The Coaching Call That Saved the Wildcats' Season

Six-time NBL Defensive Player of the Year and six-time NBL champion Damian Martin has praised a three-minute period that turned the game around for the Perth Wildcats on Thursday night.

Martin – who played for Perth for over a decade – noted the impact that veterans Jesse Wagstaff and Mitch Norton had on the defensive end early in the fourth quarter, and those stops helped the Wildcats cut the deficit and hit the front against South East Melbourne.

“The first three minutes were crucial for the Wildcats,” Martin said on SEN. “They were getting stops at one end and getting out and running at the other, and when you get a stop it means the opposition can’t set up defensively so you’re usually looking at a weakened defence.

“They managed to exploit that – Bryce Cotton in particular. Someone like 'BC' only needs to see one three-pointer drop and he can really explode, and that’s what happened off the back of that defence.

“John Rillie has made some tough decisions of late and changed the way they’re playing – it seems to be much more offensive-minded with a shortened rotation … but he rolled with the five guys who he thought were getting it done and the bench supported that. It was a great display.”

The Wildcats will now switch their focus to Sunday’s Play-In game against the Cairns Taipans.

The two sides met in Round 18 at RAC Arena, where an undermanned Taipans side dispatched the Wildcats to the tune of 13 points, which at the time, put a serious dent in their Finals hopes.

Martin says while he believes his former side will get the job done, Cairns head coach Adam Forde could prove to be a crucial difference in the clash.

“I was doing the courtside commentary when the Taipans beat the Wildcats about a week ago, and just about every offensive set the Wildcats ran ‘Fordey’ was calling it out, telling his own players who the play was being run for and how to guard it.

“It was a very good display from the coach of the Taipans, but regardless of them being locked in and knowing what Perth is running, if the Wildcats can get locked in and get stops it just means they can play their transition game.

“I don’t think the Taipans can run with them, because I don’t see Perth struggling to get points on the board.”