We continue diving deeper into one of Aussie hoops’ fiercest rivalries — Sydney vs Illawarra — picking things up right after the Kings’ 2005 three-peat sweep of the Hawks and tracking how the “Freeway Series” evolved through the chaos of Firepower, the Kings’ disappearance, the rivalry’s rebirth in 2010, and the Hawks’ huge 2015/16 rebrand and recruiting spree.
Host Dan Boyce breaks down the 2005/06 shootouts between the two teams (and that bizarre Roland Roberts dunk contest injury), the Hawks’ underrated 2006 playoff run, and the Kings’ near-miss 4-peat that ended at the hands of Chris Anstey and Melbourne, before shifting into the biggest off-court implosion in Sydney hoops history — the Firepower Kings era — and how Glen Saville’s move north became a “kick in the guts” moment for Wollongong fans (including a young Xavier Cooks).
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Featuring first-hand accounts from Glen Saville, Brian Goorjian, Tim Conrad and Greg Hubbard, this episode blends rivalry game recaps, locker-room stories, and the behind-the-scenes reality of the NBL’s wildest period — from bounced cheques and broken promises, to the Hawks’ “three-headed monster” era and the viral beer tipping incident as we approach the modern day rivalry between the two clubs.
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Podcast topics include…
- How the rivalry reset in 2005/06 — opening night at the Sydney Entertainment Centre and two more Kings nail-biters (04:25)
- Roland Roberts’ bizarre slam dunk contest injury, the import swap to Sedric Webber, and monster seasons from CJ Bruton and Cortez Groves (05:52)
- The Kings falling short against Chris Anstey’s Tigers in the Grand Final (07:46)
- Glen Saville joins Sydney (10:26)
- The Firepower Kings and Sydney’s 2008 collapse (17:08)
- The rivalry returns in 2010 with the “Resurrection” Kings and Gary Ervin’s MVP season for the Hawks (33:25)
- 2015/16: The Hawks become Illawarra again and the Marcus Thornton beer incident goes viral (52:06)
- 2016/17: Hawks lose Lisch to Sydney and the Kings welcome Andrew Gaze (59:17)
- 2017/18: NBLxNBA games and the Kings begin to rise (1:08:32)
All of this and a whole lot more…