Brisbane Broncos bolstered their Kiwi-NRL stocks this summer by bringing in Te Maire Martin on a development contract and by round seven the hearty Waikato product was promoted to start at fullback against Bulldogs. Tesi Niu had started the season at fullback before suffering an injury and Jamayne Isaako took up a gig down the highway with Titans, leaving Broncos scratching for options at fullback and this led to the NRL allowing Martin to play on his development deal.

Martin was solid in the Broncos win, churning out 15 runs for 147m with 6 tackle busts and 1 offload. Martin's 32 touches were almost as many as half Tyson Gamble and Martin balanced busy running mahi with distribution skills. Most NRL teams deploy their fullback as a frontline defender and Martin played this role perfectly, pushing up as a defender before dipping behind the defensive line to cover breaks and kicks. Martin had numerous defensive plays of note, wrapping up the Bulldogs runner close to or over the try line and finished the game with 8 tackles made, none missed.

Below are some examples of Martin's involvement. First is the defending role, then Martin showcasing his skills with a play down the left where he bursts on to a cut-out pass. Then Martin is throwing his own pass down the right edge...

Martin's performance oozed class as nothing looked tricky, apart from the energy required to cover distance as a fullback. Bulldogs didn't do much to target Martin as they couldn't manipulate his positioning for last play kicks, nor did Matt Burton challenge Martin with his various kicking weapons. Martin's class was evident in having no errors, mopping up everything at fullback, taking tough runs, pushing up in support and distributing the footy where it needed to go.

Folks will know the Martin yarn and there is a lovely Aotearoa wrinkle here as Martin returned to Waikato after Papatuanuku and Ranginui hit pause on his career. Martin played rugby union for Otorohanga and then rugby league for Taharoa Steelers which appears to have done a fine job in preparing Martin for his resurgence.

What folks may not know is that Martin played four games for Wynnum in reserve grade, starting in the halves for each game. Martin had a try, 2 try assists, 3 linebreaks, 4 tackle busts, 2 offloads and averaged 61m/game in reserve grade which again points to Martin's all-round skills. Having predominantly played as a half in his NRL career, Martin appears to have been signed as a half for Broncos but was promoted through the fullback slot.

Broncos lacked options here, plus Martin appears to have made a fabulous impression over summer. Now Martin is likely to have a few more games to settle into fullback and this could lead to more consistent game time in this role, or Martin may demand a crack in the halves. Martin must first establish himself with steady game time and then there could be an Aotearoa Kiwis World Cup squad opening, especially if Martin sticks to fullback.

Aotearoa has plenty of depth in the halves with Shaun Johnson, Kieran Foran, Jahrome Hughes and Dylan Brown leading the pack. Isaako is a fullback option and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad has dipped out of the Raiders fullback role, leaving lads like Martin with sniff of the fullback mixer. Next steps for Martin though revolve around doing his role for Broncos and leading the young Kiwi-NRL Broncos.

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