Melbourne United enforcer Mason Peatling opens up on his whirlwind career and the fallout from the Throwdown basketbrawl ahead of his 50th NBL game

Mason Peatling might just be the most experienced rookie in NBL history but, success — and a high-profile role in the Throwdown basketbrawl — comes with its pitfalls.

Getting thrown out of the game was disappointing.

Missing the next through suspension was frustrating.

But the biggest thing that “p***ed off” Melbourne United workhorse Mason Peatling after his highly publicised run-in with Mitch Creek was the abuse directed at his wife on social media.

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Mason Peatling says abuse directed at his wife on social media in the wake of the Throwdown basketbrawl angered him. Picture: Getty Images

In one of the spiciest NBL games of the season, Peatling took umbrage at Creek’s intense celebration of a monster dunk over Matthew Dellavedova and poleaxed the South East Melbourne star.

The dunk, bump and subsequent courtside blue garnered more than 10 million views on social media and, while he doesn’t regret standing up for his teammate, Peatling revealed he and wife Laura were subjected to a torrent of abuse in the days after.

“There were a lot of United and NBL fans and people from all across the world reaching out to say ‘good on you, I’m glad you stuck up for your teammate’,” Peatling told News Corp.

“Then there were others who were telling me to go neck myself, I’m the worst player in the league and I’m never going to make the NBA.

“My wife was getting harassed too. It was a massive social media storm for the first week, but it’s died down now.

“It was really weird. When my wife was getting harrassed it really p***ed me off.

“But the club did a great job of supporting us. Many people have shared a very common opinion with me that there wasn’t much to it.

“Because it (the bump) followed such a big play with Delly and Creek, who are both big players in the league, there was always going to be a big reaction to it.”

Mason Peatling started as a development player on a Melbourne United team that won last year's NBL title.

WHEN IS A ROOKIE NOT A ROOKIE?

Peatling, on the eve of his 50th NBL game, might just be the most experienced rookie in league history.

Four years in college and then a season as a development player that culminated in a starting role on a championship team.

The 24-year-old filled the breach for United last season when Jack White went down with an Achilles injury — and they didn’t miss a beat.

He’s the only DP to start every game of an NBL grand final series.

“It’s pretty funny. Officially, I’m considered a rookie this year, but I feel like I’ve had plenty of experience in the league already,” he said.

“Jack had broken his finger about a month before the Achilles injury, so I had a chance to ease my way into it before he came back.

With Jack White’s return, Peatling has been pushed back to the bench, but he says he’ll do whatever it takes to help United win back-to-back titles. Picture: Getty Images

“Once he did the Achilles, I think the club had seen enough of me to tell that I was going to be good enough to help us on our quest to try to win a championship.

“It was definitely a whirlwind and a great year to be a part of.”

With White fully recovered, Peatling says he is happy to sacrifice for the good of the team.

“Every deep team is going to have guys who don’t play as much as they could on other teams,” he said.

“From one sense, I might be seen as hard done by, but, in another sense, it’s enabled me to really focus on my own game and be really effective when I’m on the floor.

“As much as I could be bitter at not playing as much this year as I did last, I think ‘well, how can I help our team win and go back to back?’.

“That’s the most important thing for me and I love being a part of a group that is filled with guys who are like-minded.”

Peatling relishes the defensive dirty work. Picture: Getty Images

WHY THEY CALL HIM HORSE

It’s something that goes unnoticed to fans, but Peatling has one of the biggest tanks in the NBL. He rarely makes mistakes at either end of the floor and is happy to do the dirty work others might shirk.

It’s made him a favourite of coach Dean Vickerman. Captain Chris Goulding says Peatling “shows up in all of our reviews, video, the way he sprints the floor, competes and just does all the little things that you need”.

He laughs at suggestions he’s the coach’s pet, but is aware his ability to find something when others are fatigued has helped him get where he is.

