‘Second home’: Jackies star’s cheeky dig after Melbourne win

The JackJumpers added to their great record on Melbourne United’s court on Monday, prompting a lighthearted dig from a Tassie star. Read how the Jackies won the latest edition of the rivalry.

Milton Doyle of the Jackjumpers acknowledges fans after Monday’s road win over Melbourne United. (Photo by Josh Chadwick/Getty Images)

They’re unbeaten this season in Hobart, but JackJumpers star Milton Doyle couldn’t resist a cheeky quip at Melbourne United after Monday night’s 97-91 road upset.

The victory extended the Jackies’ win streak to six, more than any Tasmanian team in NBL history, moving them to fourth on the table (9-8) after winning just three of their first 11 games.

It was also their eighth win in ten games at United’s John Cain Arena, including last season’s historic finals game five victory which sealed their first championship.

Although they’ve lost twice in Launceston, the Jackies are a perfect 5-5 record at MyState Bank Arena before their second Christmas Day clash against New Zealand.

Asked by media on Tuesday about their strong record there and similar success at John Cain Arena, Doyle said: “Our second home.”

The ever burgeoning rivalry between the teams is evident in the physical contests every time they meet.

United’s fourth straight loss wasn’t helped by the ejection of big man Rob Loe after an incident with Anthony Drmic after they had a running battle all night.

Asked if they enjoy the rivalry with Melbourne, Doyle said: “Always, they’re a team favourite in the league and every time you go play there you’ve got to play with the crowd and the refs, it’s a rivalry for sure.”

Sean Macdonald of the JackJumpers is guarded by Melbourne United’s Matthew Dellavedova. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

In their first game without star centre Will Magnay, out for several weeks with a broken toe, the JackJumpers atoned for losing the boards 51-34, and offensive rebounds 21-9, by shooting 15-35 from beyond the arc.

“It’s the next man up mentality. He (Magnay) is definitely missed. We miss him on the boards and defence, the lobs, he does so much for us so it’s hard to replace him,” Doyle said.

“I think we controlled the game until the end. Clint (Steindl, 12 points, 3-3 three pointers) started out hot for us, and we made some plays at the end,” Doyle said.

“Everything is clicking. The offence is clicking, the defence is always good and we’re making shots, that’s all you can ask for.

“It (making threes) definitely helps and the court opens up. It helps the momentum of everything.”

The JackJumpers are keen to atone for last season’s Christmas Day defeat, when they put together one of the worst games of their season against South-East Melbourne.

“Playing here in Tassie you feel the Christmas spirit from everybody, we’ve got to get a win for them,” Doyle said.

“I know JC (Crawford) has family flying in from the US and my family’s been here all year, and some of the other guys had some family come back with us from Melbourne.

“We haven’t lost a game at home so that’s always good, if we stay at home for a while good things will happen.”

Jackies assistant coach Mark Radford said games against United are always spirited.

“It was a typical Tasmania-Melbourne game. It was a finals-type game really, all of our games against them have been very similar across three years,” he said.

“We’re two teams who have a similar style and are very aggressive towards each other. It seems to bring out the best in both teams.”