Melbourne United label South East Melbourne Phoenix “dirty” claims “disappointing” and “inaccurate”
The South East Melbourne Phoenix owner has lashed out at Melbourne United forward Mason Peatling for his “plain dirty” tactics, now United have cracked back.
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Melbourne United has shut down “inappropriate” and “inaccurate” comments made by the South East Melbourne Phoenix, further fuelling tensions between the local rivals.
Phoenix owner Romie Chaudhari caused a stir when he took to Twitter to publicly criticise United forward Mason Peatling for “dirty” tactics.
Chaudhari responded to claims from Cairns coach Adam Forde that Peatling made unsportsmanlike contact with Taipans star Keanu Pinder on an uncontested dunk in round 12.
The Phoenix boss believes the United forward is a serial offender.
“Peatling @MelbUnited made a similarly dirty play to Creek @SEMelbPhoenix at last year‘s Throwdown,” Chaudhari said, referring to Peatling’s shoulder charge on Mitch Creek after he dunked on United star Matthew Dellavedova during a Throwdown clash last season.
“Stuff like this is totally uncalled for. I know the guy runs around the court like he‘s uncoordinated, but it’s obvious to me what his intentions were and it’s just plain dirty SMH.”
Peatling @MelbUnited made a similarly dirty play to Creek @SEMelbPhoenix at last year's Throwdown. Stuff like this is totally uncalled for. I know the guy runs around the court like he's uncoordinated, but it's obvious to me what his intentions were and it's just plain dirty SMH https://t.co/iViPc8prVc
— Romie Chaudhari (@RRome44) January 1, 2023
United officials believe Chaudhari’s tweet criticising Peatling and United was aimed to distract from the Phoenix’s 25-point loss to Tasmania on Sunday.
“We’re pretty disappointed in another club accusing one of our players,” a United spokesman said.
“It’s a claim we completely refute and it’s inappropriate and incorrect.”
Chaudhari’s criticism comes just days after Forde suggested United’s defensive tactics jeopardised the health of Taipans star Pinder.
Forde said the frustrated MVP candidate was “being treated like a scrub” and took aim at United’s rough treatment, singling out import Rayjon Tucker and workhorse Peatling for incidents during the game.
“The opening possession by Melbourne, they made it clear, right, where Tucker left his man and shoulder barged Keanu off the ball,” Forde said.
“(Later) He has an uncontested dunk, Mason Peatling’s completely overplayed and ends up walking underneath him and the result is a no-call, I get warned for my behaviour on the sideline and now Keanu’s foot’s in the boot.
“Regardless of what the officials call it, the result is Keanu’s picking himself up off the floor, and that’s jeopardising his ankles, that’s jeopardising his health.”
In a statement, United hit back at Forde and said close attention was something every star in the NBL had to deal with.
“Melbourne United rejects comments made about the team in the media by Cairns Taipans coach Adam Forde following United’s victory in the Open Air Game,” the statement read.
“Every team’s best player is subject to extra defensive attention, however for an opposition coach to suggest intent to injure by our players is disrespectful and plain incorrect.
“Melbourne United’s players and coaches pride themselves on playing the right way and have a clear history of doing so.”
Melbourne is determined to ignore the outside noise as they keep pushing for an unlikely finals berth.
United are currently sitting in eighth position, one win behind the sixth placed Tasmania, although they have recorded two more losses.
Melbourne take on the JackJumpers in Tasmania on Saturday from 5.30pm (AEDT).
The Phoenix travel to Sydney on Wednesday to play the Kings before a road trip to Cairns on Sunday for a blockbuster clash against the Taipans.
UNITED HITS BACK AT TAIPANS’ GRIPE OVER ‘QUESTIONABLE’ TACTICS
- Michael Randall
Melbourne United has slammed claims by Cairns’ coach Adam Forde the club’s defensive tactics jeopardised the health of Taipans star Keanu Pinder.
Forde fired a broadside after the 27-year-old, last week, injured his left ankle early in Cairns’ 84-81 loss to United and was ruled out of the Taipans’ New Year’s Eve clash with Adelaide.
But, in a statement, United hit back at Forde and said close attention was something every star in the NBL had to deal with.
“Melbourne United rejects comments made about the team in the media by Cairns Taipans coach Adam Forde following United’s victory in the Open Air Game,” the statement read.
“Every team’s best player is subject to extra defensive attention, however for an opposition coach to suggest intent to injure by our players is disrespectful and plain incorrect.
“Melbourne United’s players and coaches pride themselves on playing the right way and have a clear history of doing so.”
Forde said the frustrated MVP candidate was “being treated like a scrub” and took aim at United’s rough treatment, singling out import Rayjon Tucker and workhorse Mason Peatling for incidents during the game.
“The opening possession by Melbourne, they made it clear, right, where Tucker left his man and shoulder barged Keanu off the ball,” Forde said.
“(Later) He has an uncontested dunk, Mason Peatling’s completely overplayed and ends up walking underneath him and the result is a no-call, I get warned for my behaviour on the sideline and now Keanu’s foot’s in the boot.
“Regardless of what the officials call it, the result is Keanu’s picking himself up off the floor, and that’s jeopardising his ankles, that’s jeopardising his health.”
United coach Dean Vickerman said his charges were acting within the rules and said Pinder’s rapid improvement meant he would need to adjust to clubs putting more time into curbing his influence.
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“Keanu’s a really good player having a great year and the attention he’s going to get has continued to get greater,” Vickerman said of Pinder, who, in NBL23, is producing 18 points and 10 rebounds on 50 per cent shooting.
“Just like any great player coming through our league, they’ve got to go through that. I thought it Jock Landale went through a similar sort of period (when he was at United).
“Keanu kicked our a**e the first couple of times we played them and obviously we put extra attention into him, but we’re certainly doing everything legal and we’d never want to see a player hurt themselves.
“When your strength is your speed and your athleticism, people are going to be clogging up those areas and certainly that was the game plan for us, to try to take away some of his space and I thought we did that in the right way.”
Through 15 games in NBL23, Pinder was drawing over 5.2 fouls per game and shooting almost seven per game.
In the past two, he has received just two whistles in total and shot two free throws. Forde can’t understand why and called on the referees to protect his star, going as far to suggest Pinder could face a crossroads where he had to safeguard his basketball future.
“I’m asking for protection for Keanu out there because they (opposing teams) make no secret about him being targeted … and the reality is he’s so dynamic and so athletic and so gifted that they don’t have anybody necessarily capable of defending him one-on-one,” Forde said.
“If the message is that no one’s going to protect him, he has to think about what he’s going to do for his future.
“His career’s potentially going to take off, financially rewarding for him, but there’s a level of how much does he want to jeopardise that knowing that some of the tactics have been employed by how teams defend him could rule him out for the rest of the year?”
Pinder’s absence leaves a giant hole in the slumping Snakes’ big man stocks as the rolling 36ers aim to further embed themselves in the top six on the back of a fourth-straight win.
***Cairns Taipans, 10-7, fourth v Adelaide 36ers 10-8, sixth
New Year’s Eve, Saturday, December 31, 7.30pm ACDT, 8pm AEDT, Cairns Convention Centre
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Originally published as Melbourne United label South East Melbourne Phoenix “dirty” claims “disappointing” and “inaccurate”
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