How Hawks have created 'buzz'

Illawarra Hawks coach Brian Goorjian says there is a newfound buzz around the group ahead of tonight’s clash with the Brisbane Bullets.

The Hawks have won eight of their past 10 games and have opened a two-game buffer in fourth spot.

After a slow start to the campaign, Goorjian says the players have been re-energised.

“There's a buzz about the group and I think there's a belief that we can do it,” Goorjian said.

“It's one thing to talk about it but it's another thing getting it done.

“We haven't shied away from it…we didn't play very well at the start of the year, we weren't in sync, and the performance wasn't up to standard.

“I knew the group was committed and I know they were going to play hard.”

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Goorjian knew talent was never an issue on the roster, but to turn around a poor start, a mindset shift was required.

The master coach has explained how everyone staying strong and committed to the process during losses has helped the Hawks soar as they chase a second straight finals appearance.

“There's a culture here of how do you handle disappointment?” Goorjian said.

“Am I going to point at the players or are the players going to point at the coaching staff, no, we stay tight through it all and we will continue no matter what happens.

“That's the strength of being good, long term.

“Talk's cheap, but if you go back to when we were losing, I was never finger-pointing, the players weren't, it was a disappointment, but understanding in the group, hey, this is going to take time, you got to tune all that noise out.”

Illawarra plays Brisbane tonight at 7:30pm at the WIN Entertainment Centre.

The game will be broadcast on ESPN via Kayo and Foxtel, and tickets can be purchased via Ticketmaster.