Michael Clayton Martin

Australia has had more polished wingers but none were tougher and few ran or tackled harder than Mick Martin. Born in Sydney, Martin was a product of Parramatta Marist College where he played rugby league. He turned his hand to rugby and was a halfback for Parramatta colts in 1974. Twelve months later, aged just 18, Martin was in the centres for the First Grade side which was narrowly beaten in the Shute Shield grand final.

In 1977 he partnered fellow Merrylands junior, close friend and fellow future Wallaby Martin Knight in the Two Blues first premiership winning team. Martin played his first senior representative rugby in 1979 for Sydney against Auckland and then New South Wales against Queensland. Martin’s consistent form was then rewarded with a spot on the Wallaby tour to Fiji in 1980 where he made his Test debut in Suva. That same season he played in the first two Tests against New Zealand but was forced to withdraw from the deciding third Test after he injured his back in a seven-a-side club tournament.

Nonetheless Martin was a vital part of Australia’s first successful defence of the Bledisloe Cup and first home series win over New Zealand since 1934. Notably Martin scored the winning try in the 1st Test victory when he smartly finished a Mark Ella-inspired backline play with a spectacular dive into the Paddington corner of the S.C.G. Martin toured with the Seventh Wallabies to the U.K. in 1981/82 and then with Mark Ella’s team to New Zealand however he was greatly affected by Knight’s death from leukemia and his representative career came to an end when he moved to the Central Coast at the end of 1983. Mick Martin played six Tests for Australia in his two-year international career.

Highlights

1980

Martin won his first Test cap on the right wing in the 22-9 victory over Fiji in Suva. He scored his first Test try in to become the 52nd Wallaby to score a try on debut. Martin was also capped in the first two Tests of the Bledisloe Cup series in Sydney and Brisbane.

1981

Martin played No.14 in the both of the home Tests against France. He toured with Tony Shaw’s Wallabies to the U.K. but dislocated his shoulder in scoring the second of two tries against Pontypool. His lone cap on the tour came as a replacement in the 13-18 loss to Wales at Cardiff.