Player Watch #29: Will Phillips [Part II] - Extends to End of 2025

[backtothedraft]

I've always felt he should be looking at Rhylee West at the Dogs and trying to calve out a similar role at North. Its clear he isn't going to be high up on our midfield depth chart, but he has AFL traits.

 

[TruRoo]

I've always felt he should be looking at Rhylee West at the Dogs and trying to calve out a similar role at North. Its clear he isn't going to be high up on our midfield depth chart, but he has AFL traits.

Don't think he has the forward craft. He's a midfielder first, second and third. That's part and parcel the issue with him - if he's not getting meaningful midfield minutes he's nowhere.

 

[backtothedraft]

Don't think he has the forward craft. He's a midfielder first, second and third. That's part and parcel the issue with him - if he's not getting meaningful midfield minutes he's nowhere.

I agree with you. But it's adapt or die really. West battled away for years at the dogs racking up big numbers for the Footscray VFL side but struggled to break into the side. Now plays a pressuring half forward role where he has the flexibility to roll up to the stoppage or sit deeper as a forward.

 

[Elite Master]

People who defend Phillips to the hill as being critical to our midfield mix as a defensive mid, over compensate to make themselves sound smarter. Yes, he does do the non-flashy, unrewarded things at stoppages but he really has no choice but to play that way because offensively he is far too limited to meaningfully impact in a bunch of different ways, and even then he can't run out games.

If he wasn't a top 5 pick let's face it: he had been delisted a long time ago.

 

[brooksnk]

The statistical gymnastics regarding game time is that he is having 50% game time because the coach agrees that the team would be better off with him subbed out. And even if you extrapolate the game time (which is generally a silly concept anyway as it doesn’t account for many variables, in particular that Will himself struggles to run out games), most players don’t play 100% game time.

And if you want to do that, you should compare his game time to Tom Powell, who had 73%.

Powell had 31 touches in 73% game time (and pretty impactful ones btw). If Will was given the same amount of game time, if we ‘extrapolate’, Will has 13 touches (instead of his actual 10).

Wow - an extra 3 hand balls. But just remember everyone, he only had 56% game time!

And just to add, I really did want him to succeed. I’m not one of those Phillips ‘haters’.

After he played that really improved string of 3 games back in 2023 (the Sydney game comes to mind especially, where he really lifted), you could definitely see what he is capable of. I even made some post lauding him and suggesting that perhaps he is the kind of player that gets better when he owns the responsibility for the midfield.

But in the end, there are plenty of players who manage to pull a few good games together, but can’t demonstrate it on a consistent basis and don’t seem to maintain those improvements. I’ll give him the full year before putting the line through him, but if he doesn’t take that next step and puts a full year of really great footy together, then I think his time at North will have to be called.

I’m still rooting for him and hope he proves me wrong. But it’s also tiring to see posters here doing the statistical gymnastics after every poor performance. It reeks of desperation trying to justify his output. He is trying his heart out and working his butt off, but he just isn’t at AFL level unfortunately. For large parts, he wasn’t even showing much at VFL level over the past couple years. Yes, he does some of the not so flashy things that are easy to overlook, but it’s not enough to build an AFL career off. He has to be damaging offensively. He doesn’t have to be LDU in that department, but gotta have more string to his bow.

A lot of it is also between the ears for him as well, no doubt.

Go well Phil, continue working hard and still rooting for you.

 

[justroyal]

I thought he did really well on Viney. He was either going to get thrown around, but stuck to him well.

People who don’t see his foot skills in traffic have gotten to confident in one win.

 

[Sphynx]

People who defend Phillips to the hill as being critical to our midfield mix as a defensive mid, over compensate to make themselves sound smarter. Yes, he does do the non-flashy, unrewarded things at stoppages but he really has no choice but to play that way because offensively he is far too limited to meaningfully impact in a bunch of different ways, and even then he can't run out games.

If he wasn't a top 5 pick let's face it: he had been delisted a long time ago.

No - I think delisted is a massive exaggeration.

Someone has to get subbed. They are tactical subs in every sense of the word.

If it was simply Phillips not being up for it, we'd have an inside midfielder parked in the sub position, not a wingman....


Anyway, Will is extremely good depth that all good teams have.

Wardlaw has market corrected him and will come in for him when fit and is basically an A+ grade version of him.

Whilst he will probably never live up to the draft position, we got ****ed over by the NGA rules that season (which they somehow brought back). Without them, JUH or Thilthorpe are at North. We wanted one of those two.

There's honestly not another player in the next 11 picks until Tom Powell (who we took anyway) that is making us pay.

Would this be as much as a problem now if it was Powell who we took at Pick 3 and Phillips at 13? Powell is only probably behind Thilthorpe, JUH and Gulden in that draft and who knows if JUH isn't going the way of Tarryn at the moment....

Campbell, DGB, Cox, Perkins, Reid are all horrible. IT's a terrible draft in general who's scouting was destroyed by covid.

In fact, the most criminal aspect of his entire treatment vs some of his peers is the fact that Logan McDonald isn't very good.

He gets made out like we passed on JUH or Thilthorpe. He will never be anything more than a B-B+ key forward, at best. And im saying that after playing in front of one of the most dynamic midfields in the game and Erroll ****ing Gulden delivery the football to you for most of your first 70 games.

 

[Reginald0]

Parker is 32
Wardlaw has already been out a bit
Anything can happen
He played well

 

[Jebus]

If he wasn't a top 5 pick let's face it: he had been delisted a long time ago.

Pack it up people, Elite Master has decided WP is no good.

Other incredibly accurate opinions by Elite Master yesterday:
1. Parker has been a bust
2. McKercher is Atley 2.0

 

[Chadwiko]

Was his sub 'tactical'?

