We have overtaken United declares Phoenix star

The battlelines have been drawn ahead of Sunday’s Throwdown with South East Melbourne star Dane Pineau declaring the Phoenix is now the number one team in town.

When asked on SEN radio if he thinks South East Melbourne has overtaken Melbourne United, Pineau didn’t mince his words. 

“Definitely. We play this Sunday in the Throwdown, so hopefully we can prove that, but we really think we are the number one team in town this year. I just think that we have got a lot better team this year,” Pineau said.

“We were really close last year, and we took them to game three in the semi-finals. We think we can go one step further and beat them if they're there and we certainly hope to do that during the regular season as well.”

Phoenix and United square off on Sunday at 1pm AEDT at John Cain Arena, with the game to be broadcast live and free on 10 Peach and Kayo Freebies.

It will be the first Throwdown for Melbourne superstar signing Matthew Dellavedova and the 2016 NBA Champion can’t wait to feel the passion of the crosstown rivalry. 

“I've heard from a lot of the boys and the coaches what it's going to be like, and I've heard a lot about the fans at John Cain Arena,” Dellavedova said.

“I'm really looking forward to it. It’s going to be an intense, physical battle. They got us in the preseason game the other day, so we need to get this one on Sunday.”