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Illawarra Hawks coach Justin Tatum criticizes the NBL schedule as his team struggles with injuries and a 0-3 start. With key players like Todd Blanchfield and Mason Peatling out, the Hawks are relying on a depleted roster to compete through the opening weeks of the season.
Kings fire in statement Hawks win | 01:10We are now two rounds into the 2026-2027 NBL season, and for the first time, we have a few days break until round three begins.
Despite just 13 games being played, several storylines are already emerging, with some teams left trying to keep their heads above water while others are finding ways to rectify their poor start.
‘GO FIGURE’: HAWKS HEAD COACH’S SUBTLE DIG AT NBL Illawarra Hawks head coach Justin Tatum has taken a subtle dig at the NBL over his team’s early-season schedule, which saw the Hawks open their campaign in New Zealand before travelling to Brisbane and then Sydney. Now, they will finally return to Wollongong for their home opener against the Adelaide 36ers, only to hit the road again to face South East Melbourne.
But before commenting on the schedule, Tatum praised his depleted roster for continuing to battle without an import and two key role players due to injury.
“If you can just see the stats, if you can see where we at and who we have, know, the guys that are available to play right now. Hawks coach, Justin Tatum reacts during the round 2 NBL match between the Sydney Kings and Illawarra Hawks at Afterpay Arena, on September 27, 2026, in Sydney, Australia. “We’re still in every game outside the one today when we was in earlier.
You know our free throws could have been better the last two games, we could have a chance to win,” he said.
“We’re still scoring 95 plus points and we’re still working on having a full roster. you know I know our season is going to change drastically and swiftly once we get everybody on the same page and guys in there for what we feel our roster is full of strength and just keep building the confidence of these guys that we have in our locker room. ” Tatum confirmed Todd Blanchfield has a broken hand, while Mason Peatling was set to undergo scans amid fears he may have suffered a broken foot.
Milton Doyle of the Hawks looks on from the bench during the round 2 NBL match between the Sydney Kings and Illawarra Hawks at Afterpay Arena, on September 27, 2026, in Sydney, Australia. Despite the mounting injuries and an 0-3 start, Tatum remained positive about where his team is heading, although he made his feelings about the Hawks’ early schedule clear.
“There was nothing negative that I said to those guys in their locker room, nothing but positive because we going into this week to prepare for Adelaide and then back on the road to Southeast,” he said. Justin Tatum, Head Coach of the Hawks reacts during the round 2 NBL match between Brisbane Bullets and Illawarra Hawks at Brisbane Entertainment Centre, on September 25, 2026, in Brisbane, Australia. “So it is what it is.
I think what don’t break is gonna make us stronger. And I promise you, in month time, we’ll be having a different conversation. ” The Hawks now sit winless at the bottom of the NBL standings after a disappointing title defence last season saw them finish eighth with a 13-20 record, and fans could be forgiven for getting a familiar feeling early in NBL27. Recruitment, to put it nicely, has been poor.
Hindsight certainly helps that argument, but the arrival of an out-of-shape Darius Days was an immediate red flag. Pair that with Milton Doyle, who has so far struggled to adapt to a guard rotation alongside Will Hickey and Tyler Harvey, and there are some serious questions around how this roster was constructed. Doyle is averaging 11.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists while shooting just 36.4% from the field and 12.5% from deep.
The roster is depleted, yes, but its construction has also forced big man Sam Froling outside his natural position at power forward, moving him to the five and pushing import Kelan Martin to the four. Milton Doyle of the Hawks reacts during the round 2 NBL match between the Sydney Kings and Illawarra Hawks at Afterpay Arena, on September 27, 2026, in Sydney, Australia.
At just 6’5, Martin playing significant minutes at power forward makes the Hawks incredibly small, and that has already shown up on the glass. Illawarra is allowing a league-worst 45.3 rebounds per game through its opening three matches. The season is barely underway, so Hawks fans can take some positivity from the fact the club is at least addressing its issues and looking to bring in a new big man as its third import.
Get that signing right, get some bodies back from injury and the entire construction of this roster could look very different. The Phoenix are coming off one of the worst, if not the worst, performances of the Josh King era after a woeful display against Melbourne United, connecting on just 4-41 from deep and scoring only 61 points.
Now, King is a great coach and will look to fix these issues quickly, even apologising to fans following the performance, but some early concerns are already beginning to emerge around the club’s imports. Firstly, is Yannis Morin actually suited to this roster? And is his role simply to be Jordan Hunter’s backup? The Phoenix, as we’ve already seen, want to play fast.
They currently have a pace of 80.2, fourth in the league, but Morin doesn’t necessarily fit that style. He also offers very little as a three-point threat, which goes against the way King wants this team to play. D'Shawn Schwartz of the Phoenix looks to shoot the ball during the round two NBL match between South East Melbourne Phoenix and Melbourne United at John Cain Arena, on September 24, 2026, in Melbourne, Australia.
