United ready for maiden finals test

GEELONG United will make history this weekend when its Youth League men’s side contests its first finals match in the championship division.

United travels to Dandenong on Sunday to face the Rangers in a do-or-die elimination final after securing a crucial round 16 victory.

Sitting in eighth spot on the ladder, the team is in just its second season in the state’s top Youth League competition.

Coach Luke Beard said the season had marked another significant step forward, both on the ladder and in the development of the club’s emerging talent.

“The job this year was to solidify ourselves as a contender in the [championship division], which obviously is the top level in the state, and avoid any talk of relegation, which we’ve clearly done,” he said.

But Beard said simply reaching the finals would not satisfy the group.

“We’re really excited, but also hungry for success,” he said.

“It’s not lost on them the opportunity that lies ahead, and now it’s just about appreciating the privilege that our season’s still alive and doing what we can to ensure it continues.”

United opened the season with a competition-leading 9-3 record before a six-game losing streak threatened to derail its finals hopes.

Beard said that difficult period had ultimately prepared his side for the intensity of finals basketball.

Success, he said, would come down to defence.

“Our ability to score the ball is second-to-none,” Beard said. “It’s really our ability to execute it on the defensive end.

“That’s what we’ve really been focusing on: tightening up that end of the court and making sure that we’re celebrating that and getting the stops down there.”

Beyond the results, Beard said the side’s 2026 campaign highlighted the strength of Geelong United’s talent pathway.

Malik Davis has secured an NCAA college opportunity, Philip Wickham has committed to Wasatch Academy in Utah and several other players have represented the club at state and national level.

“I’m really proud of what we’ve built,” Beard said.

“The proof’s in the pudding. The kids keep developing and we continue to build not just the development of the kids, but a successful program.”

The finals clash will tip off on Sunday at 2pm.