On the app at the ground it said 'injured', which is why I asked Patch Adams briefly at 3 qtr time if Phillips was okay and he said he was fine just 'dinged'?

 

[Themanbun]

Was his sub 'tactical'?

On the app at the ground it said 'injured', which is why I asked Patch Adams briefly at 3 qtr time if Phillips was okay and he said he was fine just 'dinged'?

Clarko said in the presser there were no injuries he's aware of

 

[The Nostradamus]

Was his sub 'tactical'?

On the app at the ground it said 'injured', which is why I asked Patch Adams briefly at 3 qtr time if Phillips was okay and he said he was fine just 'dinged'?

yes

because most teams play a third tall that player is usually subbed out assuming no forced sub but because so far this year we have not it has a meant a small has to be subbed off

 

[Spud11]

I think people like him and are rooting for him because he’s tough. Because he’s not lazy, because he gets his hands dirty. He’s not blessed with mercurial talent but just choosing not to try. He’s not a squib half back who shirks contests and burns the ball. He’s the little engine that, we hope, can.

I think we all prefer someone who is doing everything they can to be their best even if they’re not quite making it to someone who is elite but falling short because he isn’t trying. If that makes sense.

 

[archereleven]

His good is really obvious, and his bad isn't great.

Yesterday wasn't his best game, but I was still disappointed that he was subbed off as I thought he was having an impact. At the end of the day he contributed to a win just as much as anyone else did

I thought it was a good sub as we needed run between the arcs in the last...

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

 

[Blightys Barrel]

At the end of the day if the Coaches, Match Committee and Players want him in there each week, that is all we should care about. Particularly if we are winning. I have no idea what brief WP is given each week by the above group. They are his markers at the end of the day……not the BF Illuminati

I’m sure he got very direct feedback last year and only a 1 year contract on what is required. To his credit he looks a lot fitter and has played the first 2 games of the year.

It’s a very long season and with injuries and planned rest during the year (eg, Parker) then it’s healthy for any club to have back up players who can come in and do their role.

 

[the big lebowski]

Realistically, WAP is keeping Wardlaws spot warm.

And that’s ok, because he does his job every week and can be trusted to do so. He’s fantastic depth.

If he’s happy to stick around he’ll probably be offered another year to do the same thing.

Alas, it doesn’t appear that the increased fitness has made much difference to his accumulating abilities.

But that’s ok. He’s still very handy.

 

[muttley45]

Gave Konstanty his goal on a platter from heavy traffic

 

[Its a Process]

Rewatching the first quarter as I write this. His first quarter stoppage work was good, pressure was good and def held his position as sweeper really well in one centre bounce which forced another stoppage.

At worst he’s a quality depth player when George comes back.

 

[LeFtBehinD]

Realistically, WAP is keeping Wardlaws spot warm.

And that’s ok, because he does his job every week and can be trusted to do so. He’s fantastic depth.

If he’s happy to stick around he’ll probably be offered another year to do the same thing.

Alas, it doesn’t appear that the increased fitness has made much difference to his accumulating abilities.

But that’s ok. He’s still very handy.

Agree with what you're thinking, but hard to question his accumulating abilities when that could very well be against his direct instructions. Noticed multiple times yesterday he would hold back from going in and getting the hardball in preference to keep Oliver away from it. And therefore make a path for LDU and Powell in. The team play is really starting to gel.

 

[The Butcher]

I'd like to see him sprint, holding nothing back. I'd also like to see the next lotto numbers. #struggles

 

[the big lebowski]

Agree with what you're thinking, but hard to question his accumulating abilities when that could very well be against his direct instructions. Noticed multiple times yesterday he would hold back from going in and getting the hardball in preference to keep Oliver away from it. And therefore make a path for LDU and Powell in. The team play is really starting to gel.

For sure, he’s getting game as a defensive mid.

On the face of it Oliver played a fair game yesterday and had 12 clearances so if we were trying to limit him, it didn’t work.

 

[Elite Master]

Pack it up people, Elite Master has decided WP is no good.

Other incredibly accurate opinions by Elite Master yesterday:
1. Parker has been a bust
2. McKercher is Atley 2.0

Parker, up to that point, after a couple of average pre-season games, a poor round 1 showing, and a bad start to yesterday, had been a bust, it does not mean he will be a bust. He did turn it around yesterday, and his experience and leadership alone going forward will be of top value, so I don't think he will be a bust when all is said and done, but from a reactional tiny sample size standpoint - he was.

Colby is actually quite similar to a young Atley, who at the time, we also throught would be a gun, just like we think of Colby now. If he is not careful he very well could turn into what Atley did.

 

[Sillygit]

People who defend Phillips to the hill as being critical to our midfield mix as a defensive mid, over compensate to make themselves sound smarter.

Defend to the hilt*

 

[perplexed]

Well, I thought our midfield dominated once he got removed from it.

We were again rotating 6 midfielders through the centre bounce. That is at least one too many and Will is comfortably the weakest. We shouldn't be cutting Tom, Jy and Harry's time to fit him in.

 

[ferball]

The statistical gymnastics regarding game time is that he is having 50% game time because the coach agrees that the team would be better off with him subbed out. And even if you extrapolate the game time (which is generally a silly concept anyway as it doesn’t account for many variables, in particular that Will himself struggles to run out games), most players don’t play 100% game time.

And if you want to do that, you should compare his game time to Tom Powell, who had 73%.

Powell had 31 touches in 73% game time (and pretty impactful ones btw). If Will was given the same amount of game time, if we ‘extrapolate’, Will has 13 touches (instead of his actual 10).

Wow - an extra 3 hand balls. But just remember everyone, he only had 56% game time!

Yeah but 31 and 13 are kinda the same...