Game Preview: Hawks vs Taipans | RD4 NBL27

Two hundred games. One club. Co-captain Tyler Harvey runs out at the WIN Entertainment Centre on Sunday afternoon for his 200th game in Hawks colours, becoming just the 11th player to reach the milestone. It comes only weeks after his co-captain running mate Sam Froling brought up the same number, and now the two leaders of this group stand together on one of the most exclusive lists in the club’s history.

Friday night, down 27 midway through the third quarter against Tasmania, the Hawks refused to fold, won the second half 65-55 and dragged the gap back to nine with the Sandpit on its feet. Kelan Martin poured in 23, Davo Hickey added 21 on 9 of 12 shooting, and Daniel Grida and Kyle Adnam lit the fuse off the bench. Coach Justin Tatum wants that fight for the full 40 minutes, and this team is locked in to deliver it.

Two home games in three days means no time to dwell. The Cairns Taipans roll into the Gong on the back of two straight wins, but the Sandpit is ready. Round out the school holidays with a family friendly 5:00pm tip-off, and help send Harvey into the 200 club with a win.

Getting to WIN Entertainment Centre

The Matchup

Season series: first meeting of NBL27

• ‍Hawks: 1-5 (1-1 at home), but scoring 99.7 points a game on 49.5 per cent from the field, second in the league for both.
• Taipans: 3-3 and fifth on the ladder, but just 1-3 on the road this season.
• Cairns score a league-low 88.5 points a game and are outrebounded by 9.8 boards a night.
• Friday night: the Hawks shot 23 of 33 from the field after half time against Tasmania.

Scouting the Taipans

Jack McVeigh: Cairns’ leading scorer at 16.0 points a game. He plays a team-high 31 and a half minutes a night and runs the show too, dishing seven assists in Thursday’s win over Brisbane.

Keanu Pinder: A physical presence averaging 15.2 points and 5.5 rebounds on 50 per cent shooting. He has already dropped 27 twice this season, against the Kings and United.

Jaylon Brown: Fresh off 25 points against the Bullets on Thursday. Brown averages 14.8 points, shoots 87 per cent from the line and isn’t shy from deep with 6.7 three-point attempts a game.

Also on the radar: Malique Lewis (11.2 points on 58.1 per cent, 1.3 blocks), Jonah Bolden (8.0 rebounds, 43.5 per cent from three) and Next Star Luke Paul, the 17-year-old Duke commit. As a team, Cairns lead the league in steals (7.8) and free throw percentage (82.4) and launch 36.2 threes a game, the second most in the NBL.

Keys to Victory

Own the Paint. The Hawks lead the league with 50.3 points in the paint a game. Cairns score the fewest inside (33.7) and pull down the fewest rebounds (36.2). Feed Froling (61.8 per cent from the field) and Makur Maker, crash the glass and make the Taipans pay at the rim.

Defend From the Opening Tip. Tatum didn’t hold back after Friday:

“Defense. We got to play better defense.”

Cairns have the league’s lowest-scoring offence, so a fast start at the defensive end can put them in a hole early. Keep it clean too: the Taipans take the fewest free throws in the league, but they make 82.4 per cent of them.

Value Every Possession. Cairns lead the NBL with 7.8 steals a game. The Hawks turn it over just 10.3 times a game, the second fewest in the league. Take care of the rock and the Taipans lose their best source of easy points.

Unleash the Bench. No bench in the league scores more than ours at 39.2 points a game, and no team runs harder than our 18.7 fast break points. Grida and Adnam lit the comeback on Friday. Sunday is another chance for the second unit to swing it.

Game Details

Who: Illawarra Hawks vs Cairns Taipans
When: Sunday 11 October 2026, 5:00pm AEDT
Where: WIN Entertainment Centre
Watch: Every game is live on ESPN on Disney

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