Game preview: Hawks @ New Zealand Breakers | RD1 NBL27

The wait is over, Hawkheads. Round 1 is here, and the Illawarra Hawks are flying across the Tasman to open NBL27 against the New Zealand Breakers at Spark Arena on Sunday afternoon.

NBL26 ended one win short of the play-in tournament. That hurt, and every player in this group felt it. So the front office locked the roster in early, and the Hawks went to Bendigo and served notice. Milton Doyle introduced himself with a step back three in the dying seconds to sink Adelaide 100-99 on debut. Two days later the Hawks went toe to toe with Melbourne United before falling 98-103. Now the games count.

Justin Tatum wants the pace back

The fast, fearless offence that powered the NBL25 championship run is built around a dynamic three-guard rotation of Tyler Harvey, Doyle and William "Davo" Hickey. Tatum called Doyle's signing a steal, and 1990 NBL MVP Derek Rucker agrees, telling NBL Now that the Hawks now carry "two big shot makers" in Harvey and Doyle. During the Blitz, Rucker went further and named Harvey and Doyle his top two clutch players in the entire NBL. The Hawks are locked in, fully fit, and ready to carry the Gong into Auckland.

Up front, co-captain Sam Froling is primed for a big one. After missing half of NBL26, he has had a full offseason under his wings, plus several games with the Boomers across the FIBA qualifiers over the last couple of months. Fit, sharp and battle-tested on the international stage, Froling is ready to show he is one of the NBL's premier big men.

Alongside him, Kelan Martin brings a different kind of muscle. The 198cm, 104kg forward has played in the NBA with Minnesota, Boston and Indiana, then spent the past two seasons in the EuroCup with Beşiktaş and UCAM Murcia. He is physical, he creates his own shot, and his mid-range game is elite.

On the wing, Wani Swaka Lo Buluk sets the tone at the other end. The wing forward is the best one-on-one defender in the competition and the anchor of every defensive scheme Tatum builds. He played all 33 games last season while drawing the opposition's toughest assignment night after night, and he can hurt you going the other way too, opening the Hawks' account against Adelaide with a four-point play inside the first minute on his way to 3 of 4 from deep. Whoever the Breakers lean on this Sunday, expect Wani to be waiting.

The Matchup

How the Hawks arrive

• 1-1 at the Blitz, with a 100-99 win over Adelaide and a 98-103 loss to Melbourne United.
• Doyle poured in 42 points across the two games, shooting 12 of 20 from three (60 per cent).
• Kelan Martin scored 20 in both Blitz games.
• Hickey ran the show with 13 assists across the two games, plus 14 points and eight rebounds against United.

How the Breakers arrive

• 3-1 in preseason. They lost 74-95 to the Sydney Kings in Bendigo, then won three straight: 96-86 over Tasmania, 103-100 over S.E. Melbourne Phoenix and 90-86 over Melbourne United.
• They trailed the Phoenix by nine after three quarters, then won the fourth 27-15. This group does not quit.

Scouting the New Zealand Breakers

New look, new roster, new coach. The Breakers have rebranded top to bottom and handed the keys to Gordon Herbert, one of the most decorated coaches in world basketball. Herbert took Germany on an undefeated eight-zero run to 2023 FIBA World Cup gold, then guided them to a top-four finish at the Paris 2024 Olympics. He has added two-time NBL champions Dejan Vasiljevic (from Adelaide) and Kouat Noi (from Sydney) to a group that already had plenty of bite.

Sam Mennenga: The big man is emerging as an NBL superstar and a genuine MVP candidate. He averaged 24.0 points on 61.5 per cent shooting in his two preseason appearances, including 26 points against United with 9 of 11 from the line. Physical, efficient and relentless.

Parker Jackson-Cartwright: Back in Auckland and back running the show. The dynamic guard averaged 7.0 assists a game in his three preseason hit-outs and dropped 23 points and eight assists on Tasmania, going 9 of 11 at the stripe. Keep him in front, or he will carve the defence up.

Charles Bediako: A 211cm Canadian import with a 221cm wingspan, recruited for rim protection. Herbert knows him well from coaching Canada's national team. Bediako averaged 11.5 points and 7.0 rebounds across four preseason games, shooting 68.4 per cent, and posted 13 points and 10 rebounds against Tasmania.

Don't sleep on Vasiljevic either. He torched the Phoenix for 29 points, going 6 of 8 from deep.

Keys to Victory

Run Them Ragged. The Breakers turned the ball over 16 times a game in preseason. Harvey, Doyle and Hickey are built to punish that. Force the mistake, push the break, and get this game played at a Hawks tempo.

Stay Out of Foul Trouble. The Breakers averaged 27.75 free throw attempts a game in preseason, and Mennenga and Jackson-Cartwright both live at the line. The Hawks committed 52 fouls across two Blitz games. Defend with discipline and make them earn every point from the floor.

Win the Paint. United beat the Hawks 55-43 on the boards in Bendigo, and the Breakers now bring Bediako's length and Mennenga's power. Sam Froling, Darius Days, Martin and Mason Peatling have to put bodies on bodies and finish every possession with the rebound.

Trust the Closers. Doyle already has one game-winner in red and black. Harvey is a proven big-moment player. If this one is tight late, the Hawks have the two guys Rucker rates as the most clutch in the league. Get them the ball.

Game Details

• ‍Who: Illawarra Hawks at New Zealand Breakers
• ‍When: Sunday 20 September 2026, 3:00pm AEST
• ‍Where: Spark Arena, Auckland
• TV: ESPN on Disney and Kayo
• Watch Party: Hotel Illawarra

Three on the Road, Then the Sandpit

Auckland is the first stop on a three-game road trip to start the season. The Hawks head to the Brisbane Bullets on Friday 25 September, then to the Sydney Kings on Sunday 27 September.

Then the Hawks come home. The WIN Entertainment Centre opens its doors for the first time this season on Friday 2 October at 7:30pm, when the Adelaide 36ers come to Wollongong. After that thriller in Bendigo, you will want to be in the building.

• Single Game tickets are now available

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STRONGER. LOUDER. TOGETHER.

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