Player Watch #29: Will Phillips - tags N.Daicos vs Collingwood - subbed off at 3/4 time??

[Forever North]

Excuses are running out for Will. Perfect game for him to step up and have a big influence. Was crap for most of the game. He’s not a mid 50’s speculative pick. Unfortunately he is slowly joining the long list of slow, plodding, poorly skilled list clogging midfielders that we have specialised in drafting over the past 20 years. Simply don‘t see anything special with this guy. Screw this good clubman and hard worker bullshit. His kicks lack depth and penetration. Just so sick of waiting around years and years for players to come good. Most simply don’t.

 

[pupstar]

It's unfair to just pile into the kid today. It's just difficult



I can't think of a player Clarkson had at Hawthorn with the same dimensions and skill set as Will. He clearly liked lefties and strong, running taller mids and wings.

Looking like 2020 is going to go down as another big time draft bust. The whole top 30 as a whole looks terrible.

Bit harsh there roos

 

[Mixed Results]

His third year still isn’t that far off LDU, Simpkin, and Cunnington.

Inconsistent footy with a few top level games is basically the expectation for third year inside mids.

 

[Shermanator]

Quiet game until 3 quarter time, then he was exceptional. Played a huge part in getting us a shot.

Needs to play like that for 4 quarters not one though.

 

[Psicosis]

Playing like someone with zero confidence that doesn’t believe he belongs at the level yet. Needs to sort his head out to take the next step.

 

[tazaa]

He didn’t get a touch in the 2nd quarter. Not a handball, mark or kick. Not even a tackle. Terrible stuff.
Had 1 mark and handball in the third quarter. Again the writing was on the wall. One disposal in a half of footy he was lucky not to be subbed out.

Then had 4 kicks, 5 handballs and 3 marks in the last and was almost the catalyst in the win with LDU and Sheezel.

That level of inconsistency comes down to fitness and confidence.

Big summer ahead

 

[Roos1991]

Until North are playing a consistent structure and have a proper development coach and program in place, it's incredibly unfair to judge this kid so harshly so soon into his career. There were 10+ other guys out there today who did **** all.

I was really pissed off when he was drafted ahead of Hollands who I thought would be a superstar and might still be. But Will has shown glimpses in his short and disrupted career and beyond that he has strong leadership potential. campaigners on this platform were writing LDU off a couple of years ago and look at where he is now. Phillips will absolutely get there with the right system, will we ever that such a system in place? Who the **** knows but if it's ever going to happen, Clarko and Viney will be the architects.

At his best Will is going to release players like LDU and Thomas to do serious damage - kind of like the role Callan Ward

8

Callan Ward

Age

34

Ht

187cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

22.8

5star

K

11.2

4star

HB

11.5

5star

M

3.8

4star

T

4.3

5star

CL

5.4

5star

D

17.8

4star

K

9.0

4star

HB

8.8

4star

M

2.3

2star

T

2.3

3star

CL

3.3

4star

D

10.0

3star

K

4.4

2star

HB

5.6

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

1.8

4star

plays for GWS. When others lead up at him (which the boys did **** all of today) he is pretty decent at hitting a target and has very nice touch. He's going to be fine.

 

[The Butcher]

I remain convinced its impossible to be convinced about the skill/ability potential of any of our players outside the limiting guard-rails of our teams complete ineptitude. Its a team sport. CT can take a mark, Scott can run, Larks is tall, Will thinks good etc etc.. if you have ball in hand for us, its like being a golfer who's 180m out in thick wet rough with a bunker b/w you and a front pin. I dont care if you started the round with fresh grooves, a spinny ball and swingspeed like Dechamballs, there is a limit on what you can do in that shitty situation. In kids I'll trust.. untill theyve had a decent coach for.. 60odd games consecutively?

 

[Flawed Genius]

Gotta say regardless of how bad he was yesterday for three quarters for us to be saying oh yeah he's running out of excuses we're about to put a line through him... He's played 29 games

 

[The acurate one]

Gotta say regardless of how bad he was yesterday for three quarters for us to be saying oh yeah he's running out of excuses we're about to put a line through him... He's played 29 games

I don't think anyone is putting a line through Will. And at the same time I think the commentary that he'll be fine with time, isn't necessarily true.

 

[Themanbun]

I think his biggest challenge is that he needs to put on a few kgs but his running needs so much work.

He basically has the same limitations and question marks as Matty Rowell. Both need to become defensive accumulators.

I'm backing him.

