The Penrith Panthers stamped themselves as arguably the greatest rugby league team of the modern era last Sunday, taking down Melbourne to claim their fourth straight premiership.
The Panthers were firing across the board, with high level play from all of the team's stars, as they gritted out an impressive win over the league's minor premiers.
But none shone brighter than Liam Martin; the second-rower became the first forward since Cronulla's Luke Lewis to win the Clive Churchill Medal, and he has since revealed that he has been dealing with a brutal injury for the majority of the 2024 season.
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Liam Martin reveals hidden injury after historic grand final performance
Martin was excellent in Penrith's victory, a feat made even more impressive given the injuries he was dealing with.
Speaking to SMH, Martin revealed he was dealing with multiple injuries during the Grand Final, one suffered from friendly fire, and another a longstanding issue.
"I did the ribs leading up to the Roosters’ [qualifying final], I did it during a wrestle session believe it or not," Martin said after the game.
"Paul Alamoti popped it. I struggled to train that week, and got it needled up. I doubled up last week [against the Sharks] because it did nothing.
"I thought, ‘This is doing shit’, so they put more in. It was tender tonight. But as the night went on, it felt alright. I couldn’t do anything during the week at training.
"The AC has scarred over, but I’ve had that needled each week since I did it back in round four against the Roosters. I got pinned in a tackle and landed awkwardly. I was able to get it needled that night and finished the game.
"For some reason the needle wore off on Sunday night [in the AC joint]. It doesn’t need surgery, it just looks bad."
Despite this, Martin was able to play a huge part in a fourth-straight Panthers title, including a try right on halftime to give his squad the lead heading into the break.
