Melbourne eye NBL rivals with star shooter still out
Shayne Hope |
Melbourne United will chase a third straight NBL win without injured sharpshooter Chris Goulding when they host cross-town rivals South East Melbourne.
Goulding sat out with a “low-grade quad injury” as United welcomed seven new faces in round one, when they banked wins over Tasmania and New Zealand.
American guard Milton Doyle and Next Star Dash Daniels were among those who shone in big moments in the talisman’s absence.
Goulding will be sidelined for Thursday night’s clash with the Phoenix at John Cain Arena and is in doubt for the exhibition game against the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans on October 3.
While the 36-year-old hopes to be back for United’s following NBL assignment – away to the Sydney Kings on October 8 – there is business to be taken care of first.
Melbourne lead the all-time Throwdown head-to-head record with 19 wins to South East’s nine.
But United coach Dean Vickerman is wary of a new-look Phoenix outfit that posted a league-high score in their season-opening 114-77 drubbing of the Cairns Taipans.
Seven Phoenix players hit double-figures, including fresh imports John Brown III and Hunter Maldonado.
“They were great against Cairns and put up a high score with their pressure, and they created a lot of turnovers,” Vickerman said.
“We’re really looking forward to this contest and we want that thing packed out.
“We want our crowd to really celebrate the good things that we do in the game.”
South East Melbourne guard Daniel Foster lauded his team’s aggression and intensity on the defensive end in their season-opener, highlighting it as key to getting one over Melbourne.
“It’s something that we want to do every game,” Foster said.
“It was a great way to start the season but we can’t get too far ahead of ourselves because there’s a lot of games left.”
The first Throwdown of the season opens a huge weekend of sport in Melbourne.
The Storm host Cronulla in their NRL preliminary final on Friday night, before the AFL grand final takes centre stage on Saturday.
“It will be a fun weekend,” Vickerman said.
“I’m in a leader group with Craig Fitzgibbon of the Sharks, but my allegiance is towards the Storm. I want to see a contest there.
“And then (AFL) grand final day – Geelong versus Brisbane – I’ve got some friends in both camps but just want to see a really tight contest and a great game.”
AAP
