NZ Warriors have no concerns over the future of five-eighth Te Maire Martin, despite missing this weekend's clash against Cronulla Sharks in the NRL's concussion protocols, and his history of head injuries.
At the end of 2019, while playing for North Queensland Cowboys, Martin was diagnosed with a bleed on his brain, causing him to retire at the start of 2020.
But after working his way back to full fitness, Martin returned to the NRL with the Broncos in 2022, before signing to join the Warriors in 2023.
Already this season, Martin's influence has been a key part of the run that's seen three wins from the first four matches.
Continuity in the halves in combination with Shaun Johnson has allowed the Warriors to play with a settled spine, even if Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad and Wayde Egan have been forced out by the NRL's concussion protocols.
Last Sunday, though, Martin suffered a head knock in the Warriors' win over the Bulldogs, and will miss the Warriors' round five match against Cronulla Sharks as a result.
But while Martin's past will always lead to caution over his future, coach Andrew Webster has complete trust in the NRL's existing protocols to keep players safe, insisting all boxes will be ticked before he's cleared to play.
"Because the precautions are so strong, and what's put in place, you've got to make these tests anyway," said Webster.
"They've got to pass these protocols. If he passes them, he feels good and he feels confident, we'll go from there.
"If there's any symptoms or anything like that, we will have a look - because of the past - and say 'how's everything going?'
"Right now, we're just going to stick to the protocols and see how that goes."
Meanwhile, Martin's teammates concur that there is no issue with how the five-eighth has been after the win over the Bulldogs.
In fact, fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad says that Martin has been so unaffected, any thought of his previous condition is long forgotten.
"I totally forgot he had that injury, that problem, a few years ago," he said. "He's walking around like everything's fine.
"He's in good spirits, there's nothing to worry about on his end. We've just got the 11 day mandatory protocol that we have to follow.
"I'm sure he'll be back this week."
Ronald Volkman has been named in the No.6 jersey for the Warriors' match-up against Cronulla Sharks this weekend.
