Martin Bella
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Born | Sarina, Queensland, Australia | 26 March 1964||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 182 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 120 kg (18 st 13 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Prop | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Martin Bella (born 26 March 1964), nicknamed Munster, is an Australian former
Background
Born in
Playing career
Bella first came to prominence playing in the
in 1986.North Sydney Bears
In 1986, Bella played 23 games for the Bears in his first season at the club, starting 19 games at prop. At the end of the season, he went on the 1986 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France, playing in most games on the tour, but not the Tests.
In 1987, he made his
In 1989, Bella played 17 games for the Bears and was named man of the match in Queensland's Game One win over New South Wales. Following the Origin series, in which Queensland won 3–0, Bella was selected for Australia's mid-season
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
In 1990, Bella joined the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. He played in 22 games for the Sea Eagles and was named the Dally M Prop of the Year. At the end of the 1990 NSWRL season, he went on the 1990 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France. Unfortunately for Bella, he paid the price for Australia's first Ashes series loss to Great Britain at Wembley Stadium and was replaced in the test team by Glenn Lazarus for the remaining tests on the tour.[5]
In 1991, Bella won his second man of the match award in the third and deciding match of the 1991 State of Origin series. After his displays for Queensland, he was recalled to the Australian team for the mid-season 1991 Trans-Tasman Test series against New Zealand. He played his final two Tests during Australia's tour of Papua New Guinea in 1991, played a total of nine Tests for his country.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
After three years with the Sea Eagles, Bella joined the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs as one of their key signings along with Jim Dymock and Jim Serdaris for the 1993 season. During the 1993 State of Origin series, Bella memorably played the ball the wrong way after being spun around in a strong tackle.[6] In 1994, he played in Canterbury's Grand Final loss to the Canberra Raiders, where he famously knocked the ball on from the opening kick off.[7]
In all, he played 46 out of a possible 48 games in his two seasons with the Bulldogs – the only two he missed were due to State of Origin duties.
His final season with the Bulldogs coincided with his final of 21 State of Origin games for Queensland.
North Queensland Cowboys
In 1995, Bella decided against retirement and returned to north Queensland, signing with the newly established
Gold Coast Chargers
Bella considered retirement after his release by the Cowboys but again decided against it, signing with the Gold Coast Chargers in 1996. In two seasons with the club, he played 35 games, including the club's first (and only) finals games in 1997. After 12 seasons and 235 first grade games, he retired from rugby league at the end of the 1997 season.
Achievements and accolades
Individual
- Dally M Prop of the Year: 1990
Post-football life
Bella holds a degree in physiotherapy and has run his own practice in the Queensland rural town of Sarina. Since 2016, he has served as a councillor for Mackay Regional Council[9]
Statistics
NSWRL/ARL
Season | Team | Matches | T | G | GK % | F/G | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1986 | ![]() |
23 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 4 |
1987 | ![]() |
23 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
1988 | ![]() |
20 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
1989 | ![]() |
17 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
1990 | Manly Warringah
|
22 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
1991 | Manly Warringah
|
19 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 4 |
1992 | Manly Warringah
|
16 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 4 |
1993 | Canterbury-Bankstown
|
22 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 8 |
1994 | Canterbury-Bankstown
|
24 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
1995 | ![]() |
14 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
1996 | ![]() |
17 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 4 |
1997 | ![]() |
18 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 4 |
Career totals | 235 | 7 | 0 | — | 0 | 28 |
State of Origin
† | Denotes seasons in which Bella won a State of Origin Series |
Season | Team | Matches | T | G | GK % | F/G | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1987† | ![]() |
2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
1988† | ![]() |
3 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
1989† | ![]() |
3 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
1990 | ![]() |
3 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
1991† | ![]() |
3 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
1992 | ![]() |
3 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
1993 | ![]() |
3 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
1994 | ![]() |
1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
Career totals | 21 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
Australia
† | Denotes seasons in which Bella won a World Cup |
Season | Team | Matches | T | G | GK % | F/G | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1988† | ![]() |
1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
1990 | ![]() |
3 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
1991† | ![]() |
5 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
Career totals | 9 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
Post-playing career
In 2000, Bella was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his contribution to Australia's international standing in rugby league. In 2008, Bella was named in the North Queensland rugby league Team of the Century.[10]
Personal life
A qualified
References
- ^ "Martin 'Munster' Bella - Playing Career - RLP". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "Player Profile". www.yesterdayshero.com.au. Archived from the original on 10 August 2012.
- ^ "Martin Bella at the SportingPulse Homepage for Northern Division". Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "Kangaroos Tour 1989 - Squads - RLP". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "Martin Bella". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
- ^ "Hits and misses: Mackay's Origin players through the years". couriermail. 11 July 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "1994 Grand Final Memories". Canberra Raiders. 24 September 2014.
- ^ "November 3: Elford's sacrifice for Tigers; Bella rides again with Cowboys". 2 November 2021.
- ^ "Councillor, former Origin Great: 'I'm not a knuckledragger'". Townsville Bulletin. 2 April 2018.
- ^ "Archived copy". qrl.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Bella JNR another Maroons beauty". 22 May 2014.
- ^ "Bella pumped to be back for Cutters". couriermail. 15 July 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "Lauren Bella returns home to the SUNS". 16 April 2019.