Since 2016, Martin Taupau has applied his trade for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, playing over 130 games for the club and has become a stalwart of their forward pack.

In 2021, Taupau has had one of his best seasons for the club, scoring two tries, making 53 tackle breaks, 1276.9 post contact metres, running for an average of 152 metres per game and has made 620 tackles for an efficiency rate of 95.1%.

However, if recent reports are to be believed, the Sea Eagles have given the New Zealand International permission to find a new club, as they want to bring in Wests Tigers player Luke Garner.

“At the moment Manly don’t have the room to fit him [Garner] in but if Marty Taupau happens to go and Marty has been given permission to explore his options on the open market then maybe that brings Manly into play,” said the Australian’s Brent Read on Triple M.

“That is one to watch and it will hinge on the coaching situation at the Tigers and also what happens with Marty Taupau and if he finds another club and if he decides to move in the off-season.”

 
If true, then Manly must be willing to release Taupau early, as he is contracted to the Sea Eagles until the end of 2022, and is apparently supposed to get a $120,000 pay rise for the last year of his deal, meaning Manly must also be willing to pay a percentage of that if he is to move clubs next year.

When thinking of potential destinations for Taupau, the first club that comes to mind is his former one in the Wests Tigers.

The Tigers are in the market for a front-rower, with the club recently being linked to the likes of Aaron Woods and Luke Thompson, with this move likely being the preferable one for the Sea Eagles as they could land Luke Garner from the Tigers in return, as Garner is also under contract until the end of 2022, which means that if Manly want him for next season they would have to rely on the Tigers releasing him, something that they could be persuaded to do if offered Taupau.