Ankle surgery a couple of years ago aside, Rhys Martin can't remember ever being seriously hit by the injury curse. Stretching right back to his junior days, too.
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That rehabilitation instead of rebounds is now in vogue for arguably the Hawks' most durable player says a lot about the spell cast on the Sandpit of late.
"This injury merry-go-round we're on doesn't seem to stop," Martin said after scans confirmed he ruptured a knee ligament in Friday's loss to Cairns.
"I knew it was bad when I first went down - the extent you don't know until you get a scan. I've never had a problem with my knee before so it wasn't good."
Martin, 26, has had a stellar output in season 2012-13.
The 26-year-old floor general poured in a career-high 28 points against the title-holding Breakers a little over a week ago. But after falling awkwardly during the first quarter against the Taipans, Martin was carried off the
court in severe discomfort.
He will miss Wollongong's return stoush with New Zealand on Thursday as well as the rest of the season, while fellow starting guard Lance Hurdle is out indefinitely.
Martin will have a knee reconstruction next week ahead of what shapes as a minimum six-month lay-off and has vowed to be fit for the 2013-14 pre-season.
"That's where I have to turn my focus to - it's a long term injury. I've just got to rehab it correctly, not come back too soon
and injure something else."
Mired in a mid-season slide, the Hawks will have to move quickly to cover Martin's absence after a season in which he has shot at more than 51 per cent from the field this season with an average of 11.8 points per game.
His assists (3.3) and rebounds (2.8) are also significantly higher than previous career output.
Martin backed starters-in-waiting Adris Deleon and Tyson Demos to fill the void created by his and Hurdle's injuries.