 

[Disco Dew]

I don't think anyone is putting a line through Will. And at the same time I think the commentary that he'll be fine with time, isn't necessarily true.

Correct.
I rate will but concede he has been very poor at times this year. Get a full preseason under his belt and a decent run at it next year and who knows?
He might make it, he might not. It’s too early to make a call either way though

 

[giantroo]

Posting this interview again.

 

[Scallop Industry Thug]

Took Libba a while to get that tank to get from contest to contest.

The omissions, left out for R1… might be something there, might not be.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[Epictetus]

It's possible he becomes a long term contributor, but comparisons to established players who share some traits (small, not great athletes) but who have truly special traits isn't legit.
Libba is a special, special player. His vision, handball execution, nose for a clearance, clean takes are right at top of the sport and showed themselves in flashed immediately. So did Cunningtons. From day 1.
The only case to be made for Will's special traits is that he's a hard worker who desperately wants to make it, as far as I can tell.

I feel for him, because he's the target of angst because of where he was drafted and what he was drafted into. That's rough on the kid.

 

[HBFlanker]

His third year still isn’t that far off LDU, Simpkin, and Cunnington.

Inconsistent footy with a few top level games is basically the expectation for third year inside mids.

Not a patch on any of those three at the moment.

 

[HBFlanker]

Gotta say regardless of how bad he was yesterday for three quarters for us to be saying oh yeah he's running out of excuses we're about to put a line through him... He's played 29 games

How much longer do we accept mediocrity for though??

He's being compared to some genuine stars on the game in this thread. He shouldnt be spoke about likle that at all.

Hasnt shown anything to suggest he was a top 3 draft pick.

 

[koshari]

How much longer do we accept mediocrity for though??

He's being compared to some genuine stars on the game in this thread. He shouldnt be spoke about likle that at all.

Hasnt shown anything to suggest he was a top 3 draft pick.

I reckon both him and powell showcase our poor development. At risk of becoming 2 more gavin brown allstars.

 

[Moti]

His third year still isn’t that far off LDU, Simpkin, and Cunnington.

Inconsistent footy with a few top level games is basically the expectation for third year inside mids.

So stats are a poor way to understand progression in AFL when you compare 4 different types. I need to see a point of difference from Will before I will buy into him being a potential star.

LDU has power and dancing feet, Jy has the dancing feet, Cunners has the incredible strength. I am not sure I see a standout feature for Will yet. You don't necessarily need one to be a star if you can be incredibly consistent, but it helps.

 

[The Nostradamus]

So stats are a poor way to understand progression in AFL when you compare 4 different types. I need to see a point of difference from Will before I will buy into him being a potential star.

LDU has power and dancing feet, Jy has the dancing feet, Cunners has the incredible strength. I am not sure I see a standout feature for Will yet. You don't necessarily need one to be a star if you can be incredibly consistent, but it helps.

Wilphil will be the Lachie Neale accumulator who is clean with the footy

 

[Moti]

Wilphil will be the Lachie Neale accumulator who is clean with the footy

I understand that is his most probable direction, but haven't seen the explosiveness yet which helps Lachie. Also, that is the one player type that many are directed to when they lack a unique differentiator.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

Size? No
Speed? No
Cleanliness? No
Power? No
Elite kicking skills? No
Elite handball skill? No

The only thing that he does to a decent level is tackle.

Has an exceptionally long way to go.

 

[Flawed Genius]

Size? No
Speed? No
Cleanliness? No
Power? No
Elite kicking skills? No
Elite handball skill? No

The only thing that he does to a decent level is tackle.

Has an exceptionally long way to go.

I think you're wrong on cleanliness and elite handballing skill. I saw multiple one-touch below-the-ankles pick ups and lightning handballs to runners yesterday, particularly in the last quarter. You have also left out football IQ and two-way running. Those four traits together alone, combined with his natural affinity for clearance set ups both stoppage and centre square work, makes him a very good prospect with another 50 games under his belt. Stay the course

 

[the big lebowski]

Not a patch on any of those three at the moment.

Game 29

Cunners - 14 disposals, 1 tackle, 1 goal

LDU - 11 disposals, 2 tackles

Simpkin - 18 disposals, 1 tackle

Phillips - 16 disposals, 3 tackles

 

[Roosurgence]

Wilphil will be the Lachie Neale accumulator who is clean with the footy

I’m not saying he can’t be a Lachie Neale type, but at the moment his biggest flaw is how clean he is with the footy.

I think we really need to put this heat in the bin and assess his 2024 season.

But if we are still having the same conversations there is a good chance he is not going to live up to expectations.