Melbourne United get physical at practice to prepare for crunch clash against Perth Wildcats
Melbourne United have endured a week of rough and tough practice sessions in a bid to get ready for what will be a physical clash against Perth Wildcats but star Chris Goulding says despite consecutive losses, results aren’t playing on the team’s mind.
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Melbourne United star Chris Goulding says his side needs no extra motivation when fierce rival Perth comes to town.
But, with United coming off a pair of losses to Brisbane last round and the Wildcats suffering defeat on their home floor at the hands of Sydney on Friday, expect both clubs to be breathing fire at Melbourne Arena on Monday night.
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United built, then surrendered double-digit leads in both losses to the Bullets, but Goulding says the club is taking a pragmatic approach to the blemishes and has prepared for the Wildcats with a week of rough and ready practices.
“This week of practice has been really physical (because) you have to expect that with Perth,” Goulding said.
“We didn’t go too overboard with what happened (against Brisbane).
“They played really well and we didn’t. Sometimes that’s what happens in sports, you lose games.
“We’ve assessed where we played well, we’ve assessed where we played bad and we’re trying to correct those things.”
The Wildcats ripped down 21 offensive boards leading to 25 second chance points in the shock 97-98 home loss to the Kings and Goulding says that’s been a key focus for United in training this week.
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“They got 20-plus offensive rebounds, so if we’re not physical and not ready to stand our ground and go get the basketball, they’re going to punish us,” he said.
“It’s been a staple of their franchise for the past 10 or so years, especially when you’ve got some lights-out shooters on the team, (stopping their) offensive rebounds are key.”
United Coach Dean Vickerman expects the top-of-the-table Wildcats to be razor sharp after the loss, but hopes the work his charges have done this week can help them atone for a 101-96 double overtime loss when the two teams met in October.
“Perth are Perth — they’re going to respond, they’re never happy about taking a loss,” Vickerman said.
“They know we played a close one last time and there’s been a lot of close games with us in the league, so we expect a tough contest.”
United fans will turn the stands into a whiteout in a bid to swamp any travelling members of the Red Army.
And Vickerman, whose courtside attire has often caught the eye, says he’ll be a part of it.
“Hopefully a lot of people can come with the white shirt. I’ll definitely be in the white,” he said.
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Originally published as Melbourne United get physical at practice to prepare for crunch clash against Perth Wildcats