Men against kids: Disappointed Gleeson's analysis of brutal Hawks defeat

Adelaide 36ers Head Coach Trevor Gleeson has described his side’s disappointing showing in Wollongong on Friday night as a game of “men against kids”.

The 114 to 92 loss was built on an energetic opening half by the Illawarra Hawks where they seemed unable to miss, while the Sixers lacked defensive cohesion and found it hard to score.

It was just the second time the Sixers had gone down to the Hawks in their last ten meetings.

“I’m really disappointed,” a forthright Gleeson said after the game.

“I just didn’t like how we didn’t fight hard enough. It looked like a men’s team playing against a kids’ team out there…

“I was proud of the bench that played the last five minutes. They played their hearts out but really disappointed with how we played that first half especially.”

Gleeson knew Illawarra would be firing in their home opener after being held winless in their first three games of the season, yet the Sixers seemed powerless to stop the home side.

Kelan Martin and Milton Doyle hit 10 first quarter points each, the Sixers missed some good open looks and the Hawks seemed more desperate defensively, opening up a 16-point lead after an 11-0 scoring run as the first period went on.

It didn’t get any better in the second quarter. The Hawks were cleaner and quicker, finding it much easier to score as the Sixers went at just 34 per-cent from the field including only 3/21 from three-point range.

The Hawks had five players in double figures by half time while Gleeson’s side didn’t have any. A 30-point deficit left Adelaide plenty to discuss as the sides went to the locker room including why star Bryce Cotton had only had three field goal attempts to the main break.

Nick Rakocevic started pulling down some boards but found himself frustrated and in foul trouble but the Sixers started to fight back in the third.

Yet for all of their effort, they only closed the gap by five points at the final change, with Cotton somehow scrapping to 15 points and seven assists despite still being kept to only four field goal attempts to that point.

The six-time NBL MVP’s night would finish like that with Gleeson opting to sit him, Zylan Cheatham, John Jenkins and Nick Rakocevic in preparation for the short turnaround with the return to Adelaide to host New Zealand on Sunday.

Gleeson said he expected a vast improvement from his side, challenging the group to “step up”.

“We’ve got some guys out and guys have got to step up,” he said, “and I’m not using that ever as an excuse.

“But the guys who are stepping up have got to step up.

"You can’t just say ‘I get a chance to start now’, it’s more than that. It’s the movement without the ball, it’s the effort crashing the glass, it’s picking up defence, it’s putting ball pressure (on) and I thought we did that in the second half but certainly didn’t do it in the first.”

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“When we go out there and play at the level, we’re good but we’ve got to play at that level for 40 minutes,” he added.

“You’re not going to win too many games in this league when you don’t play hard enough.”

Sunday’s game tips off at 4:30pm ACDT at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

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