HOOPLA: Hawks entitled to be filthy after WEC disaster

- mine to...

- haha

- no seriously

- WTF?

That's the text exchange Hoopla shared with our Mercury colleague and cricket writer Josh Bartlett on Sunday afternoon. He was at Illawarra Cricket's T20 final at North Dalton Park.

Your columnist was obviously at the WEC which, as most would be aware, is an indoor venue - or so we thought before an NBL fixture was called off due to a leaky roof.

Hawks coach Matt Flinn said it in the post-match presser, we'd seen it before at countless practice sessions whenever rain falls heavy over Wollongong (though it was not a 'major storm' as claimed by outgoing Venues NSW CEO Paul Doorn on Monday).

Of course the immediate commentary was scathing, Andrew Gaze leading the charge and saying it best - this is a national league on a meteoric rise, having a nationally broadcast game called off because it was raining (outside) is more than unacceptable; it's embarrassing.

One can only imagine Larry Kestelman's reaction with all he's forked over and all he and his team have done to build the league to its current state.

Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery is set to bring an urgent motion to Monday night's Wollongong City Council meeting, while member for Wollongong Paul Scully was scathing in his assessment of state government neglect of the venue.

This is the same government currently in the midst of knocking down rebuilding two monster stadiums in Sydney, while the WEC is left to rot.

The matters aren't directly related, but Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie's cabinet resignation over the sports rorts scandal is a reminder that politics is always at play in such matters.

To suggest the neglect has nothing to do with the fact the WEC sits in a safe seat in Labor heartland is delusional, but that's a broader discussion for another day.

Everyone's angry, but no one is more entitled to outrage than the Illawarra Hawks club. It is in absolutely no way at fault for what occurred on Sunday but they're implicated by association.

There's already a section of folks who look down their noses at the club as it is. In a lot of ways it's a source of defiant pride for the Hawks and its fans, but neither should have to wear this indignity.

One of the constant criticisms among fans is the price of tickets to games. It's the club that wears the flak but the truth is the Hawks take a huge financial hit from the venue to hosts games there.

The odd complaint aside, the fans fork out their cash - even if some feel they're paying overs - to support their club. Even with their side at 5-20, it was a virtual full house on Sunday. For those fans to go home without a result is beyond disappointing, it's flat-out unacceptable.

In terms of precedent, you can look to a game at Cairns Convention Centre in 2016 between the Taipans and Brisbane that was abandoned with just over a minute to go.

It was equally disappointing, but the nature of a power surge that cut power to hundreds of nearby homes is near impossible to predict or guard against. When it comes to what happened at the WEC on Sunday, there had been countless warnings about exactly what occurred.

You don't like their chances, but the Hawks would be entitled to seek a refund for what they outlaid for Sunday's game. Fans are entitled to expect the same. For the record Venues NSW chose not to respond when The Mercury put that query forward on Monday.

All this before you consider the shine taken off the Hawks Indigenous Round game after all it did to bring the NBL round about last season.

Unfortunately the club is caught between a rock and hard place given the lack of other options for hosting games and that is where the wider implications of Sunday's disaster lie.

Uncertainty around the club's ownership and the future of its license have been well-publicised. If there are doubts over whether the club has a suitable venue then the ground gets a little shakier.

Two decades ago former owner John Carson took the club from the Snakepit to Sandpit. It was a move towards professionalism and credibility. It's a sad irony that, 20 years on, the same venue is now eroding it.

BALL DEPARTURE LEAVES SOUR TASTE

I know, I know, we're over it to but a final word on LaMelo Ball.

The whole Next Stars experiment has been discussed at length in these pages in recent weeks, but there's not doubt the future NBA star's return to the US without his club's knowledge leaves a poor taste.

There's few that begrudge him resting that troublesome foot up for grander days ahead, but leaving without a goodbye to fans, teammates and club management is poor way to end things.

News of his departure was just that to his teammates and owner Simon Stratford who found out post-departure on Wednesday.

Hawks fans could well be further miffed by News Corp reports that NBL owner Larry Kestelman gifted Ball his ticket home days beforehand.

It's all good to express that gratitude on behalf of the league, but if that was the case and Ball still left without the Hawks' knowledge it's a fair window into how the whole Next Stars process played out from the Hawks end.

It's also a fair indication of the disconnect between Stratford and NBL HQ and why movement is afoot on the ownership front.

If Ball does take an ownership share in his now former club as has been mooted, then all will be forgiven but there's no doubt things could've been handled better.

FANS TREATED TO HAPPY HOUR

PEOPLE were quick to find silver linings when Sunday's game was ultimately called off.

Some young fans got to have a shoot around with some of their Hawks idols to cheers of the crowd, though Emmett Naar wasn't giving an inch.

Naar and Breakers forward Finn Delaney pointed to the fact NSW could use some rain given the horrendous bushfire season the state has endured.

All ring true, but there was another that caught this column's attention as we scoured social media for reactions to the bizarre set of circumstances.

Turns out the punters at the court-side bar had a win. Ordinarily alcohol service ceases at three-quarter-time. With play stopped with three minutes remaining in the third term, fans were treated to an impromptu happy hour.

What better way to warm the soul on a rainy day. Had the media been aware of the development you can bet some gonzo journalism would have been carried out.