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

[Psicosis]

Phillips definitely deserves another 12 months to prove himself but the problem he/we will face is that if we bring in Reid and Sanders its going to be hard for him to get the midfield minutes he needs he afl level to prove himself.

He could end up being 6th/7th in the mid pecking order and that means he will need to show he can play in other positions - wing, small forward, back flank? Maybe he can perform in those roles but it's not what he was drafted for and certainly not what he has spent his junior career doing.

I really liked his 2 break out games mid year - but his form lapse (especially the repeated fumbling) since then has been perplexing. His confidence should have been sky high after back to back good efforts at AFL level yet he regressed to a slow, fumbly plodder over an extended period of time - seemingly without injuries.

He really needs to nail this pre season - he will give it his best shot as he is one of the most professional players we have at the club - but he needs to happen for him or he will be overtaken.

I don't see Reid as an issue for Phillips. Sanders, absolutely.

Happy to be corrected but I see Harley as Hodge in the back half or Toby Greene in the forward half, dependent on how he develops.

 

[Midas]

Phillips totally confuses and frustrates me. One week I see him as the next Andrew Swallow and the next I see a bloke fumbling and missing short passes. I know he trains hard and prepares well but by now I thought I’d have a better idea if he was going to fulfil his draft ranking.
I just don’t know.

Exactly what Swallow looked like in his first three seasons

 

[Epictetus]

The Swallow comparison has some relevance. Much more than some of the other names Will has been compared to.

Swallow had an underrated burst of lateral speed, which covered up other stuff. He just made it work. Hopefully Will can do the same.

 

[koshari]

The Swallow comparison has some relevance. Much more than some of the other names Will has been compared to.

Swallow had an underrated burst of lateral speed, which covered up other stuff. He just made it work. Hopefully Will can do the same.

after swallow had that leg injury he lost that little bit of pace and it definitely affected his potency in a game,

 

[DocSholl]

Jamarra, Campbell, Perkins, Pedlar (would be our 3rd leading goalkicker and =4th for goal assists), Holmes, Henry and Bowey in the top 20ish alone. That’s without including McDonald to not start a s**t fight.

This board would have crucified Pedlar if he'd had the same start at North

 

[Rod Stroker]

after swallow had that leg injury he lost that little bit of pace and it definitely affected his potency in a game,

snapped achilles. Players are rarely the same after it. I think I heard Roughead and Rocca say they were never the same after they snapped theirs

 

[chubbspeterson]

Size, pace, skill.. name one quality he has??? Mckercher and Watson instantly better. Will be delisted next year and everyone will blame injury and illness.

He's got better skills than what he is putting out there currently. Needs to improve no question and get fitter and stronger like most of the side.
McKercher is more explosive but he'll struggle against bigger bodies initially like Will does as it takes 4-6 years to have the fitness and body shape to be a full time mid.
Delisted next year is a stretch. I'd have 2025 as the likely decision year on if he is traded out or not but it depends what the offers are end of next year and who else develops ahead of him.

 

[King Corey]

Exactly what Swallow looked like in his first three seasons

Strange comparison. A 2nd year Swallow vs 3rd year Phillips.

Fwiw Swallow's 3rd year was patchy only playing 3 games.

 

[Only Forwards]

Strange comparison. A 2nd year Swallow vs 3rd year Phillips.

Fwiw Swallow's 3rd year was patchy only playing 3 games.

from his Wiki page:
Swallow played the first 3 games in 2008, before being sent back to the VFL to work on his outside run and spread from the stoppages.

He won the Syd the following year.

 

[amaz199]

I'm sorry, but the comparison is flawed. LDU might have had some queries surrounding him, but it was obvious he had some truly standout attributes. His glimpses were so ******* good that it drove some concerns that it wasn't yet consistent.

The concern with Will is that he might not have the talent. That was never, ever a concern with LDU.

Go watch his 2021 highlights. There's plenty of elite work, strength, and disposal to look at.

