Great Nate has Hawks 'feeling sorry for ourselves'

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Sam Froling ($228,200)’s message was blunt after the NBL25 champion Illawarra Hawks lost their eighth NBL27 game in 10 to the Brisbane Bullets, 98-81, in Round 6 on Saturday, October 24, 2026, in Wollongong.

The 26-year-old 2.13m centre said: “I think we’re feeling sorry for ourselves.

“I was a part of it. When you get in that headspace, it’s not good, and it’s contagious. We’ve got to stop. You’re not going to win with that mindset.

“We’ve got to find a way as a group. Everyone’s got to look at themselves in the mirror and stop feeling sorry for themselves.

“If we do that, we’re not going to win another basketball game.”

The Hawks have gone 15-28 (.349) since hoisting the championship trophy in 2025, the top of the NBL world, to rock bottom in 2026 at 2-8 (.200).

“I’ll never lose confidence in these guys in this locker room,” Hawks head coach Justin Tatum said.

“Yes, we can still get some wins, and we’ll get some wins.

“I’m never going to lose that, with the way they come to work hard at practice every day, playing and fighting for each other and trying to figure it out. Never going to lose confidence.”

Will Weaver’s Brisbane Bullets had the home team down 20 at halftime (55-35); the Hawks showed signs of life in the third (27-14) but couldn’t sustain it.

Six Bullets scored in double figures: Nate Hinton ($277,000) (21); Tyrell Harrison ($336,100) (14); Max Mackinnon ($200,000) (14); Raul Neto ($277,000) (11); Archie Woodhill ($58,500) (10); and Lat Mayen ($69,000) (10).

“I thought the energy and focus to start the game was just perfect,” Weaver said.

“We had all 11 guys who really approached it with the right mentality about making plays for others, playing with a level of focus, physicality and connectedness that helped us establish a lead.

“Of course, in the second half, there were some things for us to learn from. But with a lot of adversity for our basketball team, this group of guys played their arses off.

“This is not an easy place to play, and that’s not an easy team to play against.”

Illawarra's next five are on the road – Perth, Cairns, Adelaide, South East Melbourne and Perth.

“At the end of the day, we know we’re not going to play here until sometime in December,” Tatum said.

“We go on a massive road trip. This would have been a really good pickup for us to build that momentum. Unfortunately, we dropped the ball on that one.

“It’s more disappointing for our fans because we wanted to make sure that, the next time they see us, we’d left them on a high with a win.

“I think the road trip is going to really make us or break us. Our record does not who we are as a group, as a team, but unfortunately we’re in this situation now.”

Tatum repeated his belief that a new import would help, but the bigger issue was inside the locker room.

“Somebody can definitely help this group in the areas we feel we need it. But, like I’ve said many times, it’s more internal,” he added.

“You don’t want to bring someone into a situation where it’s not building up. We don’t want anybody coming here feeling like they need to save this group.

“This group is really good, really talented, and we’re working to find a way to put some wins together.”

Watch

NBL27

Illawarra Hawks vs Brisbane Bullets | Round 6 Highlights

Watch the highlights as the Illawarra Hawks take on the Brisbane Bullets in Round 6 of NBL27 on October 24, 2026.

What you need to know

• The Brisbane Bullets beat the Illawarra Hawks 98-81 at WIN Entertainment Centre in Round 6 of NBL27.
• Brisbane won three of the four quarters, 25-16, 30-19 and 29-19, and led 55-35 at half-time. Illawarra won the third 27-14 to get within 69-62 at the last change, then were outscored by 10 in the fourth.
• Nate Hinton ($277,000) top-scored with 21 points, six assists and three steals on 8-from-16, and Todd Blanchfield ($123,800) led Illawarra with 19 off the bench on 6-from-12.
• Illawarra took 41 three-pointers and made 10. Brisbane took 21 and made five, and won the game inside the arc, 32-from-53 on twos to Illawarra's 19-from-32.
• Brisbane out-rebounded Illawarra 53-31, with 15 offensive rebounds, and made 19 of 24 free throws to Illawarra's 13 of 17.

Illawarra Hawks

• Todd Blanchfield ($123,800) top-scored with 19 points off the bench on 6-from-12, including 3-from-8 from three and 4-from-4 at the line.
• Sam Froling ($228,200) added 14 points and six rebounds on 7-from-9.
• Tyler Harvey ($271,700) scored 12, all from three, but went 4-from-14 from deep, with four assists and two steals.
• Milton Doyle ($274,700) had eight points and four assists on 3-from-12, with three turnovers.
• Daniel Grida ($92,300) went 4-from-4 for eight points off the bench.
• Makur Maker ($99,800) had seven points and six rebounds, five of the points from 5-from-8 at the line.
• Johny Narkle ($69,000) added five points, four rebounds, a steal and a block in 18 minutes off the bench.
• Illawarra shot 29-from-73 from the field, 10-from-41 from three and 13-from-17 at the line, with 31 rebounds, 15 assists and 13 turnovers.

Brisbane Bullets

• Nate Hinton ($277,000) top-scored with 21 points, six assists and three steals on 8-from-16, including 5-from-7 at the line.
• Max Mackinnon ($200,000) added 14 points and seven rebounds on 4-from-11, going 5-from-5 at the line.
• Tyrell Harrison ($336,100) had 14 points and eight rebounds, four of them offensive, on 5-from-8.
• Raul Neto ($277,000) scored 11 on 5-from-6, with four assists.
• Archie Woodhill ($58,500) scored 10 off the bench on 4-from-6, making both of his threes, with five rebounds.
• Lat Mayen ($69,000) added 10 points and six rebounds on 4-from-5 off the bench.
• Jaylin Williams ($277,000) had seven points, five rebounds, three steals and two blocks, but turned it over seven times.
• Brisbane shot 37-from-74 from the field, 5-from-21 from three and 19-from-24 at the line, with 53 rebounds, 13 assists and 17 turnovers.