" In an embarrassing turn, I'm told only 17 people showed up to the club’s post-game function, after last Saturday’s overtime loss to Melbourne United."

Cool story

Did the 17 include the players and coaching staff.

No, they don't show up for the games so why should they show up for the after-party?

But hawks have the best PG in the world don't they?

CT is partially correct, despite it being a nice little joke.

Ive only been to one post game shindig this season. For some reason, last-year's head honchos decided that only two players would go after each game. Doesn’t really give fans a chance to mingle with the team.

Midweek games don’t really incentivise staying out even longer, especially after the on court performances.

Sad times for our Hawks. We lost the Illawarra Steelers (NRL) and the Wollongong wolves (soccer) and the Hawks won't last too much longer I'd say at this rate. There is a feeling that Larry didn't give it to our multi millionaire local business owner and Lamelo as he wants us to die out. Maybe paul smith will be allowed to buy us as well? He is a local resident.

Yes very strange decision by Larry, didn't understand it then and still don’t.

I'm confused why the owner HAS to be an Illawarra local?

Isn’t having a local team enough to go support said local team?

LK didn’t set Hawks up for failure, the lazy support is what sets it up for failure. You had two years of finals bound Goorj hawks and didn’t support it, what more do you want?

I think it's newsworthy due to the fact 17 people actually bothered to show up.

The owner doesn't, but people can also see through what previous regime did, set it up for themselves then bolted.
Geelong do extremely well as being the local afl team, it attracts players and local sponsors.
Locals no the landscape better than outsiders, it’s there territory, at a guess I’d say 99% of the wildcats fans would want their previous local owner back, they care about their community. Outside business are to make money, when it goes up shit creek they bolt. The Ball and who ever the local bloke was were in it for the long hall, he probably employs a large part of the community.

A bit sick of the whole 'lets blame Larry' narrative. LK handed you guys LaMelo Ball for free. After that, what have the Hawks done? Very little. Clearly things werent all rosey with Goorj or he wouldnt have left. Hawks fans (as few as there are now) have a whole lot of nerve, not turning up to games and then having the gall to blame everyone else for why the team is sinking into the sea. The league wanted to make the Hawks a bit of a rogue team that would represent a few regional areas and Hawk heads had a meltdown. You got your Illawarra name and positioning back and then stopped showing up again. Its been a consistent story for over a decade. No one to blame than the man in the mirror... hee hee

Yeah it's got nothing to do with LK they folded, briefly once or twice before he came on the scene. The Hawks have been a thorn in the NBL's side for over a decade now. Extremely low crowds and a cavalcade of different owners over that time including a Mat Campbell/Saville fronted community ownership group still didn't work. Time to finally pull off the band aid and wrap the club up at the end of the season.

That's bad United sometimes have 4 players for their player lough. That’s bad the Hawks are only bringing in 2 players. Not much giving back to the community. Paul Smith should just buy them out and become the second Sydney team in the nbl. The only issue is you can’t play at the SuperDome like the Kings. It blinds me away why did Sydney government decide to demolish the Sydney Entertainment Centre. At least make the theatre multipurpose like John Cain?

You can't own two NBL teams at the same time so forget about Smith.

I'm not blaming LK,
What he did do though was select the last owners and put all the pressure on the previous owner to let the license go.
While the new owner is still in charge he has cut his spending due that he doesn’t like losing money after funding the wages, hire of stadiums etc.
The bloke who left after two seasons who brought in all his own people re sponsors, supply of merchandise, playing gear etc all made money and bolted.
I’m trying to say that the big money man lost coin while the small money guys made coin, so obviously the big money man wasn’t happy.
I’m hoping the hawks survive, it’s got a massive junior area, they are a foundation club, they have also last season and this season had lots Monday games, midweek games.

LK didn't put pressure on the previous owner to sell. The previous owner didn’t pay his bills for years & the NBL took the license back to recoup what they could with selling the license to today’s ownership. I reckon today’s owners knew when they bought the license that it would move to somewhere else eventually. Don’t see another team in Sydney because the fan base isn’t there for a second team that would follow them, but Canberra would be a real possibility especially if it’s Canberra’s own & doesn’t share with other cities

You can't own two NBL teams at the same time so forget about Smith.

No, he had to sell his share.

That's what was claimed originally, but they came out later and said he didn't have to sell after all.

SEN sold their share of United.

Got a source on that?

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2022/07/15/sports-entertainment-network-divests-remaining-stake-in-melbourne-united/

Let's not forget LK pushed one of his IT connections to buy the team before the last owner. James Spencley. Whom made it insolvent a year later.

Interesting to read that last year’s minority owner made money and bolted. Not surprised though.

Also I don’t get the hate coming from others on here? How does it effect you personally if Hawks have no crowds? Sound like a bunch of Karen’s.
They seem to have a playoff quality team every couple of years who typically have exciting players.

They also find players your team’s buy the year later.

That said they do no marketing or promotion. Covid and or Goorj put a stop to all school visits. So small crowds are expected, especially on weeknights. Weeknights where we’ve had rain every game.

Aside from the pregame light show, the game night presentation hasn’t changed since I’ve been a fan.

I'm sure United sold their licence from SEN. I remember in the player lounge the United CEO told us they would put SEN radio coverage of United games on hold. Gaze said on his afternoon radio show that their will be live coverage for the Throwdown. My guess is they will be sitting at that table in the corner of John Cain, hope it’s next to my section not the other side.

They did:
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2022/07/15/sports-entertainment-network-divests-remaining-stake-in-melbourne-united/

" Also I don't get the hate coming from others on here? How does it effect you personally if Hawks have no crowds? Sound like a bunch of Karen’s."

Is this serious?

How would you feel if the Hawks had Illawarra taken out of their name or if they lost their team entirely?

No crowds, no community support = living on borrowed time and will either cease to exist soon or become a hybrid that’s not solely Illawarra.

And it won’t have been LKs fault, it’ll have been the club and community fault for not supporting it enough.

They did:
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2022/07/15/sports-entertainment-network-divests-remaining-stake-in-melbourne-united/

@KET

Again, how does this affect you?

Yes, it's the club and community fault for the majority, but LK is doing no favours with a series of Monday and Thursday games.

How would I feel?

Pretty gutted. I would probably take an NBL hiatus, then get on the Kings.

Moose,

Some of us have been following the game for a long time and all the bad press the Hawks have brought to the NBL by continually folding then being revived owners coming and going all the time, along with the tiny crowds. It's been a shit show for about a decade now and the NBL have always fought hard to keep them afloat solely because they're a foundation club. They would've been wound up years ago if they weren't.

Kings were a shit show and folded, if I'm correct the guy who was at hawks last two seasons was also at kings when they went out. Thank you to everyone most hated guy,Smith otherwise could’ve been same shit. Brisbane went out, still been struggling. Hawks been able to withstand all thrown at them and survive. If the hawks got the money, they should stay. Adelaide have hardly been a shining light the last few seasons.

I'm clearly talking about a team like the Hawks continually folding and being revived which they have numerous times and not a team just playing poorly on the court, big difference between those two things.

Hawks aren't folding this season, just lost most of last years team and coach and are struggling, not surprising. They are very similar to Cairns, have good and bad periods but always struggling for money.

When LaMelo Ball was in town there were sold out stadiums all across the country... Except in Illawarra. No surprise when they don't have the same drawcards that crowds are poor.

Hawks aren't folding this season

They are very similar to Cairns

" Again, how does this affect you?"

Dumb question to ask on a forum of NBL fanatics. As if you need to ask that question to a bunch of heavily invested NBL fans.

Is there something in the water over there that makes peoples' brain turn to mush?