Melbourne United coach Dean Vickerman foreshadows finals-shaping home clashes against Tasmania, South East Melbourne

Still be two weeks away, Melbourne coach Dean Vickerman has foreshadowed a finals-shaping end to the regular season with South East Melbourne — right after a homecoming against United’s grand final vanquishers.

Still to tick off the last of seven-straight road games with a trip to Brisbane Sunday, Melbourne United coach Dean Vickerman has foreshadowed a high stakes homecoming against the team that beat his squad in last year’s grand final and then a bitter all-Melbourne barn burner to end the regular season.

United heads north to take on the injury-ravaged Bullets equipped with a renewed confidence after continuing their dominance of the Wildcats in Perth with a remarkable 10th win in their past 11 visits to RAC Arena.

But Vickerman knows his side’s first home clashes in 40 days — first against Tasmania and then South East Melbourne — don’t come much tougher, particularly given United has lost four straight on its ordinarily impenetrable John Cain Arena fortress for the first time since 2022.

Melbourne United coach Dean Vickerman is upbeat after his side found its mojo against Perth, but is acutely aware of the challenge ahead. Picture: Getty Images

The wounded JackJumpers might be limping home, but last season’s 3-2 grand final series win over Vickerman’s men will forever be a sore point, the title-clinching game-five celebration on John Cain Arena — one of eight Tassie wins in 10 visits to United’s home.

Then it’s the Phoenix in the last game of the entire regular season, the now traditional Throwdown battle injected with new life on account of South East Melbourne’s surge under new coach Josh King. United currently sits third at 16-10, the Phoenix fifth at 14-11.

“We know that Tassie coming in have always traditionally played well in our building and we’ve got to make sure that we can shut that one down and then we know we’ve got the Phoenix in the last one,” Vickerman said.

Jack White was at his very best against Perth. Picture: Getty Images

“I know that’s going to have implications on what happens in the finals series.

“So two teams at the end of that, they’ve beaten us twice and we’ve

beaten them once and we want to tie both those series up with really strong

performances.”

Boomer Jack White’s best performance in a United jersey, coupled with a return to form from battling NBA championship veteran Ian Clark — 16, including eight in the fourth after four-straight games with five points or less — put United back on track against Perth.

White turned his elite rebounding — 16 — into a career-high 26 points, using his speed and athleticism to grab it off the glass and ram it down the Wildcats throat.

Melbourne United big man Marcus Lee says his side has found its DNA. Picture: Getty Images

The travel has brought the group closer, big man Marcus Lee, fresh off a season-high 28 minutes that led to a full line of 6 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists and a steal.

“We’ve been gone for a long time and it feels like we’ve been travelling forever,” Lee said.

so I think this time was actually good for us,” Lee said.

“But this time was actually good for us, there was a lot of bonding, a lot of card games.

“It’s good being able to get back to our DNA and how we’re supposed to play and seeing the results of it.”

Vickerman acknowledged his team has struggled to find consistency of performance, but it has still found ways to win four of six in that road stretch and can achieve a mini goal if it knocks off Brisbane.

“(We’ve) played some really good basketball, we just haven’t done it for long enough stretches but the goal was always ‘can we win five out of seven of these games on the road?’ and we’ve put ourself in a position to go and do that,” Vickerman said.

Originally published as Melbourne United coach Dean Vickerman foreshadows finals-shaping home clashes against Tasmania, South East Melbourne