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About the same time as 50,000 Queensland fans save their loudest boos for Liam Martin when his face is beamed on the big screen before kick-off on Wednesday night, the man himself will be following a strict pre-game ritual beneath Suncorp Stadium.
The TV cameras captured Martin sitting in the sheds with his eyes closed and meditating before a game against the Gold Coast Titans a few weeks ago.
Commentators had a laugh at the vision, while even his mates were quick to ridicule him via text message.
How is it one of rugby league’s wildest and most physical players – the man regularly dubbed “grub” by the Queenslanders, and “wild dog” by his own teammates – could appear so at peace just moments before a game?
“I’m surprised it’s taken so long for people to pick up on it,” Martin said.
“If you ever watch us warm-up, I actually run off early, get into the sheds, then start a breathing exercise. I’ll breathe quickly through the nose 10 times, hold my breath for 10 seconds, followed by 20 hard breaths, and a 20-second hold, then 30 hard breaths, followed by a breath hold up to a minute.
“Then I’ll try to visualise what happens in the first two sets of the game, and what it looks like for me. It really helps. It doesn’t relax me. If anything, it actually gets me going. I never valued mindfulness when I was younger, but I’ve invested in it the last few years.
“I won’t hear any of the boos on Wednesday. I’ll be in my own head.”
Martin also enjoys taking his shoes off after any given captain’s run, and sitting in the middle of the field, which he did at Suncorp Stadium on Tuesday.
Who can forget the wonderful image of Martin’s Penrith teammate Dylan Edwards doing his own mindfulness before an Origin captain’s run in Perth last year.
Martin, one of the game’s most fearless back-rowers, is back for game three after a knee injury forced him to miss the opening two matches against the Maroons.
What makes his return extra cool is he has the ready-made chemistry on the right side of the field with Nathan Cleary and the returning Stephen Crichton, and regularly gets under the skin of the Maroons.
He has had a fantastic running battle with Cameron Munster, got in the face of Tino Fa’asuamaleaui in Perth last year, and produced an epic tackle on good mate J’maine Hopgood in 2024.
Hopgood said of the Martin bone-jarring shot after the game: “He definitely got the better of me tonight. I was feeling a lot of pain. He was screaming things in my ear I won’t repeat.
“He’s always been that competitor. He’s a tough bastard. And he prides himself on being just that.”
Martin missed the opening two games of the season because of a calf injury, then injured his MCL against the Bulldogs.
“It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster year,” Martin said.
“I hated watching the last Origin game. I was at home, I made sure I was on my own. I think I went to bed with five minutes to go because I had training [with Penrith] the next day. I wanted to be out there helping the boys. I’m glad I get the chance to play Wednesday.”
Martin is still a “pest”, according to teammates, which includes pinching their phones to send prank messages to coaches. Crichton rated Martin and Brent Naden “the biggest pests I’ve ever come across”. One of the pranks included stealing former prop Matt Eisenhuth’s playing boots, throwing them into a bucket of water, then hiding them in a freezer.
“I still muck around, I enjoy being that pest, I can’t help myself, although I have been a bit calmer in this camp. I need to feel really comfortable around blokes before I try anything on,” he said.
The 29-year-old Martin is happy to say he has started to mellow, especially with the arrival of his first child, son Joey, at the end of last year. The birth prompted Martin to skip the Ashes series for Australia. Wednesday will be Joey’s first Origin game in the stands.
Having a young family has also left Martin starting to give more thought to his future and what happens with his next deal. Martin is one of several players off contract at the Panthers at the end of 2027, and free to talk with rival clubs come November 1 should he remain unsigned.
Cleary will be the first domino to fall. Then maybe Isaah Yeo. Potentially young-gun five-eighth Blaize Talagi. But what about Brian To’o, Moses Leota, Isaiah Papali’i, Mitch Kenny and Paul Alamoti?
“Because I’ve been injured, all I was thinking about was getting back on the park, but I know it’s a reality I have to face,” Martin said.
“Peter Wallace is taking over from Ivan [Cleary] in 2028, and I’d absolutely love to play under him. He’s as tough as nails, and I’m in awe of the stories of how tough he is. He played with a ruptured ACL, and a busted ‘nut’ in an Origin game. He tells the story about the next morning, and how the ripples in the pool at recovery were hurting that region. He’s just a champion bloke and someone you want to play for.
“I’m also getting on, and you have to do what’s best for your family. I’d be open to anything. I haven’t asked too test the market early. After this Origin period, I’ll try to find out what the go is, and go from there.”
Martin has red-lined most of his career, but says, “this is the best my body has felt”, and things like mindfulness and breathing exercises have played an important role.
A win this week would be the ultimate for Martin. He was on the paddock when the Blues clinched the decider north of the border in 2024.
“It’s an incredible feeling, it’s the best feeling in the world when that final siren goes and you’ve won,” Martin said.
He will celebrate long and hard if that is the case at full-time. At least you now know what he gets up to before games.
