Hawks regaining mojo after COVID isolation

The energy at practice on Saturday was unlike any session I have seen in a long time.

Finally, after more than a week in isolation, the squad was able to assemble and focus on basketball.

You could tell the excitement levels were high. Plenty of guys were starting to suffer from cabin fever without access to a basketball hoop. Zoom workouts can only keep you entertained for so long.

What we needed was to get back out on a court and that's what we had the chance to do on Monday.

Sure there was rust, when you haven't picked up a basketball for more than a week, rust is to be expected.

But the early signs are positive.

All of the guys who caught COVID seem to be back at full health. From what I've seen, no one is suffering any lingering effects and while we may have lost a touch of fitness, it shouldn't take long for that to return.

Our first couple of sessions were relatively light, coach Goorjian easing us back into work. Tuesday was slightly tougher as we build towards Sunday's clash with Melbourne United.

We will really start to ramp things up on Wednesday and Thursday to ensure we are ready to go in front of our home fans.

Having had more than two weeks between games, we're not expecting to be at our absolute best, but we will still be disappointed if we don't produce a solid performance and come away with a win over Melbourne.

Having had three games postponed, we know the road forward will be a challenging one. There will be multiple weeks in which we have to play two, potentially three games in the space of seven days.

That's why Sunday's clash at the WEC is so important. We can't afford to drop any matches if we are to finish in the top four and we don't want a poor performance this weekend to come back to bite us at the business end of the season.

It's hard to describe how excited the guys were to play South-East Melbourne on our home court two days before Christmas.

Coming off a loss to the Bullets and with a chance to visit family and friends just around the corner, we wanted to enter the break in winning fashion.

Unfortunately COVID denied us that opportunity, with the team also missing out on our annual New Year's Eve clash with the Kings.

As our isolation dragged on, the excitement continued to build.

Expect all that energy to be released on Sunday afternoon as we look to stop a title contender in Melbourne United.

It's not going to be an easy clash and we're certainly at a disadvantage, but there will be no excuses this weekend.

Anything less than a win will be considered a disappointment.

Tickets for the Hawks' next three home fixtures at the WIN Entertainment Centre are available via Ticketmaster.