Throwdown Heats up as Phoenix Stars Return

The South East Melbourne Phoenix will be bolstered by the returns of co-captains Ryan Broekhoff and Kyle Adnam, ahead of Saturday's Throwdown. 

Desperate to bounce back after a disappointing performance against Melbourne United a fortnight ago, the Phoenix welcome back Broekhoff from a hamstring injury and Adnam from Covid. 

"The hamstring just didn’t feel right before the game," Broekhoff said of his late exclusion from the teams' last clash, speaking to the Phoenix website. 

"I obviously had some trouble with it during pre-season and was out for a little while. As far as thinking long-term for the season, it was a smart decision to not play. I had a scan on it and found out what was wrong and having the FIBA break came at a good time."

South East Melbourne coach Simon Mitchell said the returning pair would be key to his side bouncing back, after a performance he labelled "trash" just 10 days ago.

"Kyle has recovered from his bout with Covid. Luckily, he did not suffer too badly and has resumed to full duties. It’s great to have two leaders return to the lineup," Mitchell said.

"Ryan has fully recovered from a mild hamstring strain, however, given his history with soft tissue injuries we will be bringing him back via minutes restriction."

Mitchell confirmed Zhou Qi would miss at least one more week with a calf injury.

The Phoenix take on Melbourne United on Saturday evening at 5.30pm, live on ESPN via Kayo and Foxtel.