Basketball New Zealand

Sharks Luke Martin (Photosport)

Southland Sharks supporters will be praying the Townsville Crocodiles knock over Luke Martin’s Wollongong Hawks in their do-or-die Australian NBL playoff match tomorrow.

The newly announced Sharks captain would no doubt love to feature in Southland’s first match in the New Zealand NBL against Hawke’s Bay at Stadium Southland a week later but would be ruled out if Wollongong win their semifinal decider against Townsville. That would see them advance on to a three-game NBL grand final series against the Perth Wildcats and mean he would be unlikely to be back until Southland’s second match of the season, against Harbour Heat on March 14 in Auckland.

Martin’s chances of featuring in the Sharks’ season opener did not appear too flash when Wollongong convincingly accounted for Townsville in game one of their semifinal series. On Wednesday night, however, Townsville came back with a vengeance, routing the Hawks 82-53 in Townsville in game two. Martin contributed eight points in his 27 minutes on court for the Hawks.

If Martin is ruled out for Southland’s first match in the league, the point guard role would likely be filled by Daniel Munday, Ian Cathcart or the side’s yet to be import signing.

Invercargill-born Cathcart will be the Sharks vice-captain this season.