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

[Billy Not Really]

I have never seen a player thread where everyone has such conviction on the outcomes of someone’s career at such a juncture as if the crystal ball were real and you can see the ending.

Frankly, I don’t know what the club thinks about Will in the long term and neither do we.

The lad wants to play and wants to be here, at North Melbourne, and he’s trying. It may not cut the mustard but I’ll hope for the best for him to make the cut this year.

He’s absolutely not even the worst player on our list anyway, nor is he the strongest trade currency we have.

 

[Shermanator]

I have never seen a player thread where everyone has such conviction on the outcomes of someone’s career at such a juncture as if the crystal ball were real and you can see the ending.

Frankly, I don’t know what the club thinks about Will in the long term and neither do we.

The lad wants to play and wants to be here, at North Melbourne, and he’s trying. It may not cut the mustard but I’ll hope for the best for him to make the cut this year.

He’s absolutely not even the worst player on our list anyway, nor is he the strongest trade currency we have.

I think most of us absolutely want him to stay, but with the likelihood of Colby going into the middle and the potential of recruiting another mid with our first pick this year you can see why some are putting 2 & 2 together.

I look at the Collingwood model, their supporters just about burnt down Lexus Centre when they traded much loved Treloar and also Sleevo and then two years later they’re doing GF victory laps.

Personally I just want him to be happy and play good footy wherever he is, if it ends up another club then so be it, one thing is for sure, he’ll be the anti-JHFF..

 

[The acurate one]

I think most of us absolutely want him to stay, but with the likelihood of Colby going into the middle and the potential of recruiting another mid with our first pick this year you can see why some are putting 2 & 2 together.

I look at the Collingwood model, their supporters just about burnt down Lexus Centre when they traded much loved Treloar and also Sleevo and then two years later they’re doing GF victory laps.

Personally I just want him to be happy and play good footy wherever he is, if it ends up another club then so be it, one thing is for sure, he’ll be the anti-JHFF..

Was having a look at a similar type in the VFL's and this chap got himself 29 disposals, 5 marks, 9 tackles & a goal 2 weeks ago. I just saw his stats.
Now this chap is Jack Mahony.

 

[Outtatym]

I look at the Collingwood model, their supporters just about burnt down Lexus Centre when they traded much loved Treloar and also Sleevo and then two years later they’re doing GF victory laps.

I dunno. They only traded them because of their own mismanagement- the fact it worked out for them was tin arse stuff imho.

 

[Junk yard]

Was having a look at a similar type in the VFL's and this chap got himself 29 disposals, 5 marks, 9 tackles & a goal 2 weeks ago. I just saw his stats.
Now this chap is Jack Mahony.

Kynan Brown with 27 a goal and 24 tackles for Casey. Unfortunately Watkins was our best mid again and he wasn't great either.

 

[perplexed]

I watched Will fairly closely yesterday, it wasn't good. When he had the ball, he was probably our cleanest player (other than Stevo), but he did little with it and spent the game just plodding around and pointing a lot - Goddard style. Despite playing as a mid, Will almost never broke into a run, and never sprinted, even for ten metres. He has a quick first few steps, but doesn't use them to find space or close it down. Every time he got the ball he just wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible to someone nearby. He didn't once raise his eyes or try to take the game on, even in transition. He is kind of the opposite of LMac, who only wants to bang it long.

I thought we could keep him for another year as depth, but he really hasn't improved any part of his game since he was drafted. He is either not good enough or just lazy. I'd like to see if we can get a third rounder for him and wish him all the best.

 

[The acurate one]

Kynan Brown with 27 a goal and 24 tackles for Casey. Unfortunately Watkins was our best mid again and he wasn't great either.

Yeah I hear ya and I don't tend to get offended as others do, it's a funny thread this one, two sides it would seem, I now tend to reside in the grey, that's the best place to be.

Do I think he's going well at VFL level- 100% not.
Do I think or feel he should get another 12 months - 100% yes.
Do I think he'll take up a short term deal with us - nope.

So really not sure where Will sits on not just his footballing career to date, but also where to from here.

 

[Shermanator]

I dunno. They only traded them because of their own mismanagement- the fact it worked out for them was tin arse stuff imho.

The point is they traded them full stop.

More so Treloar who was (still is) pretty much a midfield star.

Will still hasn’t come close to the numbers AT was putting up at the Pies below;



Like Ive said a million times, I don’t want to see him go, but if the club thinks it makes us better and he gets a better opportunity elsewhere, well, we shake hands and move on.

That’s business.

