Rhyse Martin will pull on a rugby league jersey for the final time at the 2025 World Cup in Australia this autumn, bringing an end to a career that began with a childhood dream and crystallized into one of the sport's steadiest, most productive presences.
The 33-year-old Papua New Guinea captain has decided that his third World Cup appearance represents the natural full stop to a decade-long professional journey. For Martin, the timing feels right: after delivering Hull Kingston Rovers their first Super League trophy in October at Old Trafford — kicking three crucial goals in that Grand Final victory over Wigan — he finds himself in an enviable position. He could chase more silverware with the Robins before stepping away, but the international competition at the end of 2025 will be the moment to hand over the boots.
"I look forward to finishing the year strong for Hull KR and giving everything to the team," Martin said. "With it being a World Cup in 2026, it feels like the right time to hang up my boots representing my country at the end of the year."
What makes Martin's departure noteworthy is not just the timing, but the steadiness of what he accomplished along the way. The Queensland-born forward earned 21 caps for Papua New Guinea while building a career that spanned both hemispheres. He started with Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the NRL, making 24 appearances before crossing to England with Leeds Rhinos, where he claimed a Challenge Cup winner's medal across five seasons at Headingley. His move to Hull Kingston Rovers proved transformative—not just for him, but for the club's trajectory.
Last season alone captures the scale of his contribution. Martin helped Rovers claim the treble while passing 1,000 Super League points in the process. He kicked three goals in the World Club Challenge victory over Brisbane Broncos in February, then went on a scoring rampage in a Challenge Cup run that culminated in a 16-goal performance against Lock Lane—a new club record for goals in a single match. That demolition was part of a 104-0 third-round win that sent Hull toward Saturday's Challenge Cup final against Wigan.
The numbers speak to consistency and precision: 1,000 points, 16 goals in one match, three goals in a Grand Final, a Challenge Cup winner, a treble-chasing campaign. Yet Martin frames his retirement with characteristic humility, reflecting not on individual milestones but on what he owes to the sport that shaped him.
"Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed of playing professional rugby league and for it to be my life—I am so lucky and grateful I have been able to have the career I've had," he reflected. "I walk away at the end of the season knowing I have given everything for each club I've had the honour of representing and hope I have left the jersey in a better place."
That sense of stewardship—the conviction that you leave things better than you found them—runs through Martin's career. Hull Kingston Rovers, transformed into a trophy-winning side, is proof enough that he has lived up to that standard. His final months in the game will determine whether he adds another piece of silverware before the 2025 World Cup calls time on one of rugby league's quieter success stories.