Kings vs Hawks: Ep. 5 — Firepower Kings, Saville heads to Sydney and The “Resurrection Squad”

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 (and that bizarre Roland Roberts dunk contest injury), the Hawks’ underrated 2006 campaign, 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).

Featuring first-hand accounts from Glen Saville, Brian Goorjian, Tim Coenraad 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.

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)

 

Visit dunk.com.au for your next set of basketball uniforms.

Head to Aussie Hoopla to check out previous podcasts featuring:

• Australian Basketball Legends: Luc Longley, Andrew Gaze, Shane Heal, Mark Bradtke, David Andersen, Andrew Vlahov, Phil Smyth, CJ Bruton, Chris Anstey, Brett Maher, Glen Saville, Sam MacKinnon, John Rillie, Tony Ronaldson, Damian Martin, Brad Newley
• Current NBL Stars: Bryce Cotton, Chris Goulding, Xavier Cooks, Tyler Harvey, Dejan Vasiljevic, Jordan Hunter, Flynn Cameron, Keli Leaupepe, Jason Cadee, Mitch McCarron, Anthony Drmic, Luke Travers, Sam Froling, Jesse Wagstaff
• Our Finest Coaching Minds: Brian Goorjian, Barry Barnes, Joey Wright, Adrian Hurley, Adam Forde, Aaron Fearne, Rob Beveridge, Ian Stacker, Shawn Dennis, Dean Vickerman, Trevor Gleeson, Lindsey Gaze, Ken Cole, Will Weaver, Bruce Palmer
• NBA Stars Past & Present: Andrew Bogut, Matthew Dellavedova, Stephen Jackson, Jack McVeigh, Randy Livingston, Torrey Craig, Jack White, Acie Earl, Josh Childress, Reggie Smith, Todd Lichti, Ryan Broekhoff, Doug Overton
• The NBL's Greatest Imports: Leroy Loggins, Darryl McDonald, Ricky Grace, Cal Bruton, Derek Rucker, Leon Trimmingham, Scott Fisher, Lanard Copeland, Dwayne McClain, Darnell Mee, Shawn Redhage, Al Green, Steve Woodberry, Doug Overton, Kevin Lisch
• The Men In Control: Larry Kestelman, Mal Speed, Paul Maley, Vince Crivelli, Jeremy Loeliger, Chris Pongrass, Jeff Van Groningen, Bob Turner, Danny Mills

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