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 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.
