Canberra Gunners look to defy odds in NBL1 East semi-final battle with Illawarra Hawks

The minor premiers have lost both NBL1 East battles against the Illawarra Hawks this season, but they see Saturday's semi-final as a chance to turn a new chapter.

Gunners coach Peter Herak believes his side has what it takes to beat the Hawks this time round.

"They beat us both times during the year, so we know it's going to be a tough game against them," he said.

"They've got a very good, and very experienced squad, so we're looking forward to the challenge.

"But coming into the game, we worked on a few things that we need to do to hopefully change those results."

A number of things are in the Gunners' favour.

The first being Herak named as the conference's coach of the year in just his first full season in the role, after COVID-19 cut last season short.

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The others being all-star squad members Glen Morison and William Mayfield, and the league's defensive player of the year James Toohey, in their ranks.

"The local talent in Canberra is excellent, our whole group is local," Herak said.

"Most of our squad are relatively young, so we're going to rely on the likes of those that made the All-Star squad with Glen Morison and William Mayfield, and also James Toohey but we're not limited just to those players.

"We've been a team the entire year. We've got a lot of young explosive players and they'll be super pumped."

The Gunners are coming off a bye-week as reward for their top of the ladder finish, but have been scrimmaging during the week to keep themselves game ready.

But what do they have to do differently?

Well, it all comes down to defence.

Herak said Toohey was a pest in defence and worked really hard to limit the opposition's chances, which would be key against the Hawks.

"Defensively I think we just need to do a really good job of communicating and making sure we're helping each other out on the floor, and really trying to take away their easy opportunities," he said.

"Good teams are always going to find a way to score but if you can take away the easy opportunities and make it more difficult, that's key."

The Gunners are not the only side from the region looking to secure their grand final ticket in Sydney. The Canberra Nationals Academy are battling it out in the Waratah Women's, and the Canberra Gunners are contesting the Waratah Wheelchair league.

If any of the three sides from the region are victorious on Saturday, they will have a short turnaround and play their grand final the next day.

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