A broken arm isn't the only thing Kalyn Ponga has overcome in recent weeks as he looks to steer New Zealand to Rugby League World Cup glory.
The Kiwis fullback has for years come under the microscope regarding where his ambitions lie on the international stage.
Born in Western Australia and raised in Mt Isa, Ponga's Maori background has often complicated his allegiances, despite representing Queensland on 13 occasions.
Games for the Maori All Stars and the short-lived Australian nines team have confused things further for Ponga throughout his decade-long career.
This conjecture reached boiling point ahead of the 2024 Pacific Championships when he made himself unavailable for Australian selection.
Changes to the eligibility rules at the beginning of the year eventually forced Ponga's hand, and he has since emerged as New Zealand's most important player.
A mere three weeks after suffering a broken arm, Ponga laid on three tries in the Kiwis' 34-10 semi-final victory over Tonga on Saturday night.
Just 80 minutes now separate Ponga and New Zealand from a World Cup victory, only a month removed from his Newcastle Knights' unlikely run to the NRL grand final.
"I've bided my time in wanting to play for New Zealand and felt like this was the right decision for me," Ponga said.
"I've copped some backlash for that, but at the end of the day it's who I am. It's my culture. I'm extremely proud to be in this position, to be playing for a World Cup.
"As soon as I entered camp, I almost instantly forgot about what's happened in the past. You become so wired to chase what's next. It's such a good reward for not only everyone in this team but for the country as well."
Ponga remained adamant he still had a role to play in the later stages of the tournament despite having a plate and 11 screws inserted in his left arm following New Zealand's tournament-opening loss to Australia.
Spurred by teammate Jahrome Hughes' similar recovery in the 2025 NRL finals for Melbourne Storm, Ponga was a late inclusion for New Zealand against Tonga on his way to man-of-the-match honours.
"I like a challenge and I knew (Jahrome) Hughesy had gone through similar, and that's all I needed to know. Someone else had done it before, so I could too," Ponga said.
"It pretty well all went to plan, even though it only came good late. Even last week it was still pretty sore and I wasn't quite sure, but I knew a couple of days ago I was right to go."
Ponga will be key when New Zealand take on Australia in the final on Sunday night in Brisbane, as the Kiwis look to secure their first World Cup title since the 2008 tournament.
Australian Associated Press
