. It’s a perfect fit, with the club looking to re-engage players who want to be in NZ and really play for the club and to have an accomplished Kiwi international with experience and not a heap of kilometres on the clock is fantastic. Looking forward to him arriving here for preseason and getting him ready for 2023.”
Everyone at MapSports wishes Te the best.
