Introduction
Esan Marsters (born 17 August 1996) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a centre for the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL. He has played for the Cook Islands, New Zealand and the New Zealand Māori at international level.
He previously played for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League.
Background
Marsters was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and is of Cook Island and Māori descent.
He played for Mount Albert Lions in New Zealand, later saying, "I played in the halves growing up. I was a five-eighth, like Benji. That’s where I get my ball skills from. Then I moved over to Sydney from Auckland when I was 17 and got switched to the centres. I was bigger than a lot of the other kids and they wanted to use me out wide." Marsters picked up a contract with the Sydney Roosters to train with their SG Ball team. After spending a season with Roosters SG Ball team he was cut and signed a contract with the Wests Tigers NYC team.
Playing career
Early career
In 2015 and 2016, Marsters played for the Wests Tigers' NYC before graduating to their Intrust Super Premiership NSW team in 2017.
Marsters played for the Cook Islands in their 2015 match against Tonga. In 2016 he represented the Junior Kiwis in a match against the Junior Kangaroos.
2017
On the 6th of May, Marsters represented the Cook Islands in their 2017 Pacific Rugby League Tests match.
In Round 13, Marsters made his NRL debut for the Wests Tigers against the St George Illawarra Dragons, playing off the interchange bench in the 16-12 loss at ANZ Stadium. After playing on the bench for his first 2 games, he was in the starting team for the rest of the season, where he was described as, "a revelation at right centre". He scored 5 tries from 13 games in his rookie year.
2018
Marsters was said to be one of the most improved players in the game in 2018, and, "has been stellar in 2018, to the point he made his New Zealand Test debut and has claims on being one of the form centres right across the NRL." He was one of two players to appear in every game for the Tigers and was their top point-scorer with 124. The Daily Telegraph named in their team of the year, saying, "he was the only centre to crack 3000 metres gained and his 126 metres per match was the biggest average of any centre who played at least 15 games. He also lead all centres in offloads with 49 and was fifth in tackle busts with 65."
2019
In Round 4 of the 2019 NRL season, Marsters missed all three attempts at goal in a 9-8 loss to the Penrith Panthers, despite the Tigers outscoring the Panthers two tries to one. In Round 9, Marsters scored two tries and kicked 3 goals in a 30-4 win over the Panters.. In Round 20, he scored 2 tries in a 28-4 win over the North Queensland Cowboys at Leichhardt Oval.
On 10 October, the Tigers released Marsters from the final year of his contract. On 14 October, he signed a three-year deal with the North Queensland Cowboys.
2020
In February, Marsters was a member of the Cowboys' 2020 NRL Nines winning squad.
In Round 1 of the 2020 NRL season, he made his debut for the Cowboys in their 21–28 loss to the Brisbane Broncos.
Achievements and accolades
Individual
- Wests Tigers Best New Talent Award: 2018
Team
- 2020 NRL Nines: North Queensland Cowboys – Winners
Statistics
NRL
- Statistics are correct to the end of the 2019 season
| Season | Team | Matches | T | G | GK % | F/G | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career totals | 61 | 17 | 96 | 71.11% | 0 | 260 | |
International
| Season | Team | Matches | T | G | GK % | F/G | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Cook Islands | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | Cook Islands | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 4 |
| 2018 | New Zealand | 5 | 3 | 0 | — | 0 | 12 |
| 2019 | New Zealand | 1 | 0 | 5 | 83.33% | 0 | 10 |
| Career totals | 8 | 4 | 5 | 83.33% | 0 | 26 | |