Making opponents wince has never been a problem for Penrith enforcer Nigel Plum, but the no-prisoners approach that took a big toll on his own battered body was often the bigger issue.
Nine years after making his NRL debut, this is the first time Plum, 31, has played more than 20 games in a season and the former sheep farmer from Wagga Wagga admits Saturday’s NRL preliminary final is the biggest game of his career.
Regarded as one of the toughest tacklers in the game, the quietly-spoken Plum began his career with the Sydney Roosters but made just 25 appearances in three years.
An injury-hit three-year stint in Canberra yielded just 34 games and his first season at Penrith in 2010 resulted in him playing just four times.
He’s been under the knife nine times to repair knees, shoulders, elbows, ankles, fingers and a fractured sternum.
In addition to this he’s been dealing with Crohn’s Disease – an inflammatory bowel condition – since 2003.
The condition left him struggling to put on weight earlier in his career – a major factor in the number of injuries he kept picking up.
But after a slow start to his Panthers career, he’s now a mainstay of the forward pack and was rewarded with a new contract last year, just as he was about to take up an offer to join Hull KR in the English Super League.
“I was other going to go over to the UK or back to the bush and play with Wagga,” Plum told AAP.
“But the club were good enough to come and offer me a new contract and I was delighted to sign.
“This season is the most games I have ever played in my whole career and it’s been a great year for me personally and for the team.”
Despite his litany of injuries at no stage did Plum ever consider walking away from the game.
“I always knew I could play and contribute at this level and the win over the Roosters in week one of the finals was the highlight of my career,” he said.
“The way the game finished and the fact nobody expected us to beat the premiers made it a really special night. I’d only ever played in one finals game before and that was with Canberra and we got smashed by Cronulla.”
A Canterbury side with one of the best packs in the game stands in their way for a place in the grand final but Plum is confident the Panthers forwards are a match for James Graham and co.
“Kitey (Brent Kite) has been great since he joined from Manly and the best thing is that he’s older than me!” Plum said.
“Sika (Manu) has played in grand finals and guys like Adam Docker, Matt Robinson have really stood up this year.
“We’re ready.”
