Plum costs the Panthers more than $1500 a year for more than three kilometres of strapping tape – enough to go around a rugby league field at least 10 times.

He arrives to games close to two hours before kick-off to allow enough time for his hour-long strapping session.

Plum has had nine surgeries, been concussed almost a dozen times and has lost track of the number of weeks spent in the rehabilitation ward.

But what makes his efforts to back up week-to-week even more remarkable is that he can’t take anti-inflammatory drugs to help with the pain because he was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2003.

‘‘In 2001 I noticed that I had bleeding from the bowel and at the same time I couldn’t sustain my energy,’’ Plum said.

‘‘When I was living in Wagga in ’01 it took me a year to get a colonoscopy but by then it had cleared up. Then in 2003 I got the bleeding again so that’s when I had another colonoscopy and was diagnosed with it. It played a part in struggling to put weight on.

‘‘It wasn’t until I got to Penrith in 2010 when I was finally able to stay above 100 kilos. It took a long time to get here. I just wasn’t processing my food properly and never got any of the nutrients out of the foods I ate. I used to eat a lot of food but most of it would just go straight through me without any benefit.

‘‘I’m on top of it pretty well now. I probably get a flare-up once a year; I get ulcers in the bowel. I just have to eat everything in moderation. Stress is the biggest factor, so I’ve learnt not to care about a lot of things, especially out of my control. That got me in ’06 when I was stressing about whether I would play first grade or not. I ended up losing about 10 kilos in 10 weeks.’’

His teammates describe him as an inspiration, pushing through the pain even though he knows life after football will be a constant and sore reminder of what he has put his body through over the past decade.

‘‘It’s definitely all worth it, especially when you wake up and see the kids, and that takes your mind off the pain,’’ Plum said.

‘‘There are people out there who are tradies all their lives and their knees and ankles are no good either. It doesn’t matter what you do, it’s how you look after your body. The game we play is great and the lifestyle it gives me with my wife and children is really good. To play the best game in the world is all worth it.

‘‘I wouldn’t have a clue how long I’ve got in me. At this stage I’m signed until the end of next year and I’m really not worried about after that just yet. I’ll just see how the body is and how my form is, but at the end of the day it’s up to the club if they keep me because I won’t play anywhere else in the NRL. I will finish my career in Penrith.

‘‘Whether that’s at the end of next year or not, I’ll just have to wait and see.’’

Headgear

Plum wore headgear as a junior but played  without it in 2004. After he was heavily concussed in a NSW Cup game for Windsor in 2010, his wife ordered him to use it. Plum has been concussed at least 10 times and had often had delayed concussion in the early stages of his career, where he went home only to experience blurred vision and vomiting throughout the night.

Chest

Plum wears a chest plate after fracturing his sternoclavicular joint in a tackle from Fuifui Moimoi in round18 last year. Plum missed the next six games and reinjured the joint in a trial against Newtown this year. He had to take painkillers to sleep and was also given cortisone injections for associated neck pain.

Shoulders and biceps

Plum’s left shoulder has been reconstructed twice.  Now he wears a harness that connects to the groin.  He had surgery for supraspinatus tendonitis in 2007 while playing for Newtown. A similar injury occurred during training in the 2012 preseason when Plum dived to avoid a Panthers teammate. He had surgery and missed the first 12 rounds.  He also suffered labral tears of the right shoulder while at Canberra between 2007 and 2009. Now he wears protective padding over his biceps.

Right hand

Plum dislocated and fractured his right middle finger in a tackle playing for Windsor in 2010. He had surgery and missed the next eight weeks. Two weeks after returning to the field, Plum dislocated it again and missed several more weeks. He had joint replacement surgery after the 2010 grand final for Windsor. He wears a brace over his finger and gets it heavily strapped before each game. He also straps his right pinky and ring finger together.

Left hand

Plum has damaged ligaments in his left ring finger and index finger, leaving them with little flexibility. He straps his pinky and ring finger together, as well as his middle finger and index finger.

Right knee

Plum tore the medial ligament against the Bulldogs in round three this year and only 10 per cent of it remains. He was eventually given a week off to recover in round six. The knee will have to  be strapped whenever he plays. He has also had meniscus removed from both knees on three separate occasions.

Left knee

Arthritis was detected in this knee in round 10 this season. It often swells up and causes discomfort, but because Plum has Crohn’s disease, he cannot take anti-inflammatories or muscle relaxants. All he can do is rest, ice, compression and elevation.

Left thigh

Heavy strapping protects his left thigh after  two major corks this season.

Ankles

Plum has repeatedly rolled both ankles since the age of 16. It happens at least twice a season. He had bone spurs removed in 2011 and has been strapping his ankles for training and matches for the past 16 years. Further ankle surgery is planned at the end of this season.

Elbow

At the end of his debut season with the Sydney Roosters, Plum had an arthroscopic repair inside an elbow.