VETERAN Blaze forward Stephen Hoare says the weekend's NBL double-header against Wollongong will be a mental test that could determine the club's playoff fortunes.

The Blaze face the Hawks twice this weekend -- at Wollongong on Friday and on the Coast on Sunday -- in games crucial to their playoff hopes.

On paper, the clashes against the bottom-of-the-table Hawks look easy for the Blaze.

But Hoare said if the players were not focused, the weekend could be disastrous.

"I think it's more mental (challenge than physical)," Hoare said.

"Had we played Friday, we'd probably come home Saturday and then train Sunday anyway.

"It's probably a bit different with back-to-back games but with one in between, both teams have to travel. It's more of a mental thing, I think."

The fifth-placed Blaze are locked in a battle with Townsville (third) and Cairns (fourth) for two playoff positions, with the Coast's games against the Crocs and Taipans in north Queensland early next month likely to determine the outcome.

But dual championship-winner Hoare said the Blaze could not afford to look too far ahead.

"If we lose the games this weekend, then those things become irrelevant because we can't catch them anyway," Hoare said.

"We've still got eight games to go and quite a few tough trips.

"We definitely have to win our home games and we might have to pinch a few on the road.

"Hopefully we get one this Friday."

The Blaze have beaten the Hawks by a combined margin of 66 points in their two games this season.

"We're confident but we smacked them the last time, which probably means they're pretty determined not to let that happen again, so there's probably going to be a bit of extra fire there for them," Hoare said.

The Blaze's five-game winning streak came to a screaming halt on Sunday when they lost to Townsville after a poor defensive start.

"We're obviously pretty disappointed about the game on Sunday," Hoare said.

"We've been setting the tone with the way we've played early in the game.

"We're determined to come out and get off to a good start (on Friday) and go back to what we've been doing."

Confident the loss was an aberration, the Blaze head into the game determined not to let Sunday's listless defensive effort become a trend.

"We have had some letdowns in the past where we have lost two or three in a row," Hoare said.

"I guess this is a test of whether we have reverted to our old ways or whether this is just a blip on the radar."