HE MAY have changed jerseys over the offseason, but it is the same Milton Doyle, and this time it was his old team in the Tasmania JackJumpers that felt the force of his shotmaking as the import guard led Melbourne United to victory in the season opener.

Although it was not his most efficient performance from the field by any means and it took him a while to find his feet having joined Melbourne over the offseason in a blockbuster mover, Doyle delivered a pair of daggers late in the fourth quarter as United overcame the JackJumpers at MyState Bank Arenas in another classic encounter.

In a match that had over 30 lead changes, it was United who prevailed in enemy territory, getting the job done by four points on Thursday night, in what proved to be the perfect way to kick off the most anticipated season in recent memory.

It was an extremely tight contest across all four quarters, and that trend began in the opening frame, with Tasmania jumping out to an early lead in front of vocal home fans on the back of some strong three-point shooting and some excellent offensive work from their new imports.

However, United nailed buzzer beaters on the quarter time and half time sirens to take the lead at both changes, silencing the crowd in what was a back-and-forth contest. Tasmania’s trio of imports in David Johnson, Bryce Hamilton and Tyger Campbell were electrifying MyState Bank Arena, but the timeliness of United’s buckets made it still a close game.

Offensive rebounding was proving massive for Melbourne, with offseason recruit Jesse Edwards doing most of the damage on this front, becoming a massive problem for Tasmania with his ability to get first hands on the ball and create second chance scoring opportunities.

Scores were level heading into the final minute of the game in fitting fashion given how close the match had been, before Doyle nailed a baseline jumper from an inbounds play to give his side the lead, before nailing the dagger with a deep stepback triple over Josh Bannan, showing the Tasmania crowd exactly how opposition teams have felt in the past.

Although Hamilton nailed a tough three-pointer to bring the margin back with less than 10 seconds on the clock, Doyle iced the game with a pair of free throws in the perfect homecoming for the Championship hero.

He finished with 22 points, and although he struggled with efficiency by shooting 7/21 from the field, he stepped up down the stretch to score the last seven points for Melbourne and put United on his back to win the game against his old side. Fellow recruit Edwards also looked impassable at times, blocking two shots and affecting countless others to force Tasmania out of the paint. He finished with a double-double of 10 points and 10 boards in his debut.

Despite the loss, the JackJumpers’ import trio would have lost no fans, impressing in their first outing and proving the driving force for Tasmania’s offence. Johnson dominated the first half in particular, and finished with 22 points and 10 boards, while Hamilton’s shotmaking was unmatched at times en route to 24 points of his own and Campbell had seven points and four assists, but most importantly, looked consistently lively.

The JackJumpers will be looking to bounce back later in the round when they head west to take on the Perth Wildcats at RAC Arena in a huge clash, while United will head back over the Bass Strait for their first home game of the season when they host the New Zealand Breakers at John Cain Arena.