Recruit watch: TMM brings another dimension to halves

The NRL market has been in full swing for 2023 with several stars switching clubs ahead of the new season.

NRL.com takes a look at the major transfers and how your club will benefit from a star arrival.

Te Maire Martin (Warriors)

• Age: 27
• Position they’ll fill: Five-eighth 
• Contracted until: 2025

What Martin can bring

One of the NRL's feel-good stories in 2022, as he returned to the field two years after being forced to leave the game due to a brain bleed, Te Maire Martin heads 'home' to the Warriors on a three-year deal.

Having played 13 games as a fullback for the Broncos last year, Martin will return to his more natural position in the halves in 2023 and provide the Warriors with an answer in a position which has dogged them over the past four seasons. 

During that time the Kiwi club have had no stability in the No.6 jersey – last year pairing Shaun Johnson with six different halves partners through 24 games – and as a result struggled to build real cohesion in attack.

Calm and composed on the ball, Martin has the ability to handle general play kicking and take some pressure off Johnson on last-tackle plays, and knows how to put people over the line, with eight try assists last season. 

Why it'll work 

Martin is the type of player the Warriors have been crying out for to partner Johnson in the halves, and evidence already exists that they can work together well as a partnership, with the pair having teamed up for New Zealand back at the 2017 World Cup.

The 27-year-old is going to make Johnson's life easier, give him more time on the ball and in the process improve other aspects of a Warriors side which last year ranked 13th in terms of points scored, averaging 17 per game. 

The signing of Martin also means new coach Andrew Webster won't have to rush youngsters Ronald Volkman and Luke Metcalf into the No.6 jersey, and he can instead give them time to develop as a combination in the club's reserve-grade team.