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 than20 games in a season and the former sheep farmer from Wagga Wagga admits tomorrow'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 has been under the knife nine times to repair knees, shoulders, elbows, ankles, fingers and a fractured sternum.
In addition to this, he has 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.
But after a slow start at the Panthers, he is now a mainstay of the forward pack and was rewarded with a new contract last year.
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: "We're ready."
