South East Melbourne Phoenix owner Romie Chaudhari has once again stoked the flames of his ongoing feud with Melbourne United, a team many consider the Phoenix’s “big brother” in the NBL.
In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), Chaudhari took another jab at United star Chris Goulding ahead of his upcoming clash with the Adelaide 36ers and Bryce Cotton this Sunday.
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“Which of these great players is gonna get more calls? The Flopper (Goulding) or Bryce?”
“My money is still on Bryce getting to the line more, even though Flopper has home cookin’ for this one and gets the award for best manufacturer of bullsh*t calls….can’t wait,” he said.
Goulding’s agent, Daniel Moldovan, who represents some of Australia’s biggest basketball stars including Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels, took to X to take a swipe at Chaudhari following his recent comments.
“You know what they say…. Class and professionalism trickles down from the top. If this is how the owner of an NBL team publicly refers to one of the greatest ambassadors of our league and one of the greatest Australian players of all time, it’s no surprise the club has won absolutely NOTHING since their time in the league. Phoenix fans deserve better.” Moldovan said.
These comments are the latest in a long line of shots fired by Chaudhari toward Melbourne United, a rivalry that has spanned several seasons. The outspoken owner rarely misses an opportunity to insert himself into United-related storylines.
Back in January 2023, Chaudhari took aim at Mason Peatling, then with United, following an incident in which Keanu Pinder of the Cairns Taipans was injured after what some described as a dirty play.
“Peatling made a similarly dirty play to Creek at last year‘s Throwdown,” Chaudhari said, referring to Peatling’s shoulder charge on Mitch Creek after a dunk on Matthew Dellavedova during a Throwdown clash in NBL22.
“Stuff like this is totally uncalled for. I know the guy runs around the court like he‘s uncoordinated, but it’s obvious to me what his intentions were and it’s just plain dirty.”
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Fast forward to October 2024, and Chaudhari was back at it, this time labelling Goulding a “flopper” following Phoenix’s 93–84 victory over United last season.
“Goulding constantly flops and cries about it, that shi*t is weak. Great win for SEM, they earned it, so proud of the effort. Way to keep fighting!”
United head coach Dean Vickerman didn’t hold back in response, making it clear that United had taken note of Chaudhari’s comments.
“I’d be disappointed if one of our owners made personal comments about another team’s player… we’ll remember for the next time we play them,” he said.
Chaudhari’s online behaviour has also caught the attention of the NBL. In February 2025, he was fined $10,000 for comments directed at referee Nico Fernandez.
Following Phoenix’s loss to the Perth Wildcats, Chaudhari posted a photo of Fernandez on social media, calling him the “front runner for the worst ref ever, by a mile” and “exceptionally bad.”
Realising he had crossed the line, Chaudhari later said he had written an apology letter to Fernandez.
“I fully accept responsibility for my actions, which were in poor taste and not reflective of the person I am or want to be,” Chaudhari said.
Chaudhari’s latest remarks only add to a growing list of public outbursts that have made him one of the NBL’s most volatile figures.
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