United looking to take over the ‘Firepit’

No team has been better on the road this season than Melbourne United.

The ladder leaders are undefeated away from their home court, a record they will look to extend come Thursday night when they face the South East Melbourne Phoenix in Throwdown XXIII.

While still taking place at John Cain Arena, United will look to repeat their performance from Round 7 where they entered the ‘Firepit’ and came away with a nine-point victory.

Having played the vast majority of their recent games due to scheduling with the Australian Open, Head Coach Dean Vickerman said he wants to continue rewarding United’s fans, who he expects to turn out in droves come Thursday.

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“We look forward to this stretch at home; our fans have been fantastic and we want to put on a show for them, and then we get on the road,” he said.

“We’re 5-0 on the road so we don’t fear going on the road, we actually embrace it and enjoy playing in other people’s buildings.

“Throwdowns have always got a little bit more (intensity to them). We’ve got to expect that it’s going to be very well attended by the Melbourne United fans. We look forward to walking into their venue and seeing a lot of blue and a lot of our fans really cheering.”

These sentiments were echoed by Shea Ili, who has played in 20 of the previous 22 Throwdowns.

Boasting a 15-5 record in the games he’s played against the Phoenix, Ili said he is excited to hopefully pick up another victory in the rivalry matchup.

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“We share the same city as the Phoenix and it’s always a good game against them,” he explained. 

“It feels like (the fans) are 50/50 every time we play in their stadium, we feel the love from our crowd out there.

“It’s super intense, everyone just wants to win against each other, especially in the Throwdown.”

United will face off against the SEM Phoenix on Thursday evening from 7:30pm. Fans can tune in on ESPN via Kayo.