 

[Junk yard]

I watched Will fairly closely yesterday, it wasn't good. When he had the ball, he was probably our cleanest player (other than Stevo), but he did little with it and spent the game just plodding around and pointing a lot - Goddard style. Despite playing as a mid, Will almost never broke into a run, and never sprinted, even for ten metres. He has a quick first few steps, but doesn't use them to find space or close it down. Every time he got the ball he just wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible to someone nearby. He didn't once raise his eyes or try to take the game on, even in transition. He is kind of the opposite of LMac, who only wants to bang it long.

I thought we could keep him for another year as depth, but he really hasn't improved any part of his game since he was drafted. He is either not good enough or just lazy. I'd like to see if we can get a third rounder for him and wish him all the best.

In conditions that should've suited him he was terrible, mids across the comp were filling the stat sheets. I've said before, there's 20+ VFL mids having better seasons than him. But there will still be people calling for his inclusion next week.

 

[Petrie4PM]

I don't think he is going to make it but I don't think we should give up yet. I think Clarkson and co should let him know what we want to see out of him, what we want to see him work on, tell him were supporting him and giving him another year to shine. By end of 2025 he's either IN or OUT. Simples.

 

[Swallow_Wood]

I watched Will fairly closely yesterday, it wasn't good. When he had the ball, he was probably our cleanest player (other than Stevo), but he did little with it and spent the game just plodding around and pointing a lot - Goddard style. Despite playing as a mid, Will almost never broke into a run, and never sprinted, even for ten metres. He has a quick first few steps, but doesn't use them to find space or close it down. Every time he got the ball he just wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible to someone nearby. He didn't once raise his eyes or try to take the game on, even in transition. He is kind of the opposite of LMac, who only wants to bang it long.

I thought we could keep him for another year as depth, but he really hasn't improved any part of his game since he was drafted. He is either not good enough or just lazy. I'd like to see if we can get a third rounder for him and wish him all the best.

I was in Sydney last weekend and watched a fair bit of the VFL game. Kept a close eye on Will. When going from contest to contest he looked absolutely stuffed at times, couldn't break out of a jog. I've been a huge wrap for the kid since before we drafted him, with his pre-draft capacity to dominate in the contest and actually motor from contest to contest at a decent clip. I was convinced that with a few years in the system he would be able to step up to AFL level and have a similar impact on games as he did as an bottom age player with Oakleigh, but it hasn't happened. I can only surmise that the double dose of glandular fever has ****ed him over. It's really shit cos he is a really great young man, hard working and dedicated, but I do fear for his future at the club and level now. He has tools, but if he can't develop the fitness base then he can't stay in the league. It would be interesting to see his fitness and strength testing numbers across the last few years. I'd assume that there hasn't been much change in these.

 

[Mcarcherey]

I was in Sydney last weekend and watched a fair bit of the VFL game. Kept a close eye on Will. When going from contest to contest he looked absolutely stuffed at times, couldn't break out of a jog. I've been a huge wrap for the kid since before we drafted him, with his pre-draft capacity to dominate in the contest and actually motor from contest to contest at a decent clip. I was convinced that with a few years in the system he would be able to step up to AFL level and have a similar impact on games as he did as an bottom age player with Oakleigh, but it hasn't happened. I can only surmise that the double dose of glandular fever has ****ed him over. It's really shit cos he is a really great young man, hard working and dedicated, but I do fear for his future at the club and level now. He has tools, but if he can't develop the fitness base then he can't stay in the league. It would be interesting to see his fitness and strength testing numbers across the last few years. I'd assume that there hasn't been much change in these.

pushed himself too hard when he had glandular fever. looks like he's developed chronic fatigue, pretty common if you don't lie in bed for 2 months like you should.

 

[ferball]

pushed himself too hard when he had glandular fever. looks like he's developed chronic fatigue, pretty common if you don't lie in bed for 2 months like you should.

Yeah that's what it looks like. He looks cooked.

Don't buy this "lazy, doesn't try" stuff for a minute.

 

[Merlin007]

I don't think he is going to make it but I don't think we should give up yet. I think Clarkson and co should let him know what we want to see out of him, what we want to see him work on, tell him were supporting him and giving him another year to shine. By end of 2025 he's either IN or OUT. Simples.

I support the sentiment, but the club will have detailed data on his athletic testing, and if the observations by posters that his fitness has been compromised by illness, there may be little point to another year

 

[Swallow_Wood]

I support the sentiment, but the club will have detailed data on his athletic testing, and if the observations by posters that his fitness has been compromised by illness, there may be little point to another year

That's what I'm thinking. IF the testing data indicates that there has been little improvement since his pre-glandular fever days and it is felt that there is now little capacity for that to improve moving forward, then the best we can do is either give him a one year deal and cross our fingers or see if we can facilitate a trade for him.

