It buried a miserable losing streak and agonising run of close losses, but Illawarra coach Jacob Jackomas says Tyler Harvey's incredible game-winner against New Zealand on Thursday was par for the course when it comes to his skipper.
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After leading by 10 with 2.30 left on the clock, the Hawks looked in the midst of an all-too-familiar capitulation when the Breakers hit the front with eight seconds left.
It looked to have resigned the Hawks to a sixth straight single-digit defeat before Harvey marched up the court and sunk a dagger from just inside the halfway line to seal the club's first road win of the season.
It was a memorable moment, but Jackomas said similar shots to set up overtimes and give the Hawks a sniff when they didn't have one are too readily forgotten.
"He's had [those] nights often," Jackomas said.
"He hit a massive shot tonight, but he's hit some big ones and we've lost in double-overtime games. On that sideline, he helps me in having that belief that we have a chance to win when he is on the floor with us.
"When he's in the game, I know we have a chance, which gives me confidence on the sideline. There's not many players that do that for a coach.
"Some of that stuff comes down to luck at the end of the game and big-time players make a big play. Tyler hit a big shot, they hit big shots too, but we finally got one where we were ahead at the end.
"It was like the many we've lost. We had a player make a big-time play and that's what happened to us in numerous [losses]. It's a game of runs and we were ahead at the end for once, thank God."
"It'd be easy with what's gone on to just roll over, they haven't, and they deserve this. They've enjoyed the way we've been playing but now they get to enjoy a result."
It's not the first game-winner he's hit, and certainly won't be his last, but Harvey said it'll always be a special one in the tumult of a trying, injury-riddled season for his team.
"It was just a mix of a lot of emotions," he said.
"We've been through a lot these last three months and all the emotions just came out in that shot. It was not just that shot, it was everything that led up to that.
"[Losing] really tests you mentally. It's easy to show up at practice and get ready for games when you're winning. You really show the character of who you are as a team, as a man, when things are tough.
"There's been some tough times but nobody in our team has folded. That's just a credit to coach keeping us locked in, play after play, in the present moment.
"We've just been competing all year, all game. We did let it slip a little bit at the end, but we found a way to get it done."
The Hawks first away win came in their penultimate road game of the season, with three of their remaining four games coming at the WEC, starting with Saturday's clash with Brisbane. Harvey remains determined to finish on a high.
"We want to win games, that's what we get paid to do," he said.
"Nobody on this team is letting the season fold just because of the situation we're in. Every night we go out there, the coach has us ready with scouts, and we're going to win the game. It hasn't been easy but that's just who we are on this team
"We'll enjoy [the win], I think we deserve that, and then it's right back to business. It's one game at the end of the day, it was a big game for us, and we're excited to play in front of our home fans for this next one.
"I know they've going to come out and support us."
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Mitch Jennings
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
