THE mighty Manchester Storm come to the Arena on Saturday as the Hawks prepare for their toughest weekend of the season.

With a demanding trip to third placed Bracknell Bees the following day, Hawks fans could be forgiven for thinking the play-offs have already begun!

The Bees are the only side who can nick second spot off the Hawks after they surprisingly lost 8-6 to lowly Solihull Barons at the Arena on Wednesday, February 28.

Prior to that defeat, the Hawks go into this weekend's clashes having stopped the rot of losing four consecutive games.

Saturday's 9-6 win at Chelmsford Chieftains was followed by a thrilling 12-12 draw at Paisley Pirates. So that should restore some confidence into a side that once looked unbeatable.

Hawks lost 11-3 at Storm last week and played poorly when they went down 9-3 when the Manchester men were last at the Arena.

So they will be looking to restore some pride against a side already crowned champions.

Likewise, the Hawks have yet to beat the Bees in their own backyard - losing 9-3 in January - though they have twice beaten their play-off rivals at home.

Victory in either game will be a tall order but the Hawks seemed to have found their feet again after a turbulent couple of weeks.

Now they just need to maintain that form as the play-offs loom ever nearer.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.