How ever hard they try, Illawarra just can’t seem to beat the Wildcats.

Call it a hoodoo or a curse, but for more than a decade now the Hawks have left the Western Australian capital empty handed. 

Even including home matches it has now been more than two years since Illawarra have tasted that success against Perth.

There is no question the six-time champions will believe they hold a substantial mental edge over the league’s only remaining foundation club.

Thursday’s 23-point victory in front of another massive crowd in Perth will only build further on that confidence leading into the business end of the year.

Admittedly it did come against a Hawks squad which unquestionably had some excuses.

Playing without someone of the calibre of Kiwi superstar Kirk Penney is always going to upset things, particularly on the offensive end of the floor.

Oscar Forman and Tim Coenraad both tried to help by picking up some of the load, but neither can attract the kind of attention Penney does.

It meant Kevin Lisch was manhandled for the majority of four quarters.

If the two teams meet again in the post-season expect an entirely different match with Penney to be back out on court.

Fingers crossed they do face-off at finals time, because there would be no better place for the drought to be broken. More than a decade of defeats in Perth would be quickly forgotten if the Hawks were able to face the Cats again out west and beat them at crunch time. 

Marquee Men

Star Spanish attacker Luis Garcia’s signing by the Central Coast Mariners in the A-League this week got Game On thinking.

If Wollongong was to enter into the competition at some stage in the next few years, would a marquee man be a good option for the club in their first season?

In recent seasons most A-League clubs have neglected the ‘big name’ marquees in favour of a player which fits more into the team’s structure.

Names like Dwight Yorke, Alessandro Del Piero and Emile Heskey would appear to be a thing of the past. 

For a new club though, the big name could still be beneficial. 

The North Queensland Fury opted for Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler when they entered the league, and while things didn’t quiet go to plan in Townsville, the veteran striker did create a certain buzz.

Western Sydney had Shinji Ono, whose profile mightn’t have been as prominent on arrival, but he quickly became a cult figure for the Wanderers.

It’s certainly something to think about when the time comes.