Almost 4000 kilometres separate Jack Martin's home town of Broome from the MCG, where he will play the biggest game of his life on Saturday.
At times across the past two years, he would have felt that far away from being a regular AFL player again, let alone a key cog in a grand final team.
Soft-tissue injuries have plagued the 30-year-old, who started his career at Gold Coast and was also part of Carlton's 2023 preliminary final side.
Despite being a prodigious talent, the forward has played more than 16 games in a season only twice since being drafted in 2013.
He hasn't exceeded 13 games in a season since the pandemic, and he'll reach that number when he lines up on Saturday, having been a staple since entering the fray for Geelong in Round 13.
He's averaged a goal per game and been damaging when the ball hits the ground inside 50 to complement tall timber Jeremy Cameron and Shannon Neale.
“That is still the main challenge for me,” Martin said of his fitness.
“Physically I am feeling good, but obviously having all those soft tissue injuries the last couple of years still plays a bit on your mind. Are you going to get up, are you going to get a niggle or are you feeling okay.
“But I feel like my body is in a good spot at the moment.”
Geelong secured him as a delisted free agent ahead of this season, one of many left-field players who are part of the Cats' grand final side.
"I remember sitting down with the medical team and high-performance team and having a clear plan,” Martin said of Geelong's pitch.
“We knew what that was going to look like and it was going to take some time but I feel like my body's in a good spot in the moment and I'm able to reap the rewards and play week after week and train.”
With only two of Martin's 151 games prior to this year being finals, he is keen for the opportunity to play on the biggest day in the AFL calendar.
“(A premiership) would mean the world,” Martin said.
“Obviously I have had my challenges, everyone has got a story and everyone has got their challenges.
“But the journey from the Suns, going to Carlton and I was speaking to Jack Bowes this morning, we played three years at Gold Coast and came full circle.
“Now we are here this weekend, so it would mean a lot to me and my family and friends.
“We know the challenge that lies ahead, they are the reigning premiers and they are a quality outfit.”
