Retired dual-international Martin Taupau has broken his silence on the circumstances surrounding his sudden departure from the Brisbane Broncos midway through the 2025 NRL season.
A seasoned NRL veteran with over 250 first-grade appearances across four clubs, Taupau was released by the Broncos on May 17, 2025, after liking a social media post that criticised the training methods of head coach Michael Maguire.
The post quickly caught the attention of Broncos officials, leading to internal discussions and, ultimately, Taupau’s exit from the club.
Speaking on The Chad Townsend Show, the 34-year-old shared his side of the story, expressing regret over what he described as an “innocent mistake.”
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“I’ve come across a post (from) Footy Hacks, Elijah Taylor…sharing his thoughts and feelings on how tough the pre-season training is under [Michael] Maguire and at the end of it, it was if he changes certain things they’ll be really successful,” Taupau said on The Chad Townsend Show.
“For me, to my unknowing, I just liked it and just kept going. Totally forgot about it, dropped my coffee, jumped on the scooter and went down to work. Then the boys go, ‘Uce you just liked this post’…and they’re all covering their mouths, so I just unliked it.
“It turned. I got told you’ve got to have a meeting and it’s tonight to explain your actions. It didn’t really click. I had the meeting (to) explain what had happened and I was really remorseful.
“I was aware but not fully aware of the repercussions so it just happened and I just liked an Instagram post and that was it.
“I always feel dumbfounded when I think about it. I had a meeting with the CEO and the footy manager just to explain my actions, and I was really remorseful and apologetic for what had happened.
“There was no intention to cause any harm to anyone. It was an innocent like as it was, so a later meeting was called with the CEO, and I thought, let’s go for a walk. Let’s have a walking meeting.
“We talked it through and he said it’s probably best that we mutually part ways, and thinking back to it now, I didn’t give it much thought, but when you know in your heart and your body’s telling you it’s time to go. It’s like okay, I’m happy with it.
“I wasn’t angry with it at the time. I understand it. It was hard, it was a kick in the guts, it was every emotion under the sun. But looking back now I feel like it was God just stepping in and saying, ‘Okay Marty, it’s time for you to put your boots down.’”
Following his release from the Broncos, Taupau revealed that he had hoped to continue his NRL career for at least two more seasons but was unable to secure a contract from any rival club.
While he considered continuing with Souths Logan Magpies in the Queensland Cup and received several offers from Super League clubs in England, the 24-time New Zealand and nine-time Samoan international ultimately decided to retire from professional rugby league.
“I said to my wife even before all of this happened, that I’ve got another two years in me because we have invested so much time and money into keeping my body in one piece and especially my brain,” Taupau added.
“We put out a few feelers and the feeder club that I was playing for at the time, Souths Logan Magpies with Karmichael Hunt. I reached out to him and said, ‘I’m keen, I’m still in Brisbane and I’m keen to play but we’ll suss out the paperwork with the contractual stuff and then we’ll go from there’.
“Sadly, but fortunately for me nothing came about. There were a few clubs that came in from England that tabled a few offers but I had a conversation with my wife about what’s the best thing for our family.”
Despite the abrupt end to his NRL journey, Taupau remains one of the most respected forwards of his generation known for his power, professionalism, and longevity.
While his departure from Brisbane was unexpected, the former Kiwis and Samoa representative said he now sees it as a sign that it was time to move on from the game.