Text Box: Matt Martin was a standout Free Safety for the Pirates from 1994 to 1999, a Pirate Record holder, and member of the Pirate Flagship and All-Time Team. Matt joined the team in 1994 as a Free Safety and gave an indication of what was to come when he led the Club - and the League - in interceptions in his rookie season. From there he went from strength to strength, and in 1996 he tied a long-standing Pirate record with 8 interceptions and also knocked down another 7 passes. Never categorised as one of the teams bigger players, Matt was certainly big on heart, and he led by example both at training and during games. He was named as a Team Captain for both the 1998 and 1999 seasons, and finished his playing career with 97.5 tackles, 29 interceptions (3 returned for Touchdowns), 25 batted passes, 3 fumble recoveries, and 1 QB sack. Matt left the Pirates in 2000 when he moved to Queensland to join the RAAF, his main regret being that he would not be able to continue his passion - playing gridiron. It was with great sadness that we received the news during the 2003 season that Matt was tragically killed in a car accident while driving an RAAF vehicle on a training exercise in North Queensland. The Clubs Players Player award has been renamed the Matt Martin Players Player Award in his honour.

Matt Martins Year-by-Year Statistics

Year

Tackles

Ints

Yards

Batted

1994

18

4

68

3

1995

25

3

45

2

1996

26.5

8

51

7

1997

9

6

100

3

1998

13

4

44

6

1999

6

4

58

4

Totals

97.5

29

366

25