 

[backtothedraft]

The signs were there in preseason. I watched a preseason main session where he gave up in a running drill, and Clarkson looked less than amused which I posted on this forum. His athleticism and aerobic capacity is not at the level it should be to regularly play AFL, and his skillset fails to make up for his athletic shortcomings. There’s still some hope, but he needs a massive preseason. If we were somehow able to get our hands on a 2nd pick for him you’d take it.

 

[Petrie4PM]

No one will take him if hes got issues due to glandular fever etc, so back him in for one big final thrust and if not, delist end of next season. i agree with all of the above.

 

[Mcarcherey]

Yeah that's what it looks like. He looks cooked.

Don't buy this "lazy, doesn't try" stuff for a minute.

neither, i think we recruited him as a andrew brayshaw type - doesn't have a huge ceiling, but has iq, works hard and leadership.

unfortunately his ceiling was already limited and now it's been lowered further.

 

[ferball]

I support the sentiment, but the club will have detailed data on his athletic testing, and if the observations by posters that his fitness has been compromised by illness, there may be little point to another year

That assumes he can't recover fully and become fit enough to play.

Same logic as re-signing George. If the players have enough talent then backing them to recover where its reasonable is as good a strategy as gambling on a late draft pick. Will isn't far enough down the pecking order that he gets delisted on actual output unless we are really turning the list over again (but that seems crazy to me. We've done enough of that recently.)

There's only so much talent we'll have access to and I don't think it's enough to replace him. Maybe at the end of next year or the year after if he doesn't improve but not this year. He played a fairly solid inside game yesterday. Was one of our better users. Definitely struggling with his fitness and energy levels. So at the moment if they can improve so will his output imo.

So if the player you're replacing him with is better than that potential if he recovers and becomes fitter then maybe delist or trade him. Otherwise keep him (if he wants to stay.) Its a simple equation really.

 

[Merlin007]

That assumes he can't recover fully and become fit enough to play.

Same logic as re-signing George. If the players have enough talent then backing them to recover where its reasonable is as good a strategy as gambling on a late draft pick. Will isn't far enough down the pecking order that he gets delisted on actual output unless we are really turning the list over again (but that seems crazy to me. We've done enough of that recently.)

There's only so much talent we'll have access to and I don't think it's enough to replace him. Maybe at the end of next year or the year after if he doesn't improve but not this year. He played a fairly solid inside game yesterday. Was one of our better users. Definitely struggling with his fitness and energy levels. So at the moment if they can improve so will his output imo.

So if the player you're replacing him with is better than that potential if he recovers and becomes fitter then maybe delist or trade him. Otherwise keep him (if he wants to stay.) Its a simple equation really.

I agree, absolutely - but while I'm no medico, time is marching on.

Someone better qualified than me might offer a view as to whether elite performance can be recovered after chronic fatigue? The only similar AFL case I can recall is Alistair Lynch, and iirc, while he played again at high level, his time was managed? and of course he played in a position (and style) that made less aerobic demands

 

[swaeney]

Haven’t watched the VFL game yet. Was he playing as a defensive mid?

 

[Junk yard]

Haven’t watched the VFL game yet. Was he playing as a defensive mid?

Nah, same role as last week. He lined up on different opponents and even by himself at some C.Bs.

 

[tora tora tora]

someone on the Richmond thread is proposing McIntosh & 21 for Phillips 58 & 73.

thoughts ?

I don't get to see North play at all on my free to air, so can't remember him at all. I noticed he got dropped again. Has he had Glandular fever?
that can take a while to heal

 

[Chadwiko]

someone on the Richmond thread is proposing McIntosh & 21 for Phillips 58 & 73.

thoughts ?

I don't get to see North play at all on my free to air, so can't remember him at all. I noticed he got dropped again. Has he had Glandular fever?
that can take a while to heal

I'd say there's a 75/25 split on BigFooty between North fans who love Will Phillips and want him playing every single week, and then other North fans who think he's no good and we should trade him.

I belong in that 75 camp and I love Will Phillips, and wouldn't want to trade him.

But I can say with near certainty that if we were going to trade him, it wouldn't be for a 30 year old midfielder. The 'problem' with Phillips at the moment is we have a lot of good talent in our midfield so quality players like Will Phillips are in tough competition to get games. Trading for Kamdyn wouldn't make any sense at all for North's list right now.

 

[My Left Foote]

someone on the Richmond thread is proposing McIntosh & 21 for Phillips 58 & 73.

thoughts ?

I don't get to see North play at all on my free to air, so can't remember him at all. I noticed he got dropped again. Has he had Glandular fever?
that can take a while to heal

Putting McIntosh, 58 & 73 to the side, I'd be very surprised if you gave up 21 for Phillips. Although if you did there would be a lot of very happy posters on here as that would balance out what we gave up for CCJ.