Former Canterbury Bulldogs and English Super League forward Rhyse Martin has retired from professional rugby league and will join NRL expansion side, the PNG Chiefs, as football operations manager.
Martin will play out the season in England and retire after the Rugby League World Cup where he will likely add to his 17 appearances with PNG since debuting for the nation in 2014.
Martin commenced his career with the Canterbury Bulldogs in 2018, playing 25 games across a year and change, before moving to the Leeds Rhinos where he played 132 games between 2019 and 2024, scoring 40 tries and kicking 440 goals.
The talented forward has been with Hull KR since, scoring another nine tries and kicking 108 goals across 28 games for the club.
Martin, who is eligible for PNG through his father, has been a long-term walk-up starter for the Kumuls and will now join the back room staff at the club who will be coached by Willie Peters when it enters the competition in 2028.
“Rhyse has had an incredible career as a player but he still has so much to offer the sport," the expansion club's general manager of football Michael Chammas said in a statement.
"He has the trust of our coach Willie Peters from their time together at Hull KR and they will continue to work closely as Rhyse steps into a new role at the Chiefs.
"Anyone who has ever met Rhyse will talk about the quality of person he is and how passionate he is about Papua New Guinea.
"The combination of those two things makes him such an important off-field signing for the club and we are proud to have him joining our football staff."
Martin's role will oversee key football operations, player welfare and integration programs, while also helping support players and families transitioning to Papua New Guinea ahead of the club's inaugural NRL season.
