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 Martin (1994 to 1999)

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