George Martin (rugby league)

George Joseph Martin (26 June 1931 – 18 May 2017) was a New Zealand rugby league footballer who played as a centre in the 1950s. He played in the NSWRFL premiership for North Sydney.

George Martin

Personal information
Full name	George Joseph Martin
Born	(1931-06-26)26 June 1931 Lower Hutt, New Zealand
Died	18 May 2017(2017-05-18) (aged 85) Lower Hutt, New Zealand
Playing information
Position	Centre
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1952–55 North Sydney 71 44 0 0 132 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1953 NSW City 1 1 0 0 3
Source: [1]

Early life

Martin was born and raised in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. Before playing rugby league, Martin excelled at discus, shot put and javelin. In 1950, Martin qualified for the 1950 British Empire Games in Auckland and competed in the pole vault. Also in 1950, Martin played for the Wellington rugby union side against the British Lions. Martin was tipped to have a bright career in the game before deciding to switch codes and play rugby league.

Playing career

Martin began his first grade career in 1952 with North Sydney. Martin was a member of the Norths sides which reached the preliminary finals in 1952 and 1953 and qualified for the finals in 1954. Martin also represented New South Wales City and played an exhibition match against the American All Stars in 1953. After leaving North Sydney, Martin returned to New Zealand and played rugby league in the local competitions. He died on 18 May 2017.[2][3]

References

1. Ferguson, Shawn Dollin and Andrew. "George Martin - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org.
2. "The passing of George Martin". 25 May 2017.
3. "Life story: George Martin rugby league pioneer and gifted artist". stuff.co.nz. 17 June 2017.