Rhyse Martin joined Leeds Rhinos in June 2019 from NRL side Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs on a two and half year contract.
The second rower burst onto the NRL scene last season with the Bulldogs when he kicked 36 goals from 38 attempts in his debut season for a 94.7% success rate. He played 14 matches in 2019, scoring 4 tries as well and has added a further 11 appearances this season, kicking another 13 goals.
Born in Cairns, Queensland, he is of Papua New Guinean descent through his father, who is from Hula in the Central Province, and has ten caps for the Kumuls including the 2019 test against Samoa. Martin was raised in the Whitsundays, playing his junior rugby league for the Proserpine Brahmans. As a teenager, Martin moved to Townsville, where he attended Kirwan State High School and played for Townsville Brothers. After graduating in 2010, Martin moved to Sydney to join the Sydney Roosters.
He joined in Sydney Roosters in 2010. In 2014, Martin joined the Roosters’ NRL squad but did not make his first grade debut, spending the season playing for the their feeder club, the Newtown Jets. On 19 October 2014, Martin made his international debut for Papua New Guinea against Tonga, playing at second-row and kicking 2 goals in the 32-18 win at Lae. In 2015, Martin returned to North Queensland, joining the newly formed Intrust Super Cup team, the Townsville Blackhawks. He played alongside his Rhinos team mate Robert Lui as the Blackhawks reached the Grand Final.
He moved to the Bulldogs in 2016, making his NRL debut in Round 9 last season, starting at second-row and scoring a try with his first ever touch. Having racked up 88 points in the NRL, he was then part of the Bulldogs NSW Cup team, captaining them to victory in the NSW Cup Grand Final, kicking 3 goals in the 18-12 victory. The following week, he scored a try and five goals in the State Championship Final win over Queensland Cup winners the Redcliffe Dolphins.
Martin’s older brother, Tyson, currently plays for the Mackay Cutters and is also a Papua New Guinean international.
