Preview: South East Melbourne vs Tasmania - Round 19, NBL24

Saturday, February 10 at 5:30pm AEDT | John Cain Arena

Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo | Sky Sport in NZ - International viewership details
Box scores: Download the free NBL App

South East Melbourne’s injury woes have lessened slightly with the return of wing Matt Kenyon from a hip injury, however young guard Owen Foxwell has shifted onto the injury list following an ankle injury suffered against Melbourne in Round 18.

Foxwell has joined Mitch Creek, Gary Browne, Craig Moller and Alan Williams in being sidelined for the clash against Tasmania.

Liam Santamaria has hypothesized the Phoenix can play “spoiler” for the remainder of NBL24. Despite their mathematical chance at playing Finals basketball, the odds are stacked against them.

Derek Rucker believes the JackJumpers are timing their run into peak form at the perfect time of the season. His comments came after the JackJumpers’ big win over Adelaide in Round 18.

South East Melbourne
83-99 loss to Melbourne
91-103 loss to Perth
104-98 win over Sydney

Tasmania
109-86 win over Adelaide
94-86 win over Cairns
88-94 loss to New Zealand

Gorjok Gak
It’s been tough to find positives for South East Melbourne in the back half of the season. The Phoenix have slipped from Finals contention, they’ve been left bereft by injuries, and they’ve been on the wrong end of the first Throwdown regular season series sweep in NBL history.

One of the most brightly shining lights for South East Melbourne in this tough run has been the continued re-emergence of Gorjok Gak, who is fighting fit after missing swathes of the early season through injury.

Gak has really started to come into his own in the absence of usual starter Alan Williams, and while he’s not a massive scoring influence, he’s been controlling the boards against some seriously stellar opposition.

He pulled down 11 rebounds against Jo Lual-Acuil Jr, Ariel Hukporti and Melbourne in Round 18 – six of which were offensive. And the 10 points he scored handed him just the third double-double of his NBL career.

He also grabbed 11 more boards – five offensive – against Keanu Pinder and the Wildcats in Round 15.

The old adage of ‘whoever controls the rebounds, controls the game’ still rings somewhat true in the modern era of basketball. If the Phoenix are to bite back and keep their ever-slimming Finals hopes alive, Gak will be crucial in helping his side control the glass.

“I think the only thing that’s held Gorjok back is his health this year. He missed a big piece of the first part of the season with a calf, then he was out for three weeks. He’s starting to get back into playing basketball. Guys have to play to feel good about themselves, and to feel comfortable they need reps. That’s what it is. I’ve loved Gorjok for the last 10 years as a player, and when he’s had opportunity I think he’s been pretty good.” – Mike Kelly following the loss to Melbourne.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">So nice had to do it twice!<br><br>Gorjok Gak rises up for his second monster jam of the game ?<br><br>Watch the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL</a> live on ESPN! ? <a href="https://t.co/bMvaUkrGRh">pic.twitter.com/bMvaUkrGRh</a></p>&mdash; ESPN Australia &amp; NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ/status/1747555995205951845?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Milton Doyle
What a player Milton Doyle is when he’s playing in his pomp. Last season’s All-NBL First Team nominee offered a stark reminder of just how good he is in Tasmania’s Round 18 win over Adelaide, and he seems to be re-finding his feet at the perfect time.

NBL analyst Liam Santamaria said it best on NBL Overtime a few weeks ago. When you have to deal with the type of grief Doyle has been presented with following the loss of his father earlier in the season, any performance is a bonus.

The JackJumpers guard seems to have been finding his form once again over recent games. Aside from his 17 points and 10 assists against Adelaide last week, he was on triple-double watch in Tasmania’s clash with Cairns earlier in the round, and scored 19 points three times in a run of four games prior to that in rounds 15 through 17.

A firing Milton Doyle is not only one of the best and most exciting players in the competition, he’s also one of the most terrifying prospects for opposition defences.

Can he put the Phoenix to the sword?

“I think last week was the perfect Tasmania JackJumpers weekend. They limited teams on the offensive end – they really did a good job defensively – and they executed well. Most importantly I think we saw the resurgence of Milton Doyle, he looked like that high-level player that everyone anticipated seeing consistently this season, and if he’s arrived and is starting to play at that level, now they’re a real problem.” – Derek Rucker on NBL Now.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">MILTON DOYLE TO TIE IT UP ?<br><br>Catch the action live on ESPN via Kayo ? <a href="https://t.co/Q28CZj29kb">pic.twitter.com/Q28CZj29kb</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1745755545082982866?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Jack McVeigh vs the world
Jack McVeigh – Most Improved Player? Jack McVeigh – All-NBL nominee? Jack McVeigh – Boomers Olympic smokey? Whatever title might be bestowed on Tasmania’s spiritual leader and star local forward, it’s impossible to deny he has once again taken his game to a new level in NBL24.

It’s entirely probable that McVeigh actually hasn’t garnered enough praise for his season so far. He’s been quietly going about his business and providing a consistently high-level support for some of the flashier players around him, but he’s proving more crucial to Tasmania’s fortunes than ever this season.

How South East Melbourne approach him will be interesting. He’s had some incredible battles with fellow former 36er Mitch Creek in recent years, but Creek’s absence through a heel injury means we won’t get another round of two of the top local power forwards slugging it out.

Matt Kenyon certainly possesses the terrier-like defensive mentality to run with McVeigh, but Rhys Vague’s superior size could worry the Tasmania forward out of his spots in the key. Abdel Nader possesses the highest level of defensive experience on the active Phoenix roster, so he could go to him, and even Reuben Te Rangi has been used as a go-to defensive stopper in the past.

It’s likely Mike Kelly will elect to utilise a number of different defensive matchups on McVeigh, but given his recent form it’s entirely possible that he continues to be quietly dominant in the competition.

There are only two weeks left of the regular season, and it’s time to give Jack McVeigh his flowers.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jack McVeigh was this ? close to making Sauce’s team. <a href="https://twitter.com/alantwilliams?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@alantwilliams</a> listed his All-NBL First Team on NBL Overtime ? <a href="https://t.co/kd5Vx9cttD">https://t.co/kd5Vx9cttD</a> <a href="https://t.co/EkoDMNjvOC">pic.twitter.com/EkoDMNjvOC</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1755378546925502594?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

South East Melbourne has won its last three games against Tasmania, which is the Phoenix’s longest active winning streak against any opponent in the NBL. The JackJumpers’ last win in this matchup came in Round 13 last season, where 25 points and seven assists from Milton Doyle led Tasmania to a 24-point win.

Milton Doyle.

South East Melbourne
Mitch Creek – heel (TBC)
Gary Browne – groin (TBC)
Alan Williams – knee (season)
Craig Moller – knee (season)
Owen Foxwell – ankle (TBC)

Tasmania
Majok Deng – ankle (TBC)