Schwartz fouled out on debut before backing it up with a decent performance against Tasmania, but through three games he is just 2-11 from deep. It is far too early to make any definitive Judgement on either player, especially with such a small sample size, but Schwartz was brought in largely for his shooting ability, and eventually those shots need to start falling.
The concern becomes a little more understandable when you look at South East Melbourne’s recent history with imports. Last season, the Phoenix signed and eventually released both Vrenz Bleijenberg and Hunter Maldonado, with Maldonado lasting just 16 games at the club. Vrenz Bleijenbergh of the Phoenix in action during the match between South East Melbourne Phoenix and Ryukyu Golden Kings at Perth HPC on September 12, 2025 in Perth, Australia.
It means their hit-rate on landing imports during the off-season hasn’t exactly been great in recent years, although hindsight certainly helps that argument. Through three games this season, the Phoenix’s three imports have combined to shoot just 27-78 from the field. Again, it is only three games. There is plenty of time for this import trio to settle in, find their roles and turn things around.
After a disappointing 100-79 loss to the South East Melbourne Phoenix in Round 1, the Wildcats responded in a big way this round. With games against the Adelaide 36ers and New Zealand Breakers, Perth walked out of the round with a 2-0 record to improve to 2-1 on the season.
Anthony Dell'Orso of the Wildcats celebrates after making a shot during the round two NBL match between Perth Wildcats and New Zealand Breakers at RAC Arena, on September 26, 2026, in Perth, Australia. It was the first time Trevor Gleeson, a five-time championship-winning coach with the Wildcats, returned to RAC Arena, while former Perth superstar Bryce Cotton played his 300th NBL game.
With the game on the line, Elijah Pepper hit a massive three over Cotton to give the Wildcats a one-point lead. Pepper was also fouled on the play but missed the free throw, with the 36ers having no time-outs remaining as Perth held on for a thrilling 98-97 victory. Pepper led the way for the Wildcats with 25 points, while Anthony Dell’Orso added 20 and Jo Lual-Acuil Jr finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds.
The second game of the round saw Perth defeat the Breakers despite Lual-Acuil going down early in the contest. Pepper once again finished with 25 points, while Windler poured in 26 points to go along with eight rebounds. Elijah Pepper of the Wildcats celebrates with Jesse Wagstaff after winning the round two NBL match between Perth Wildcats and Adelaide 36ers at RAC Arena, on September 24, 2026, in Perth, Australia.
While the Wildcats performed well across the two games, the concerns around their lack of a point guard still remain. Against both the 36ers and Breakers, there were stages where Perth’s offence became stagnant and fell into an iso-centric style of play. It allowed both teams opportunities to close the margin or take control of the game, and it remains an area the Wildcats need to improve.
It was a concern for many around the league following their Round 1 loss to the Phoenix, but this time Perth were good enough in the clutch to secure two wins. Jesse Wagstaff of the Wildcats talks to the team after the win during the round two NBL match between Perth Wildcats and New Zealand Breakers at RAC Arena, on September 26, 2026, in Perth, Australia.
Brandon Knight isn’t in the country yet, but he couldn’t arrive quickly enough, while second-year professional Jaron Rillie is also being missed by this team. Knight could be the player who takes this Wildcats side from a finals contender to a genuine championship contender. But until he arrives and we see what this team looks like with its point guard on the floor, we won’t truly know where the Wildcats sit.
The Brisbane Bullets have continued their strong start to this new era. After their Round 1 win over the New Zealand Breakers, the Bullets backed it up with a 103-95 victory over the Illawarra Hawks to remain undefeated. Lat Mayen and Joshua Duach of the Bullets celebrate during the round 2 NBL match between Brisbane Bullets and Illawarra Hawks at Brisbane Entertainment Centre, on September 25, 2026, in Brisbane, Australia.
The team was once again led by the impressive Arnas Velicka, who finished with 17 points and 11 assists while committing just three turnovers. The Bullets were good enough to weather strong performances from Tyler Harvey and Sam Froling, with young gun Max Mackinnon producing a career night of his own.
The first-year professional exploded for 31 points and 12 rebounds on 68.8 per cent shooting from the field in what was a statement performance from the youngster. Max Mackinnon and Rio Bruton of the Bullets celebrate during the round 2 NBL match between Brisbane Bullets and Illawarra Hawks at Brisbane Entertainment Centre, on September 25, 2026, in Brisbane, Australia.
Brisbane now sits second in the league for points per game, averaging 95.5 through its opening two games. They also lead the league in assists with Velicka at the helm and sit first in rebounds per game in what has been an impressive start to the season.
Arnas Velicka of the Bullets in action during the round 2 NBL match between Brisbane Bullets and Illawarra Hawks at Brisbane Entertainment Centre, on September 25, 2026, in Brisbane, Australia. The Bullets face the Sydney Kings and Tasmania JackJumpers in Round 3, with both games presenting another strong test for a Brisbane team looking to establish where it truly sits in the NBL.
Illawarra Hawks Justin Tatum NBL Injuries Scheduling Todd Blanchfield Mason Peatling
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