“I’m not the fastest guy, but I take a lot of pride in that gut running you see in footy. I try to bring a little bit of that to basketball,” he said.

“Just continuing to run, even when you’re tired. You’re going to get a stoppage in play at some stage so you may as well just empty your tank while you can.

“Maybe I don’t have the highest-level speed or acceleration that the NBA scouts are looking for, but I like to think my stamina and ability to run when other guys are tired is something that helps the team.”

Richo’s intense running when he moved to the wing inspired Peatling to grow his tank.

The Tigers fan’s endurance is inspired by Richmond legend Matthew Richardson, who moved to the wing later in his career and nearly won a Brownlow Medal.

“I like to think back to when I used to watch big Richo on the wing in his last few years,” he said.

“A bigger guy, running around all these little guys, he wasn’t the quickest dude, especially by that age, but he never stopped.”

His motor is a product of the distance running he did as a youth and intense workouts in college.

“I would always just go for 5-6km runs to keep my legs ticking over and I don’t know if that’s common with basketballers but it has contributed to how my game has developed,” he said.

“In college, we’d do some really draining mentally draining conditioning drills and that’s something that’s really stayed with me.

“Now, whenever I do workouts, exercises and endurance-level conditioning, It’s never as bad as it was in college.”

He’ll hope United’s hardman fitness boss Nik Popovic doesn’t catch wind of that last comment.

Mason Peatling with wife Laura Burdack.

MASE’S NO.1 SUPPORTER

Peatling is highly intelligent, having completed an undergraduate degree and masters in finance at Eastern Washington University, while honing his basketball skills.

But he says he couldn’t have done it without the support of wife Laura, who joined him in the experience, helping him negotiate the unknown.

“We’ve been married for six years this year. We lived over in the states for four years and got a dog and had a great time,” Peatling said.

“To have her there with me, and experience the ups and downs together, it was a huge part of our journey in America and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”

Peatling says the banter with teammates like Chris Goulding makes being a United player enjoyable. Picture: Getty Images

THE 50-POINT CLUB AND PLAYING THE PERCENTAGES

Friendly banter is part of United’s strong culture.

And Peatling has a pretty strong trash talking chip — a 54-point game while in college.

How many United guys are in the 50-point club?

“Well, CG scored 50 in the NBL, so we have a little thing going on where we are both 50-point scorers,” Peatling said.

“I did it against a bunch of midgets and he did it at one of the highest levels you can play. But I’ll take what I can get.”

Goulding loves Peatling but says he’s “a very calculated man” who often draws the ire of teammates when the card deck comes out.

“There could be $1 on the line and he’d treat it as if it’s a really big number,” Goulding said.

“He’ll have great cards and he folds because the probability is he may lose.

“He’ll just blatantly say, ‘hey, there was a 15 per cent chance I was going to lose that’.”

Peatling’s happy to play the villain if it means he walks away a winner.

“I’ll just make sure I only play the unlosable hands, so that way I’ll come out on top,” he said.

“I’m happy to drop $1 every time and then win the $8 back on the unlosable hand and that makes for a boring game.”

It’s been a minute since United last played on its home floor. Picture: Getty Images

HOME, MASE

United returns home for its first game at John Cain Arena in seven weeks on Sunday, hosting Tasmania JackJumpers who have won their past three games.

Berwick-raised Peatling says it’s been a long time coming, although he is annoyed he won’t get to watch No.1 ticketholder and pop queen Tones and I perform at halftime.

“I’m a bit shattered that I won’t be able to see Tones perform at halftime, I’ll be in the locker room, but playing on John Cain Arena was always one of my bucket list things,” he said.

“I’d always wanted to do it as a kid growing up and I don’t take any game for granted that we get to play at home in front of all our fans.”

Originally published as Melbourne United enforcer Mason Peatling opens up on his whirlwind career and the fallout from the Throwdown basketbrawl ahead of his 50th NBL game