Perth Wildcats captain Damian Martin faces more time on the sidelines after a brutal elbow to his face resulted in a broken jaw.
With the clock winding down and the Townsville Crocodiles up 82-73, last night's game was effectively over. Crocs forward and captain Brian Conklin wasn't done with the Wildcats quite yet though, flailing his arms around to escape a defensive trap on the perimeter, and collecting Martin's face in the process.
The Wildcats were fuming after the incident, claiming the contact was intentional, even suggesting Conklin's teammates were laughing as Martin spat blood and teeth out of his mouth.
Speaking after the game, Wildcats forward made his feelings clear. “That’s bullsh*t to see your leader out there on the floor like that and then guys laughing afterwards as well. That’s crap.”
Wildcats coach Trevor Gleeson also furiously commented on the incident. “That’s one of the dirtiest plays I’ve ever seen, Conklin just dropped his elbow right on his jaw and he (Martin) is going to hospital for a suspected fractured jaw and has lost a couple of teeth,” he said. “It’s a dirty play without a question.”
Approached for comment, Crocs coach Shawn Dennis fired back at his rival coach, insisting "Conklin isn't a dirty player."
“We don’t play dirty. That’s pretty ironic coming from him,” Dennis said. “They’ve got a few guys on their team that throw a lot of elbows. Perhaps he needs to look at his own backyard.”
While the contact wasn't quite as flagrant as the time Josh Childress smacked Jesse Waggstaff, this certainly looks bad for Conklin, who will likely spend some time watching from the stands after the incident.
The Crocs will face the Wildcats again on Friday night in what is sure to be a heated contest.
