Campbell farewells club and career

Wollongong captain Mat Campbell will end his basketball career with the Hawks' final game on the Gold Coast on February 14.For the 32-year-old, who has been a proud Hawks man since donning the red singlet in 1996, it is the right way to leave the sport he loves."This is the end of the road for me," Campbell said. "I can't see myself playing anywhere else."Despite hitting the court as a junior in Bendigo, Campbell remains Wollongong to the core. He holds the Hawks' games record and led the club to the championship in 2001 and to the grand final two years later, in which the team were beaten by Sydney.Campbell made the Boomers squad between 2002-2004 but has never won MVP at the Hawks.He said the team had been hoping for the best next season but the players were still shocked when they were told of the club's demise on Monday."The writing was on the wall ... with the criteria that was set, we knew it would be hard for our club to move forward," he said."But it's just very disappointing."The Hawks will rally for their final three games and play with plenty of spirit, according to Campbell."We have a good group of guys who want to work hard and want to play hard," Campbell said."We owe it to the history of the club (to win)."