Hawks coach Rob Beveridge believes Illawarra’s brutal start to the campaign has helped build confidence within his battle weary squad.
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While the season is only three games old, the Hawks have already had to battle a tough schedule and injuries throughout the opening two rounds.
After a quadruple overtime loss and a difficult cross country road-trip in round one to Perth, they were forced to play without centre AJ Ogilvy (ankle) and skipper Kevin White (back) in Sunday’s 104-93 away victory over Cairns Taipans.
Star guard Todd Blanchfield and import Brian Conklin both also carried knocks through the club’s first win of the season. Beveridge felt it was testament to his squad’s character that they will able to fight through the challenges to take a valuable victory on the road.
"Right now I think from a confidence perspective, the fact we played hurt with a lot of courage, I think that's only going to be positive for us,” he said.
“We have a wonderful medical team back home and we will get the bodies right for next week.
“We have a double header, which is going to be tough, but this is good for us.”
Illawarra next host Brisbane on Saturday before playing Melbourne (Monday).
