The goalkeeper for the Northern Tasmania side in its intrastate contest against Southern Tasmania in 1913, Martin Connell moved to Hobart in 1914 and played for Corinthians, winning the Cottrell-Dormer Cup (now known as the Southern Championship) in 1914.
Martin enlisted in August 1914, joining the Field Artillery Brigade 3, Battery 9. After serving in Egypt, he returned home to Tasmania in November 1915, suffering from intestinal illness (enteric). He re-enlisted for active service in March 1916 and served in the Field Artillery Brigade 6 for the remainder of the war along the western front.
After returning to his native Launceston in August 1919, he joined the North Esk club once football had resumed in 1920. Martin represented Northern Tasmania in intrastate matches in 1920, 1922 and 1923, becoming one of the few players to represent their half of the state on either side of the war.
Martin continued living in Launceston, working as a tram driver, until his passing in 1951, aged 59. Martin’s only son, Martin John Connell, served in the Royal Australian Air Force in the south west Pacific during the Second World War.