ghoti said:
And since when did June 30 make a difference?
I'll take SLE's word over anybody's on league unlimited.
lol you have got to be kidding
The actual physical articles in the press and on various websites highlighting Martin's retention is a fairly good indication that douglasallen is right that Martin was signed pre June 30.
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Goal-kicking centre Tony Martin today marked his scheduled 100th first-grade appearance next Saturday night by signing a new one-year contract with the Vodafone Warriors.
The 27-year-old Martin, who came to Auckland from the London Broncos on a three-year deal in 2004, is the fifth player signed by the Vodafone Warriors on a new or extended contract in the past four weeks.
A grand final winner with Melbourne in 1999, Martin has completed a comeback this year from neck surgery after missing all but two matches in the clubs 2005 campaign.
He has also taken on the goal-kicking responsibilities this year, his five goals in Saturday nights 34-12 win over Wests Tigers boosting his tally to 84 points this season. With a kicking success rate of 80 per cent, only five players have scored more points than him so far.
Vodafone Warriors head coach Ivan Cleary said Martin had delivered exactly what the coaching staff sought from him this year.
Consistency in performance is one of the key requirements were looking for in our players and Tony has certainly been one of our most consistent players so far this year, he said.
He has been working really hard on his goal-kicking and the rewards have been coming. As a goal-kicker, hes giving us just what we need. We also place a high value on the experience he offers us in the centres.
Martin put together a run of 17 consecutive goals from the clash with Canberra on April 15 to the match against St George Illawarra on May 13. Included in the sequence were nine straight goals against South Sydney which, added to his try that night, gave him 22 points, the third highest match tally by an individual for the club. He recently passed 100 points for the Vodafone Warriors and 200 in his NRL career.
After playing for the London Broncos in 1996-97, he played for Melbourne 69 times from 1998 to 2000 before returning to England for another three seasons with the London side.
Hes set to make his 31st appearance for the Vodafone Warriors and his 100th in the NRL against Cronulla at Toyota Park on Saturday night.
Martins signing comes after the club secured wingers Manu Vatuvei and Misi Taulapapa, centre Simon Mannering and halfback Grant Rovelli on new deals.
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22nd May 2006.
SLE, if it was well before June 30 then I don't question it - that makes sense given he only got a one year deal it's almost like its an afterthought. There was a lot of talk when the salary cap scandal broke that Tony was shopped around by the club along with Villasanti very early in the season. Somewhat surprisingly, he's appeared in all games this season for the club and done fairly well.