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"I wasn't really paying attention': Martin credits Warriors system for seamless return
Stephen Foote •  May 20th, 2026 8:40 am
Te Maire Martin | Photo: Photosport
While Tanah Boyd's season-ending ACL tear left a dark cloud around a beaming Warriors display against the Broncos, there was another undeniable ray of sunshine in the performance of Te Maire Martin.
Yet to register a minute of playing time to date in 2026, Martin barely missed a beat in his injection off the extended bench, scoring a try, laying on two assists, and guiding the team around the park with precision en route to a 42-12 demolition.
Martin's efforts are made even more impressive by the fact that his preparations during the week covered almost every position but the one he was called upon to occupy at Suncorp.
"Obviously I wasn't expecting too much," Martin told Sport Nation's Running It Straight podcast.
"I was in that extended bench and I'd been training everywhere but half - just in case some sort of injuries went on everywhere else and to make the reshuffle a little bit less.
"I wasn't actually doing too much, the spine with Wayde (Egan) and Chanel (Harris-Tavita), even Taine (Tuaupiki), ran most of it. I just kicked back because I wasn't really paying attention too much during the week."
The 30-year-old had taken his trademark versatility to new heights in recent weeks, slotting in the second-row for the Warriors' NSW Cup side a fortnight ago in his only taste of action since he broke his leg during February's NRL All Star game in Hamilton.
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Martin admitted the fact he had little time to over analyse his predicament may have helped his cause, as was his supremely dominant forward pack and the weight of possession in his team's favour.
"Sometimes it's easier to go into games underprepared," he said. "You don't overthink too much.Â
"When you're playing behind a forward pack like what our forwards were doing on the weekend it makes your job a lot easier, but also the amount of ball we had.
"With our forwards and that crowd that we had there, it was pretty special."
Another huge factor Martin credits for the ease of his integration is the framework put in place by coach Andrew Webster and his staff.
"We have a system that's there and it's proven that it's not the individual itself, it's the system that works. Once you figure out the system, it's just how we play.
"If our middles are doing what they're doing and you get the back five running as hard as they do, it makes everything else a lot easier."
Coach Andrew Webster clearly liked what he saw, naming Martin to start alongside Harris-Tavita in the halves against the struggling St George Illawarra Dragons in Sydney on Saturday.
Listen to the full episode below:
