Phoenix vow to 'get tough'

South East Melbourne’s returning stars have the opportunity to set the tone of the new-look group, according to Mitch Creek, who has returned to the side following a five-month stint with Puerto Rican side Mets de Guaynabo.

Creek, Gary Browne and Alan Williams are all back at the the club following last year’s disappointing play-in exit, as have Reuben Te Rangi and Owen Foxwell.

The roster, largely though, will be new.

Matt Kenyon, Ben Ayre and Gorjok Gak have made their way to the Phoenix from opposition clubs, while Rhys Vague and Craig Moller are returning home following stints in Japan and Germany respectively.

“Gary and I played together in Puerto Rico for five months, Sauce and I played together previously in America, and the three of us being here last year with the Phoenix, we understand each other straight away,” Creek said.

“We’ve got three starters there who have played a lot of minutes together, who are great guys … the camaraderie is already there.

“We can have hard conversations from day one and know it’s not personal, where other guys come in and straight away know ‘Mitch, Gary and Sauce are on each other. They’re being accountable, they’re on each other’, so now everyone else has to fall into line and do the same thing.

“I think we’ve been too nice in the past when it comes to training and on-court, so I think the toughness we have and the people we have - we’re going to be nice and we’re going to be mates off the court. On the court with the people we have from last season, I think that’s going to translate into a little more accountability, a little more resilience building, and a little more toughness throughout the group.”

NBL24 represents something of a new era for South East Melbourne. For the first time since their introduction into the competition in 2019, someone other than inaugural head coach Simon Mitchell will be leading the side.

Mike Kelly has come back into the NBL’s head coaching ranks following a stint as an assistant in Perth, and Creek says he’s happy to put the end to NBL23 behind him.

“Last year is last year. If I worried about everything that happened in the past I’d be up all night and have no hair,” he said.

“For me, it’s a new day, it’s a new year, it’s a new season. The league’s different, it’s going to be coached differently for us, other teams are under new management as well.

“New players are coming into this league that have never played here before and are going to have to adjust. The Blitz is going to be the starting point for that.

“The Blitz is where it’s really going to showcase the level of this league and where it’s at, and once Round 1 starts that’s when it counts.”

South East Melbourne will open the upcoming NBL Blitz tournament against the Tasmania JackJumpers.

For more information on the Blitz, click here.

The Phoenix will also play the opening game of the NBL season when they take on rivals Melbourne United on Thursday, September 28.