Gliddon suits up for Boomers as Martin injury persists
A roster adjustment has been made, with only days to go before the Oceania series begins.
Damian Martin was reportedly suffering from a lower leg injury earlier in the week. Unfortunately, Martin has been officially ruled out today, being diagnosed with a low-grade calf strain, according to journalist Boti Nagy.
“I still can’t walk pain free so they had to make a decision sooner than later." - source
The injury happened during training, according to Martin. "It was a 5-on-0 [situation], I pushed off on my calf and felt a small pop. There wasn't a lot of pain involved, but enough to be able to do some damage to my calf muscle. It's going to take a bit of time to heal, in particular [as] I'm on the wrong side of 30 now."
Despite the circumstances, Martin is still set to be part of the bench mob, cheering and encouraging his teammates from the sideline. The guard wryly raised the humourous possibility of re-injuring his calf, should he get too excited on some of the plays.
Meanwhile, Cameron Gliddon of the Cairns Taipans has been recruited to the cause, readily making up for Martin's absence in the coming battle against the Tall Blacks.
The versatile Cairns skipper averaged 10.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists in his latest season with the team. The 196cm guard is also a deadly sniper, who made 42% of his three-pointers during the NBL playoffs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G10u5Z36Q8
Meanwhile, coach Lemanis see's Gliddon's entry as a positive signal of the progress the team has made in recent years. "Cam's been with me in the Sino challenges before, he's gone through that. And we've also got guys that have gone through the University Games and we're keeping them consistent with what we're running, so that hopefully, the ability to bring someone in and slot in is smooth as possible."
Lemanis also pointed to Gliddon's defensive abilities as one of the reasons for his selection, no surprise given the need to defend Tall Black guard Corey Webster, who is known to be a deadly shooter.
Best wishes on Martin's recovery, and we are looking forward to Gliddon's performance this Saturday.