BLACKBURN Hawks complete their marathon 52-game league season this weekend before the real crunch starts in the play-offs in just over a week's time.

Normally, Hawks couldn't have a better form guide than to be entertaining champions Manchester Storm (Saturday face-off 6pm) then visiting third-placed Bracknell Bees 24 hours later.

Games against the two teams sandwiching Hawks in runners-up spot could have given a fair indication of how Hawks might expect to fare in the promotion deciders.

But an injury-ravaged Hawks squad look set to add veteran Scot Jim Pennycook to the list of absentees this weekend.

Pennycook fractured a thumb in Wednesday's defeat at home to Solihull and will join defencemen Malcolm Bell and Lee Cowmeadow on the sidelines.

With Ryan Kummu absent on business, Hawks will be hard pressed to take anything from the weekend and manager Mike Cockayne admitted: "We look a tired old bunch of hockey players at the moment.

"Some of the players have said they have found it a strange experience playing games that don't really count for anything and I'm sure from talking to them that one or two have been saving themselves for the play-offs. "To draw a football comparison, people don't fly in for tackles in a dead game the week before the FA Cup Final and I know there's been an element of that in our recent play.

"But I've no worries about people lifting themselves next week - I think the Blackburn public will see the real Hawks they know, with everyone fit and raring to go."

Long-serving George Powell added: "We didn't play at all well in midweek and we'd like to end the season on a high note.

"We know we've got two tough games to finish with, but we'll be looking to get something positive."

Powell notched a rare goal in Wednesday's reverse and joked: "That's two goals all season and we've lost both times!"

The play-off groups will be drawn immediately after Sunday's games. As the tables currently stand, Hawks would be grouped with Dumfries, Guildford and Newcastle.

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