Calmer Clarke back to lead Hawks

Not that it was ever in doubt but the Ringwood Hawks have confirmed that the man in the middle, Shaun Clarke, will again lead the Hawks from the front sharing co-captaincy with Matt Fennell for the 2021 NBL1 South season.

The 203cm centre is a 300 plus game legend around Ringwood and according to coach Ken Harrington is the type of person that clubs hope come along every 20 years if they are lucky enough.

“He cares about the club, he cares about his teammates, he cares about his coaches and he puts himself last,” Harrington said.

“He has had some changes in his life over the last year and he is working hard and will be ready to get back to his best by round one.”

The biggest change in Clarke’s life was the arrival of baby Hudson who was born on the 17^th December and has kept dad and mum (Carly) pretty busy. Apart from sleepless nights, all indications are that Clarke is sharp, has been working hard and seems to be a much calmer leader in 2021 on and off the court.

“Our job as NBL1 players is to not only play but to help build the club and the sport,” Clarke said.

“We will be out in the community making sure we get as many kids back to either watching or playing the game as we can.”

Clarke joins Ricardo Martin as two big confirmed additions to the Hawks roster this week as they prepare to play some pre-season games to get ready for the season start on April 17^th. The newer and calmer version of Clarke did offer a word of caution about judging the team too early though.

“You know it has been about 20 months since we last played a real game together," Clarke said,

“So we will need a little time to get that game fitness and chemistry but when we do it will be fun.”