Redhage out of Wildcats' finals tilt
Perth Wildcats veteran Shawn Redhage has been ruled out of the entire NBL finals series with stress fractures in his foot, a massive blow to the club’s chances of securing back-to-back championships this season.
The 300-game forward experienced soreness in his right foot during the Cats’ 10-point win over the Townsville Crocodiles on Sunday, with scans revealing a fracture in his navicular bone.
His recovery is expected to take up to six weeks, ruling him out of this week’s semifinals series against the Cairns Taipans, beginning at the Cairns Convention Centre tomorrow, and the grand final series should the Wildcats qualify.
Development player Nic Cody has been flown to Cairns to fill Redhage’s place.
Redhage will travel east today to support the team.
The 34-year-old’s injury is the latest in a long list of setbacks for the Wildcats title defence after frontcourt regulars Matt Knight (toe) and Greg Hire (calf) also spent large parts of the regular season on the sidelines.
Guam-born guard Earnest Ross was ruled out in January after suffering an Achilles tear.
Their luck is in stark contrast to that of the Taipans, who remarkably fielded the same starting five in every game on their way to securing the club’s first minor championship.
The two teams begin their best-of-three semifinal series tomorrow night, with game two at Perth Arena on Sunday and game three, if required, back in Cairns on Tuesday.
