They looked to be running on empty against Brisbane on Saturday, but Hawks skipper Tyler Harvey has vowed his team will leave nothing in reserve as it limps toward the finish line on a trying campaign.
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Harvey admitted his side had "no pop" against the Bullets, in the game at three-quarter-time only to fall to their first double-digit defeat in seven outings, just 48 hours after notching a breakthrough last second victory against New Zealand.
It came after a gruelling run of six straight games in the balance heading into the final minute, with the victory over the Breakers on an epic game-winner from Harvey also going down to the final second.
Read more: Hawks blown away by fast-finishing Bullets
The Hawks face a tough trip west to take on the Wildcats in Perth on Friday, their last road trip of the season before finishing their run with a home double against New Zealand and Tasmania.
Having won plaudits and respect across the league for their fight and conduct over the latter part of the season, Harvey said it's important they carry all the way to the final buzzer.
"That's the goal. Every night we're trying to go out there and leave it on the court," Harvey said.
"[Saturday] was just one of those nights, but we look at it as, why not trend in the right direction to end this season.
"All these teams we're playing are fighting for playoff spots as well, so we know it's not going to be an easy challenge, but we're in for it.
"We've been through so much this year, we've been through every kind of up and down you can possibly think of.
"If we can end this stretch strong and keep building up for next year, we want the culture here to just be we don't give in regardless of how our record is.
"We just have to make sure we're in the right mindset, we're fresh and ready to go for this last stretch."
Strong finish or not, history will not look kindly on the final win-loss ledger that will not tell the full story of the injury crisis that claimed four marquee imports.
A limp finish of more results like Saturday's late fade against the Bullets could break down the building blocks laid down by a series of game efforts.
Harvey will enter the final year of his three-year deal next season, while Sam Froling, Dan Grida and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk are also on the books long-term.
It shapes as the nucleus of the rebuild, though Harvey feels the organisation will be stronger for the trials from top to bottom.
"What we've been through the last three to four months has been challenging for everybody, not just the players, the coaches, the staff, everybody," Harvey said.
"Coach has always kept us focused on the present moment and just trying to build something special here.
We have young guys that are getting thrown into the ring of fire. We have Lachie (Dent) playing a lot of minutes, Davo (Will Hickey) and they're playing at a high level.
"They're learning through this process as well and, if we're up, if we're down, we just want to be tough dudes on that court.
"We let that slide [on Saturday] but that's one out of the last eight that we let go. We all have to look ourselves in the mirror, wash this one away and get back to what we were doing to start this little run.
"Yeah, we were losing, but we were giving ourselves chances at the end of the game. [Against Brisbane] we didn't give ourselves a chance, but I know, just the nature of this team and the guys we have, we'll be ready for the next three."
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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.
