By Lord Mayor Councillor Tania Brown
It would be an understatement to say being an Illawarra Hawks fan has been a roller coaster ride over the years, both on and off the court. When you’re a Hawks tragic like me, you ride every climb, drop and sharp turn.
Given that bumpy ride, it’s quite remarkable that our Illawarra Hawks are the only team in the NBL to have contested every season since the inaugural competition in 1979.
While on-court fortunes naturally shift over the years, what’s never changed is the pride this community takes in the club that has put Wollongong on the national sporting stage for more than four decades.
They’ve still got a huge job to do in the post-season, but finishing top of the ladder for the first time in that history speaks to how special this season under Justin Tatum has been! And all their hard work was topped off by completing a 4-0 season sweep over the Kings last Friday night. And what an atmosphere it was as a sell-out crowd celebrated the win and our teams’ achievement.
By sealing the No. 1 seed, the Hawks will begin the playoffs at home and have home-game advantage in the semi-final and grand final series’.
It could mean a further three games at the WIN Entertainment Centre, or it could mean another five. Either way, I can’t wait to see it packed to the rafters by a sea of red and black supporters keen to back their hometown team - and bring a boost to our nighttime economy as fans enjoy a meal on their way to the game and celebrate afterwards!
As a community, we have always rallied around the Hawks in tough times. Now it’s time to paint the town red and get behind the Hawks as they chase a second-ever championship.
I want to see people walking around town in their Hawks jerseys, and flags in the shopfront windows. If you see Coach Tatum or any of the boys around town, let them know you are right behind them.
Coach Tatum always refers to the Hawks fans as his team’s ‘sixth man’ on the floor when the going gets tough, and we need to do everything we can to get him and the players over that championship hump. As they say ‘the job's not done.’
So let’s get behind our boys and paint the town red!
This column from the Lord Mayor's Office was first published on 13 February 2025. Read more here
