Bigger than basketball: Inside Jack, Milton's mateship

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Championship teammates share a bond like no other and and it's bigger than basketball as Cairns million dollar man Jack McVeigh, who has re-signed with the Taipans for NBL27, revealed with now Melbourne United star Milton Doyle.

"One of the joys of basketball is cooking my friends," McVeigh said of his 2024 Tasmania JackJumpers championship teammate.

"That’s definitely something that gets me going.

"Milton came over yesterday when he landed, held my kid, we grabbed food – and then it’s like 'tomorrow, who’s getting more buckets?'

"We just love competing and seeing who’s nicer. After most games we check in on cool moves.

"He got a couple good ones on me and I’ll definitely hear about that for probably the next six months."

Doyle got the bragging rights as Melbourne United escaped with a 89-85 road win on February 12, 2026 in Round 21 of NBL26.

"It’s fun," Doyle said.

"(Jack's) all about buckets – trying to score in every way. On the other hand, I know he doesn’t want to play defence, so when I get a chance to score on him I text him after the game. It’s always good."

Coincidently both finished with 25 points but McVeigh was less than impressed and was candid about his performance.

"First point – I’m definitely not happy with how I played tonight," McVeigh declared.

"You look at 25 points, but that’s irrelevant based on the process – the looks I get, how they’re guarding me, mistakes on the defensive end.

"I wasn’t a winning basketball player tonight. That’ll piss me off and I’ll lose some sleep.

"But it’s good to see Reyne (Smith) back out there. He’s a true pro. We were running 5-on-0 the other day and he knew every position on the court – point guard, two, three – and he’s been out while we’ve added new offense.

"That’s a credit to him and shows the professional he’s going to be and the long career he’ll have. It was fun watching him shoot with confidence tonight."

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Melbourne United head coach Dean Vickerman went under the knife for an appendicitis operation, handing Rhys Carter his first game as a head coach.

"It was horrible, stressful… no, it was good fun," Carter said.

"A good test. We had the prep with Deano all week. We had Plan A, B, C ready to go. I’m not there to reinvent the wheel or put my spin on how we play. It’s more about sticking with the process we’d already gone through during the week. I’ve been around Dino a long time.

"I think I know how he likes to play and tried not to change too much.

"We found out early this morning that Deano had gone down a little bit, so we had a bit of time to prep.

"We got the call right before tip-off that all was good – operation successful and he’s recovering. It was great to get that call before we went out. He says he’s doing well.

He’s pretty tough – he says he’s doing fine, but I’m sure there’s still a lot of pain. Hopefully he gets on the plane with us tomorrow if he’s recovered and can come home with us and join us."

But the win came at a significant cost for United as Shea Ili play just seven minutes before leaving the game with another hamstring injury. He's missed most of NBL26.

"He walked straight past our physio and said it was the other hamstring," Carter revealed.

"They’ll assess how bad it is. It was bad enough not to play, but we haven’t got a full assessment yet. As soon as he felt something, we weren’t going to risk it."

United star Chris Goulding didn't play down the stretch battling knee soreness.

"He had a minor issue behind his knee from the last game," Carter said.

"It got much better and he came in feeling close to 100 per cent, but it irritated him a little as the game went on.

"I don’t think it’ll be anything major. He could have gone back in but the guys in that fourth stepped up and were playing so well we didn’t need to go back to him."

Key Details

• Result: Melbourne United 89 def. Cairns Taipans 85
• When: Thursday, 12th February 2026
• Where: Cairns Convention Centre, Cairns
• Standings

By the Numbers

• Milton Doyle (Melbourne United) starred with 25 points, three rebounds and one assist in 28 minutes.
• Jack McVeigh (Cairns Taipans) scored 25 points, and had eight rebounds and four assists in 40 minutes.

What Happened

The contest proved to be a back-and-forth affair with 26 lead changes throughout the evening. Melbourne United established early momentum, edging the opening quarter 19-19 before extending their advantage to 40-36 at halftime. The visitors maintained their composure in a tightly contested third period, holding a slim 56-50 lead entering the final frame.

United's fourth-quarter dominance proved decisive as they outscored the Taipans 33-25 in the closing period. The visitors' ability to execute under pressure in crunch time was the difference, with their balanced offensive attack wearing down the home side's resistance as the game progressed.

Milton Doyle was outstanding for Melbourne United, shooting an efficient 10-from-22 from the field, including 4-from-9 from deep. His ability to score from all areas of the court kept the Taipans' defence honest throughout the contest. Tyson Walker provided valuable support with 17 points, while Jesse Edwards dominated the paint with 13 rebounds to complement his nine points.

For Cairns, Jack McVeigh delivered a masterful performance with 25 points on 7-from-17 shooting, including 10-from-11 from the charity stripe. His leadership on court was evident throughout the contest, but the Taipans struggled to find consistent scoring from their supporting cast. Mojave King contributed 13 points and four rebounds, while Marcus Lee added 10 points and eight boards.

The statistical battle was closely fought across multiple categories. Melbourne United shot 40.48% from the field compared to Cairns' 42.19%, while the visitors held a slight advantage on the boards, out-rebounding the Taipans 48-41. Melbourne's superior free-throw shooting proved crucial, converting 75% compared to Cairns' 79.31% from the foul line.