But even more damaging could be the looming tribunal hearing of Hawks skipper Dean Basham, who was sent off at Port Macquarie Regional Stadium for a 30th minute high shot on opposite number Daniel Dumas. At the time of print, Basham was readying his case for the Group 3 hearing last night. Even with a bye this week, a suspension for the skipper would be catastrophic for the Hawks just a month before the play-offs.

“The club will go in with Dean just so he can put his case forward. The hearing gives him that chance,” Forster president Paul Tycehurst said.

“The tackle ended up wrong, and he wants to explain that it wasn’t intentional.”

Tycehurst emphasised that Dumas had left the field under his own steam, and was on speaking terms with Basham after the game.

“Dean did apologise. [Dumas] walked off - he wasn’t stretchered. They were chatting afterwards.”

The league’s Barrie Smith said match officials would give evidence, and Basham’s “previous record will be tabled”. That could mean trouble for the Hawks prop, who was sin-binned for dissent in last month’s loss to Wauchope.

At Port Macquarie, the visitors were blown away by a four-try, five-star Tristram Morris performance. Down 22-6 late in the first half, the Hawks clawed back into the game when playmaker Byram Stewart split the defence with a run before Troy Hilder converted.

It was briefly 12-on-12 when antagonistic Breakers centre Russell Gordon booked a stint in the bin for repeated infringements. But the Hawks squandered possession from the penalty, and watched in dismay as 17-year-old Port winger Zac Alyward scorched around the defence to make it 28-12 at the break.

Hawks centre Des Donnelly lifted his team’s flagging hopes with two quick tries that got them within a converted touchdown, but his direct opponent Reece Cooper eased the pressure on the hosts by crossing with 15 minutes left.

The Hawks found themselves down to 11 men when fullback Matt Hill was binned for holding down Cooper, and the Breakers ran it two more tries to seal the deal.

With a bye this weekend to be followed by a potential banana peel against Camden Haven, the Hawks are still a point behind league leaders Wauchope and two ahead of the Breakers. But both opponents have a game in hand on Forster.

After a visit to cellar-dwellers Hallidays Point in a fortnight, the Hawks host Wauchope in the last round of the regular season in what could be the minor premiership decider.

More league: page 43