Liam Martin joins Nathan Cleary in sad development after Panthers' premiership triumph

Panthers grand final hero Liam Martin has reportedly withdrawn from Australia's Pacific Championships campaign. Martin won the 2024 Clive Churchill Medal following a staggering grand final performance where he crossed the stripe and put on several big hits as Penrith completed an incredible four-peat of NRL premierships with a 14-6 victory over Melbourne in the decider.

But the Penrith back-rower carried a couple of injury niggles into that game and according to SMH’s Michael Chammas, Martin has opted to withdraw from the Australian squad to allow his body to properly recover ahead of the 2025 NRL season. Martin admitted following the grand final win that he couldn't do anything at training on grand final week as a result of injuries to his ribs and shoulder. It is understood that Canberra's Hudson Young will take Martin’s spot in Mal Meninga’s 21-man squad.

Martin's withdrawal comes after his Panthers teammate Nathan Cleary also withdrew from the Australian team, noting he needed to undergo shoulder surgery. While Cleary will head to the UK this week to spend some time with Mary Fowler, he will return to Australia in a few weeks to go under the knife.

With several key injury outs and Mal Meninga axings, the Australian side for the Pacific Championships will look vastly different to the one that was thrashed by New Zealand in the final last year. On Monday Meninga named an overhauled squad with James Tedesco, Daly Cherry-Evans and Jake Trbojevic all missing out, while Cleary, Cameron Munster and Kotoni Staggs are out due to injuries, and Kalyn Ponga was overlooked.

Tedesco was the biggest surprise omission considering his incredible season for the Roosters, in which he finished second in Dally M voting. But Meninga is keen for change, with the likes of Lindsay Smith, Matt Burton and Bradman Best receiving somewhat surprising call-ups, with Meninga naming eight Aussie debutants in his side for the Pacific Championships.

Mitchell Moses appears likely to be the halfback in the absence of Cleary and with Daly Cherry-Evans not selected, while Tom Dearden will likely be the starting No.6. The Australian coach revealed Isaah Yeo will be the new captain after leading the Panthers to a fourth-straight premiership on Sunday night, with Harry Grant named vice-captain.

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Apisai Koroisau to serve ban in Pacific Championships

Hooker Apisai Koroisau could be free to play for Wests Tigers in round one next year after being cleared to absorb his NRL ban in the Pacific Championships. Koroisau was handed a three-match ban for a dangerous tackle in the last round of the NRL season, after being sin-binned in the Tigers' loss to Parramatta.

The suspension looked set to delay his long-awaited reunion with Jarome Luai. But AAP reports Koroisau will be able to serve at least two of those games in the Pacific Championships, given he would have been representing Fiji. If the Bati beat Cook Islands and Papua New Guinea to finish top of their division, Koroisau will be able to apply to have the playoff also counted in his ban. If approved by NRL judiciary chairman Geoff Bellew, Koroisau would then officially be cleared to play in the Tigers' opening game of 2025.