Steve Martin (rugby league)

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Steve Martin
Personal information
Full name Steve Martin
Date of birth b. 1955
Club information
Position(s) Halfback
Current club Retired
Senior clubs*
Years Club Apps (points)
1978–1981
1982–1984
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Balmain Tigers
70 (65)
53 (38)
Representative teams
1978–1980
1978–1980
New South Wales
Australia
2 (3)
1 (0)
Professional clubs coached
1990–1992[1]
1998
North Sydney Bears
South Sydney Rabbitohs

* Professional club appearances and points
counted for domestic first grade only.

Steve Martin (born 1955) is an Australian former professional rugby league player in the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) competition for Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and the Balmain Tigers. Martin was also a representative player at both state and international levels. He primarily played in the halfback position.

Contents

[edit] Playing career

Martin was originally an Australian Rules footballer in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales but switched to rugby league and spent 1975–1976 playing for Barrow in English club football. He came to the notice of first-grade clubs in Australia when he represented Riverina in the 1976 Amco Cup competition.

Martin debuted for Manly in 1978 and was quickly recruited by New South Wales as five-eighth. In the same year he played in both the grand final and the grand final replay win over Cronulla. Martin toured with the Kangaroos at the end of 1978, playing in eleven tour matches and one Test against France. Martin finished his debut season as the NSWRL Rookie of the Year.

Martin was selected to represent New South Wales as an interchange for the inaugural State of Origin game in 1980.[2]

After several positional changes at Manly, Martin moved to Balmain in an effort to consolidate his career at halfback but a series of shoulder injuries kept him from his previous form. In 1983–1984, Martin played for Leeds in England.

[edit] Coaching career

In 1986–1987, Martin captain-coached West Tamworth to two premierships but two shoulder disclocations forced his retirement as a player. Moving to the North Sydney Bears in 1990, Martin coached the club to the 1991 preliminary-final but they lost to the Canberra Raiders.

1992 was a disappointing season for the Bears and Martin resigned at the end of the year. An appointment as coach of the Featherstone Rovers in England followed before Martin returned once more to Australia and took up the coaching position at the South Sydney Rabbitohs in 1998. His tenure at the club was brief. Martin was sacked after a disagreement over the disciplining of controversial five-eighth, Julian O'Neill, late in the season and handed the position over to Craig Coleman.[3]

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ North Sydney Team of the Century Nominees. North Sydney Bears. Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
  2. ^ State Of Origin - Game 1, 1980. Rugby League Tables. Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
  3. ^ Season by Season - 1998. South Sydney Rabbitohs. Retrieved on 2007-12-16.

[edit] References


Preceded by
Frank Stanton
1987–1989
Coach
North Sydney Bears

1990–1992
Succeeded by
Peter Louis
1993–1999
Preceded by
Ken Shine
1994–1997
Coach
South Sydney Rabbitohs

1998
Succeeded by
Craig Coleman
1998–1999
2002