The Gold Coast Bulletin

Friends at 36ers, foes in the QBL playoffs

- TRENT SLATTER

HARRY Froling and Jack McVeigh have been teammates all week with the Adelaide 36ers but they’ll become fierce rivals tomorrow night as the Heat host the Rollers in a sudden-death QBL quarterfin­al in Townsville.

Star Heat forward Froling, 20, and Rollers swingman McVeigh, 21, linked up with their new NBL club for the start of pre-season this week.

They’ll train in Adelaide from Monday to Wednesday during the finals, before rejoining their respective QBL sides.

Froling has been a huge presence for Townsville’s title defence, averaging a doubledoub­le with 19.17 points and 11.56 rebounds, while McVeigh has helped sparked Gold Coast’s late finals charge since shifting to the power forward role, averaging 17.94 points and 5.71 rebounds.

It will be a thrilling battle when they go head-to-head in Townsville tomorrow night and Heat coach Rodney Anderson hoped to use Froling’s inside knowledge of McVeigh’s game to their advantage.

“Harry definitely knows how he plays and has given me a couple of tips on it as well, but Jack’s been playing a lot better since he’s moved to the four spot,” Anderson said.

“He’s had a lot more freedom, picking and pop into the three-point line, and stretching defence out so they’re a really difficult opponent.”

Froling has had just the one training session with the Heat this week, but Anderson believed his experience with the 36ers would only be beneficial for their title hopes.

“I think it’s actually going to give him a big boost, just a new environmen­t,” Anderson said.

 ??  ?? New Adelaide 36ers player Jack McVeigh (left).
New Adelaide 36ers player Jack McVeigh (left).

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