“It's going to be a hell of a series, and it's one we are really looking forward to” Sam Froling

He’s been a Hawk a long time, but the table has never been more perfectly set for Sam Froling. And he knows it. 

Heading into a grand final series that tips off against Melbourne United in Wollongong on Saturday, the Hawks title destiny may well rest in the 25-year-old skipper’s massive hands. 

It’s no small claim given the regular-season leaders (Froling’s not one to throw the term ‘champions’ around loosely) boast two All-NBL First Teamers in their line-up. 

Co-skipper Tyler Harvey and marquee recruit Trey Kell showed why they claimed the honour in two of three semi-final clashes with South East Melbourne. 

Kell put the Hawks on his back in the first half of Wednesday’s series-deciding showdown against the Phoenix to emphatic effect and a whopping 30-point final margin. Harvey did the same in a third-quarter explosion that snatched the series opener away from the Phoenix in Wollongong. 

Froling was comparatively quiet across the three games, but the series between two sides that prioritise up-tempo, transition-heavy offense was not custom made for a seven-foot paint enforcer – even one as athletic as the Hawks co-captain. 

Melbourne United are a different prospect. It’s why, while the likes of Harvey and Kell will have a huge say in what occurs, Froling shapes as the Hawks’ key. 

He’s not one to shout it from the rooftops, but it’s not something he’s shying away from. 

“I am [attuned to it], for sure,” Froling says.  

“We've spoken about it as a team, we've spoken about it with JT, and we know we're going to put an emphasis on getting me the ball. 

“You look at a series like South East Melbourne, that's not my series, it’s more for our guards and that small-ball lineup. Against Melbourne, they're a good running team, but they also like to slow it down and slow teams down. I think that's more my style of game. 

 “At the end of the day, though, if I play 40 minutes or zero minutes, have 40 points or two points, I don't care. As long as we're getting wins, I’m happy.”  

On that score, the data suggests if Froling is the best player in the series, then the Hawks will be wearing rings at the end of it. Why? Because he’s the one leg of the Hawks club MVP tripod that Melbourne United are yet to find an answer to.  

The All-NBL Second Team rep averaged 19 points, seven boards and two assists in the playoffs last season, but in the three games against United, his average jumped to 22 points. In three games against the southern powerhouse this year he’s averaged 16 points and nine rebounds, up on his season clip of 14 and seven. 

The difference was never more apparent than in the second meeting between the eventual grand final opponents in Melbourne in December, with Froling snatching 12 of his 20 points in the third term to turn a one-point halftime deficit into an 11-point three-quarter-time lead.  

It’s one of several head-turning performances he’s produced against Dean Vickerman’s team, and it’s no coincidence. It’s a match-up he relishes.  

“I enjoy playing a team like that that is super smart and has their system because I like to think I've got a bit of a [basketball] brain in my head,” Froling said. 

“I know what they're doing, I know what the reads are, I like my match-up with them, and I have every year. It’s always been a team I feel I can go at and have an advantage over offensively. I think that's just what it comes down to.  

“They're so worried about our guards too, which makes my life easier. I can't just say I'm unbelievable against them. When you’ve got (Shea) Ili and Delly (Matthew Dellavedova) super focused on Tyler and Trey, it ends up opening it up for me a lot more and making it a one-one battle with me [inside], and I back myself in a one-on-one battle against pretty much any big-man in the league.”  

On paper, the front court shapes a hurdle for United against the competition benchmark.  

While Froling’s unquestionably the key, he’s found a more than handy deputy in Lachlan Olbrich. Justin Tatum’s also found joy in rotating the hard edge of Mason Peatling and the stretch capabilities of Todd Blanchfield and Darius Days through the four spot.  

Froling’s experienced enough finals action to know the high stakes games aren’t won on paper, but the ‘body of work’ Tatum’s habitually referred to leaves the skipper confident the Hawks can turn the tables on the side that bundled them out at the semi-final stage last season. 

“I think last year felt like a bit of a free shot,” Froling said. 

“We had an unbelievable year and took a lot of pride in just even getting to the semis and sending it to three games. This year we’ve been the best team all season and we know what we've been able to do. Coming into a finals series, you take a lot of confidence in that.  

“Each year we’ve bowed out in the semis and that's where a few of my nerves came from heading into game three (against the Phoenix), just thinking ‘I don’t want to bow out here again’. I think that game really showed how much we want it.  

“Melbourne knocked us out last year and we know they’re a hell of a team. There's a reason they were number two all year, they’ve got some super talented guys. 

“It's going to be a hell of a series, and it's one we really looking forward to.”