Martin said he was immensely proud of the way the team played.
"It looked for a long time we were going to take it. But they got a couple of turnovers and managed to capitalise on them," he said.
"But I couldn't fault our guys. They played bloody well. The forwards outplayed their opponents and we put them under pressure and that forced mistakes from them.
"I do not think we could have done anything differently. It was an outstanding effort from the guys."
Martin said the team showed composure and there were promising signs for the season.
"There are some pretty distraught guys in there. They gave it everything and to not get the result they're after is pretty gutting."
Otago flanker Adam Thomson said the team had talked about playing for the whole 80 minutes so to lose in the last minutes was disappointing.
"The guys felt quite composed out there and we started off well and built the points. They had a few strike weapons out wide and we knew we had to cut them down," Thomson said.
"We couldn't shut up shop with 20 minutes to go and go into our shell."
Thomson had a top match, his first run since injuring his hand more than six weeks ago, and he said the hand felt fine throughout the game.
"The boys are hurting; there is no doubt about that. But we've got to remember this moment and how it felt and move on from here. Wellington coach Jamie Joseph said he was expecting nothing less than a committed effort from Otago and that is what his side got.
"I think it is hard to prepare for a game like this. Until you get out there and start playing in it and get into the battle then it's only then that you find out what it is like," Joseph said.
He said his side made too many errors in the first 60 minutes, but that was due to pressure from Otago.
"That is what the Ranfurly Shield does."
