The first official day of the off-season would usually mean a sleep-in for most professional athletes.

But when there's Mad Monday costumes and parties to organise, sleep can wait.

"I didn't think I'd need to set my alarm for today, but then I realised I had to get up at nine o'clock to get everything sorted for Mad Monday," Wollongong Hawks captain Oscar Forman said.

"Everyone's gone to hire stuff this morning. It happens every year. When it gets down to the last few weeks, you just don't expect the end to come. You keep putting it off, then right at the end you start thinking you should've got things sorted. It's always a mad rush as soon as you finish."

Wollongong's season ended on Sunday night, 30 games and almost six months after it started.

Taking on Perth in the second game of the semi-final series, the Hawks led by three with four minutes left in the first half but lost by 19.

That's certainly no disgrace. The Wildcats won 21 games during the regular season. Wollongong won 13.

"It was disappointing finishing our season that way, but we take solace from the fact we got as far as we did," Forman said.

"We were in a pretty tough spot when we 6-13 and we put in a lot of hard work to get to the play-offs."

Forman said the 2013-14 Hawks were one of the closest teams he had played with.

"This team has been a great bunch of guys," he said.

"Everyone has gotten along very well at all times and there's a fantastic mutual respect among all of us. Even when things weren't going our way, everyone stuck together and we got it back on track. We got through those tough times and that's why this is the time to acknowledge your season and celebrate together.

"I've never been on a team where it's come back exactly the same the following season, whether you want it to or not, so this could be the last time this group will ever be together.

"We've spent so long together working hard, living in each other's pockets for so many months of the year. Now's the time to celebrate the season.

"Yeah, you let the hair down a bit but you don't need to go crazy. It's just good to have this week together just to enjoy each other's company away from basketball."