Opinion

What happened to our home fortress?

It wasn’t long ago that WIN Entertainment Centre was a near-impregnable fortress for the Wollongong Hawks.

Take the 2009-10 campaign, when the Hawks won 13 of 14 home games during the regular season and three of three playoff games.

Their only aberration in 17 games at the WEC was a 23-point thrashing from Adelaide early in the season - an irony highlighted by the 36ers’ eighth-place finish.

There were signs of slippage at home last season when the Hawks missed the top four by a single win.

That they blew a big lead in a must-win game against Cairns a week before the end of the season, losing on the buzzer, underlined Wollongong’s increasing vulnerability on their home court.

But last season’s issues might be small potatoes compared to their dismal record at the WEC in 2011-12.

Of their five home games, the Hawks have prevailed once, beating Adelaide by eight in round two.

Perhaps the most disturbing part of the equation is Wollongong’s losing margin in those four games - a whopping 16.25 points.

‘‘When other teams walk into your gym and know you’re playing well, if you do get that 10-point lead, sometimes they’ll fall over,’’ 1th-year guard Mat Campbell observed this week.

‘‘With us right now, when we get a double-digit lead, every team thinks we’ll give them a chance to get back in it.

‘‘I look at some of the years when we’ve been up near the top of the ladder, we were one of those teams that other teams knew wouldn’t let them back in the game, especially on our home court. That’s where we have to get back to.’’

Four of Wollongong’s five home games have fallen on a Sunday. Three of those were losses.

Crowd figures are slightly down on last season and Hawks management has let NBL bosses know the Sunday-heavy schedule - especially the 7.30pm tip-off time to suit a television broadcast which isn’t even live (go figure) - hasn’t gone down well with the fans.

There’s been a noticeable difference in the atmosphere and noise level, which doesn’t help a team which relies on a lively and enthusiastic crowd to be its sixth man.

Sunday night is essentially a school night and that usually means an early night for a lot of the Hawks’ younger fans.

Sunday night is for winding down and getting your mind around the fact the next day starts a new working week.

Friday night basketball was always a hit with Wollongong supporters.

Friday night is the start of the weekend. Friday night is party night. People are more relaxed and often more inclined to find their voice and get behind the home team.

Whatever the case, the Hawks urgently need a win on Sunday night over the Perth Wildcats.

They know they can’t rely on the crowd to carry them to victory, but a party in the stands might help spark a party on the court.

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Posted By: Tim Keeble on 9/12/2011 1:55:00 PM | Comments (8)

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Date: Newest first | Oldest first

Forget about our team struggle on the court – what about our home fortress falling apart. The Entertainment Centre or "Sand Pit" is becoming an embarrassment to Wollongong. The shot clock issues of the past two seasons, the failing scoreboard, a speaker system which has been inadequate since day one. As a Member I contacted the management of the Hawks about this and was informed that the equipment is owned and maintained by the Venue.

Posted by ashamed, 9/12/2011 3:31:41 PM, on Illawarra Mercury

As documented weekly in the Mercury the same Venue is pouring millions of dollars into a stadium next door that ‘may see 6 games next year’ with the St George Dragons while the Hawks next door struggle with dated facilities - 14 games each year. I feel humiliated when you see it on TV with yet another equipment fault being beamed around Australia and New Zealand. Shame on the Entertainment Centre management for letting the venue fall to bits over the past 13 years – shame!

Posted by ashamed, 9/12/2011 3:32:44 PM, on Illawarra Mercury

What is noticeable this year is that the players look like they don't want to be there. Now I'm not sure if that's due to the crowds being down or vice versa, but they have looked very disinterested in all but one game this year.

The Sunday scheduling is a joke and the NBL really needs to take a look at itself in that regard.

Despite the Hawks poor form, the season has been the most interesting for a while, with the closeness of the league.

Keep the faith

Posted by Andrew, 9/12/2011 4:41:41 PM, on Illawarra Mercury

It's not the schedule, it's not the venue, it's the team and coaching staff. The vast majority have passed their use-by dates. If someone decided to be serious about having a competitive team (note to sponsors) there needs to be massive changes for next season (if we still have representation in the national league). We talk about about footballers and cricketers playing one season too long, Messrs Saville and Campbell, both great ambassadors of the Gong and basketball, need to be realistic and walk away. Will sit now and wait for the abuse for saying it...

Posted by Dapto Boy, 11/12/2011 8:15:00 PM, on Illawarra Mercury

The Hawkes only have themselves to blame. Real lack of strategic thinking on part of the teams management. Some of the players are way too old - actually they became too old last season. Some are way too inexperienced. And the international imports have been really poor. Then you have a relatively poor venue coupled with deteriorating crowds. So its no surprise that the Hawkes are performing poorly.

Posted by mrhughes, 12/12/2011 8:40:38 AM, on Illawarra Mercury

Mrhughes: It's Hawks... H A W K S!

Posted by getitright, 12/12/2011 9:42:20 AM, on Illawarra Mercury

Andrew is spot on: The players themselves look disinterested on the court. This is unbeliavable from professional players getting paid to play basketball at national level. We have Rhys Martin top scoring, who at best should be a backup guard, not leading the team. This says a lot about the depth in the team. Poor imports who should be replaced immediately. Hawks have always recuited well with imports until now. Sav is and always will be a legend but needs to step down. His stats speak for themselves. Campbell can still be used off the bench as he can still hit the big shots.

Posted by angrybird, 13/12/2011 5:04:47 PM, on Illawarra Mercury

Don't ask the fans to come and support a team that looks like it's given up already. There is simply no fight left in these guys. I never thought I would say this about my Hawks. The team I've seen come back from 20, 30+ points down and WIn or fight and win in the last seconds of the game. They simply can't be bothered this season. There is no 'Gongness' in the team this year and the fans know it. Sunday games are a joke, but only one reason for poor and quiet crowds. It's hard to cheer when your team is down by 20+ on regular basis and not trying. Gordie has recruited poor this season.

Posted by hawkfan, 13/12/2011 5:13:13 PM, on Illawarra Mercury