Kerrod Martorella will run out for his 10th consecutive grand final on the Gold Coast on Saturday, rip in for 80 minutes and head into retirement.
It is a remarkable record already. The dream finale is obvious should the skipper drive his Griffith Uni Colleges Knights Rugby Club to victory.
Now 34, the 125kg lock has been throwing his brand of running power, deft passing and grunt into the Knights’ successes for nearly 14 years.
“There are young blokes at the club who don’t know I started with luscious hair. The majority only know me with this shaved, bald head,” Martorella laughed.
It’s true. Another stalwart, winger Connor Kennedy, has also made that transition. This is also likely his final match. No.8 Jaye Paton might be hanging up the boots as well.
Martorella, Kennedy, Paton, prop Lesi Tawake, winger Blake Griffin and others are part of a core of long-serving players who have kept the Knights at or near the top.
No one knows for sure who might be playing for the final time in the red-and-black but it all serves as extra motivation for a worthy grand final at Ashmore.
The Nerang Bulls stand in the way in what should be a tense, tight decider in the Gold Coast Districts Rugby Union competition.
“It’s going to be a ripper of a grand final. We’ve had two narrow losses and a good win against the Bulls this season so we know what we are up against,” Martorella said.
Adding spice to a traditonally edgy contest is the fact goalkicking centre Callum Boomer and lock Ezra Tuitapa-Isaac both shifted from the Bulls to play for the Knights this season.
At the amateur level of the game, it helps if different pieces of life fit together.
As a long-time refrigeration mechanic, Martorella has always done plenty of lifting and shifting in his working life as he does on the field.
“The physical side of work definitely makes me feel less guilty when I miss gym,” Martorella said.
He’s a Cairns product and has been playing so long he had time with the Gold Coast Breakers in Premier Grade when a young James Slipper was an occasional teammate.
Martorella is certain of where the club’s consistent level of achievement springs from after being part of premiership sides in 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.
“It’s all to do with the club’s culture. I’ve built some of the best friendships here and a core group of guys have played through a decade,” Martorella said.
“I think the communication within the club sets it apart from some other community rugby clubs.
“Players are always made to feel welcome and wanted. There’s a good, open atmosphere and people are encouraged to deal with any issues when they come up.”
It all helps the chemistry of the team under coach Shaun Cole, who shared in the 2018 premiership as a backrower and is now a three-time premiership coach.
“Guys like Kerrod, Connor and Jaye have been cornerstones for the past decade. Some have alluded to retirement. If so, you want to give players like this the send-off they deserve,” Cole said.
“Players have shown a lot of loyalty to the Knights over the years and it shows with how tight the boys are on the field.”
Cole has the scheming mentality of every good coach. When Martorella seemed set on retirement at the end of 2024, Cole coaxed him into one more season with the lure of a rare 2025 grand final at the club’s Ashmore home ground.
Now, it’s almost time for daughters Mia, 2, and three-month-old Edie to get his full attention with wife Amy.
As is club tradition, you become a “Knight” once you have been at the club for five years or won a premiership.
It’s an invisible badge of honour unless you are on an end-of-season tour to Bali and a tattoo is irresistible.
Martorella is a smart footballer as well because he has avoided the ink...so far.
