How United brought Delany back to the NBL

For Finn Delany, the prospect of returning to the NBL for the upcoming season was not really on his radar upon the completion of his recent campaign in the Japanese B-League.

Looking to put himself in a winning situation wherever he signed, it was only when learning of the interest from Melbourne United that the star four-man seriously considered returning to Oceana.

Speaking on The Extra Pass podcast, Delany broke down why he made the decision to lock in a deal in Melbourne.

“Originally I didn’t think a lot about coming back to the NBL at all,” he said.

“I was very happy in Japan and then United came across where I heard there might have been an opportunity (to come here). It seemed very natural, it was definitely a place I kind of looked at as being very professional.

"I love the way they played, I love Dean as a coach, the players that they always had, the identity of the team especially through the lens of a four-man, playing with really high-level wings and defensive guards. 

“I had played seven years prior in the NBL, all for New Zealand, and definitely didn’t have the level of team success that I wanted.

“I’ve got a huge burning fire about being successful here and winning a Championship, so putting those two things together… it was an opportunity I didn’t want to pass up.”

In his first showing with United, Delany shined, tallying 15 points, five rebounds and two assists in our 25-point demolition of the Cairns Taipans at Casey Stadium.

The New Zealander will look to back up his performance on Saturday evening when we face off against the South East Melbourne Phoenix from 6:30pm at State Basketball Centre.

With so much anticipation ahead of the start of next season, the time is now to lock in your seat to see every second of action inside John Cain Arena.

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