To achieve this, they will need to contain two of the competition's most in-form shooters - Mitch Creek and Jon Roberson.

Creek and Roberson have been instrumental in Melbourne Phoenix winning their first two games, with the pair averaging more than 50 points between them.

Roberson in particular has dominated from outside the three-point line, shooting at an eye-catching 76 per cent.

Their form hasn't escaped Hawks captain Todd Blanchfield's attention, who believes his team needs to work hard to keep the pair quiet.

"The Phoenix are obviously rolling right now. They're 2-0 and feeling confident," he said.

"I think Roberson shot nine from 11 three-pointers last week and Creek's playing with a lot of confidence - they need to be covered.

"We've got to come ready to play on Saturday night. It's a massive game for us."

See more: Illawarra Hawks grab first win in nail-biting fashion

While the focus on Creek and Roberson, the Hawks haven't forgotten about their own backyard.

The side recorded a thrilling 89-88 win over Cairns Taipans on Monday night in Wollongong, with AJ Ogilvy icing the game from the foul-line with a free-throw with 1.1 seconds left on the clock.

Blanchfield led Illawarra's scoring with 20 points while Ogilvy finished with 19 points and six rebounds. Aaron Brooks chimed in with 19 points and seven assists.

The Hawks were relieved to get a win on the board, but were again hamstrung by a slow start.

Cairns led 23-18 at quarter time and maintained a 43-38 advantage at half time. The Hawks came flying back in the third, mainly courtesy of a 14-0 run, to set up victory.

"I thought [that run] showed what we can do," Blanchfield said.

"It was an unbelievable feeling and the crowd was unbelievable - it gives you goosebumps to think about. But we've got to maximise those runs.

"We've had a bit of reputation for having slow starts and we mixed things up [versus the Taipans]. I think the way the league is now, you've got to be able spread and have guys who can shoot the floor.

"These slow starts are something that we want to eliminate."

Monday night's win did come at a cost with centre Josh Boone left nursing a broken nose after copping some friendly fire from Tim Coenraad.

Boone hasn't been able to train this week and remains in doubt for the Phoenix clash.

"He's day to day [prospect] at the moment. If he's able to suit up, that's a massive bonus for us," Blanchfield said.

"Josh is a massive part of what we do on the boards, and they're [Phoenix] obviously a big and aggressive rebounding team. But we've got all faith in AJ [Ogilvy] to step up and take his spot.

"I'm excited for Saturday night, I can't wait."

While you're with us the Illawarra Mercury is offering sport readers 20% off an annual digital subscription. Sign up to stay up to date with all the local sports you love for only $3 a week. Terms and conditions apply.