Liam Martin’s insane Grand Final revelation that puts him in the same class as Sam Burgess and John Sattler
- Martin barely trained in the build-up to the NRL decider
- Martin has been struggling with injured ribs for weeks
- Backrower defied all odds to claim the Clive Churchill Medal
Panthers star Liam Martin has revealed he has been on painkillers for most of the season and barely trained in the week before the NRL decider after injuring his rib cartilage in training.
Martin, 27, claimed man of the match in Penrith’s 14-6 grand final victory over the Melbourne Storm on Sunday.
The tenacious striker’s contributions were crucial to Penrith’s victory. He scored a try and set up another try to win his first Clive Churchill medal.
Only those close to the team know the real pain Martin has been dealing with in recent weeks, and all the painkilling injections he needs to take the field.
‘I did the ribs in the run-up to the roosters’ [qualifying final] – I did it during a wrestling session, believe it or not,” Martin said Sydney Morning Herald.
“Paul Alamoti destroyed it. I struggled with training that week and got it on track. Last week I did it twice [against the Sharks] because it didn’t do anything. I thought, ‘This is rubbish,’ so they put more in.
‘It was nice tonight. But as the night went on, it felt good. I couldn’t do anything during the week during training.
“The AC has scars but it has bothered me every week since I did it against the Roosters in round four. I got caught in a tackle and landed awkwardly. I was able to get him screwed that night and finished the game.”
Liam Martin (pictured) has revealed he injured his rib cartilage in the weeks before the decider and could barely train
Martin, playing on painkillers, was huge for the Panthers on Sunday to claim his first Clive Churchill Medal
It puts him in the same league as South Sydney Rabbitohs champions Sam Burgess and John Sattler, who both suffered broken jaws to be the best on the park in premiership victories.
Fans may have noticed Martin’s heavily taped right shoulder this season, but as bad as it looks, Martin says he doesn’t need another surgery.
‘For some reason the needle was worn out on Sunday evening [in the AC joint]. No surgery is needed, it just looks bad,” he said.
Martin’s brutal tackling and fearless running were relentless as he joined Luke Lewis, Craig Fitzgibbon and Gorden Tallis as the only other second rower to be named the best player in a grand final in the NRL era.
His one-on-one strip against Jack Howarth in the second half came at a crucial time as the Storm were gaining popularity and his 43 tackles were integral to his forward pack’s dominance.
“Oh wow. It’s so surreal,” Martin said as he accepted his medal.
‘I just want to congratulate the Storm on a fantastic year. I have the utmost respect for you, you are there every year.
The talented backrower says he had to double his painkilling injections to play
Martin is in the same league as South Sydney Rabbitohs champions Sam Burgess (pictured) and John Sattler, who both suffered broken jaws to be best on the park in premiership victories
“To our boys: I love you so much. Just shows the character that we have to dig deep, and I was gone at the time, but let y’all drag me along. I love you, the fans. I just love you guys.
‘Thank you very much. We do it for you, we do it for Penrith. I love you.’
Nathan Cleary said the performance was up there with one of Martin’s best in a Penrith jersey.
“I’ve been playing with Marto since we were 17, so to see him come this far, I’m pretty proud of him,” he said.