But for a mainly new line-up, the first chance for payback at Pettigrew Green Arena in Taradale on Saturday mighthave a hint of redemption for the team, but not revenge.
It is, said general manager and veteran player Jarrod Kenny, “another game, but always good to beat a team from Canterbury”. It is something the Hawks could not achieve in any of the three match-ups last year.
The young Hawks team are amped ahead of the Rams clash. Photo / Paul Taylor
With Australian coach Sam Gruggen settled in and many changes made, few of the squad were around when Kenny popped what should have been the winning shot in a quarter-final against Canterbury in Auckland on July 20.
A defender’s hand came up through the hoop, illegally deflected the ball, the umpire called time, declined to use a review process that was in use for the first time, and the Rams not only won in extra time, but then won the final.
The dream of only a second NBL title for Hawke’s Bay was cruelly over, as was that of Kenny who is now 38. He is still without a title to show for 10 years on the Hawks roster in an NBL career dating back to his debut with North Harbour, in 2004.
Whether he’ll get another shot is in the lap of fate, after 28 of the 40 minutes when the roster was a bit incomplete in the opening-game loss to new side Whai in Tauranga.
With the new, young side having won both games since, he’s not expecting any more anytime soon, with the Hawks now in fifth place behind Otago Nuggets and Franklin Bulls, each unbeaten after three games, Wellington Saints and Taranaki Airs, with the Rams seventh with one win from three games.
Saturday’s 7.30pm game, preceded by a Rapid League match, has Kenny now in the job of looking for a big crowd, and the Hawks looking for a big performance before an away game against Wellington Saints on Thursday.
The Rams will be at full strength, imports included, but Kenny said: “These guys are starting to believe in themselves.”
Gruggen said, “It’s definitely our biggest game to date. It’s a big challenge, but what we’ve talked about, win or lose, we’ve got to represent the club and the community with pride, play hard, and compete. That’s the culture we want, and I think we’ve turned a bit of a corner in that respect.”
Doug Laing, a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke’s Bay Today, has more than 50 years in news and sports journalism.
