Former Cowboys grand final playmaker Te Maire Martin is making a comeback to rugby league and attempting to win a contract with the Brisbane Broncos.
Martin retired from the game at just 24 in 2019 following bleeding in the brain and his career looked over when specialists barred him from contact sport.
But after more than two years, Martin is showing no signs of any recurrence of the problem and recently played for Waikato in the domestic New Zealand competition – and came through unscathed.
Now 26, he hopes to win a contract with Wynnum in Brisbane and make his way into the Broncos system.
The talented pivot has been put on a train and trial contract at Wynnum and still needs a special medical clearance to play – but the signs are good.
The Broncos had awful problems in the halves last season and a crafty ball-player like Martin could be the answer to their prayers.
Boom rookie slips through Dragons’ fingers
An 18-year-old Australian Schoolboy who has joined Canberra could be the one that got away from the Dragons.
Brad Morkos signed a long—term deal with the Raiders recently and is so highly regarded he could be in contention for a first grade centre spot next season.
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Morkos, who played for Corrimal, Wests, Thirroul and Collies in his time in Wollongong, was a standout for City under 18s against Country last season and has been brought straight into the Raiders’ fulltime squad for the pre-season.
He’ll be given his chance in the trials and has the speed and size to be an instant success.
Tigers under fire
Parents of many Wests Tigers juniors are up in arms over the way their kids have been treated by the club.
The Tigers have brought several new recruits in from Queensland, cutting local juniors in the SG Ball Cup and other grades as a result.
To make matters worse, the club announced the squads on grand final day last Sunday week, totally spoiling the big day for the kids that missed out.
“You talk about bad timing – couldn’t they have waited a day before telling the kids whose dream it was to play for the Tigers that they are no longer wanted – my boy didn’t even want to watch the grand final after that,” one parent told me.
Axe set to fall on club legend
OOPS!
Which club put up a post on its Facebook site last week, advertising for an assistant coach, only to quickly pull it down a few minutes later.
I’m hearing the coach who holds the job, a former star player at the club, is about to be sent packing – but no one has bothered to tell him yet.
Watch this space!
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