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Full name | Martin Masella [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | ʻEua, Tonga | 4 November 1969||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 98 kg (15 st 6 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Prop, Second-row, Lock | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [2] |
Martin Masella (born 4 November 1969) is a Tongan former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He was a Tonga international and played at the 1995 Rugby League World Cup. [2] Masella played for the Leeds Rhinos as a prop in their 1998 Super League Grand Final defeat by the Wigan Warriors. Masella captained Tonga in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup. [3]
Masella was born to factory workers. [4]
Masella played in Australia for Balmain Tigers, [5] Illawarra Steelers and South Sydney before moving to England to play in the Super League for the Leeds Rhinos. [6] He was later awarded Leeds Rhinos heritage player number 1291. [7] After leaving the Rhinos, Masella played for Wakefield Trinity Wildcats and Warrington Wolves. [8]
In September 2000, at the height of a financial crisis at the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, the contracts of all players aged over 24 were terminated. The players affected were; Andy Fisher, Bobbie Goulding, Warren Jowitt, Tony Kemp (player-coach), Steve McNamara, Francis Maloney, Martin Masella, Steve Prescott, Bright Sodje, Francis Stephenson and Glen Tomlinson. Masella was one of a group of players who were awarded compensation from an industrial tribunal as a result of the dismissal. [9]
Masella came out of retirement to play for Tonga against Cumbria at the age of 36. [10]