This is his first season back from an illness that can make any uplifting individual hate their life forever. From watching Phillips in the contests, his groundwork is exceptional. Rarely loses his feet and gets first use. It's actually been very encouraging that despite being ill for an entire season, he could still bring down the Richmond ruck. That's not easy.

Show a bit of patience especially when younger players haven't had the stability and proper pre-seasons to get going. The same should be applied to Powell. Powell has become a dangerous prospect in forward 50 stoppages when he plays on the flanks and is a very good inside mid. He showed what he can do against Richmond feeding the ball out from the contest.

We need to show a bit more love for these young blokes instead of getting the pitchforks out because a few kicks were whiffed (even though he hit an absolute beauty to Ford late in the 4th).

I totally get the frustrations but in all honesty, how can we criticise the young group that unfortunately hasn't seen enough stability or continuity? There are still disconnects all over the ground that need sorting.

 

[Swallow_Wood]

Confidence & Fitness.

It's bleedingly obvious to anyone who watched his footage from his year in the TAC or whatever it is.

In that year, pre-covid and pre-glandular fever, he was buzzing from contest to contest, and at the coal face he was a one touch player, clean gather of the ground ball under pressure, followed by a quick and accurate release to a team mate off either hand, virtually every single time. His kicking was super neat too and his decision making was excellent.

Watching him now it is undeniable that he hasn't been able to do the work needed to take the jump to AFL level in strength, fitness and speed. This has clearly sapped his confidence and his execution has suffered as a consequence. That level of talent doesn't just disappear ffs.

Much is said about his professionalism and positive attitude. He is going to need to dig deep into those reserves to get to a competitive level because he is coming from a long way back. Its easy to pot the kid, but the rewards for sticking fat and helping him get the best out of himself could be pretty damn big. The only issue will be the impact the glandular fever has had on his ability to get going 100%.

Just to refresh some memories, here are his highlights from his underage year in the TAC. Younger than everyone else, he has the strength, pace and skill to look like a dominant mid. He is clearly still missing that zip around the contest.

 

[King Corey]

Phillips has a bit of motor from contest to contest about him and do all the basics well about his game.

But I can see why people reject a comparison to LDU (188cm) or Cunnington (185cm) who had much stronger frames to start with.

I think Will can reach 100+ games and become part of a strong side for us. Probably not the main man but a contributor, think Neal-Bullen et al.

But it's understandable why people query a shorter player without some of the specific talents you might expect from the guys <=180cm - ie pace/explosiveness, kicking depth, goal sense etc.

 

[Swallow_Wood]

Phillips has a bit of motor from contest to contest about him and do all the basics well about his game.

But I can see why people reject a comparison to LDU (188cm) or Cunnington (185cm) who had much stronger frames to start with.

I think Will can reach 100+ games and become part of a strong side for us. Probably not the main man but a contributor, think Neal-Bullen et al.

But it's understandable why people query a shorter player without some of the specific talents you might expect from the guys <=180cm - ie pace/explosiveness, kicking depth, goal sense etc.

LDU is a bit of a unicorn, as was Cunners in a sense, given he played at 98kgs or so. Couldn't run away from a chronic fatigue suffering sloth though. Phillips' unique talents are more subtle than those that catch the eye easily (like cunners and his hands/decision making in a sense) but the issue is he hasn't been able to show them yet at AFL level. If he can get past his fitness and strength issues these will come to the fore more but he will still be one of those guys oppo supporters say 'yeah, he may have got it 29 times but he didn't hurt us', not noticing the 15 contested, 9 clearances, 8 score involvements etc. He's a footballer first and not a player whose style will pull people into the game, a very important cog in a machine.

 

[Only Forwards]

Phillips has a bit of motor from contest to contest about him and do all the basics well about his game.

But I can see why people reject a comparison to LDU (188cm) or Cunnington (185cm) who had much stronger frames to start with.

I think Will can reach 100+ games and become part of a strong side for us. Probably not the main man but a contributor, think Neal-Bullen et al.

But it's understandable why people query a shorter player without some of the specific talents you might expect from the guys <=180cm - ie pace/explosiveness, kicking depth, goal sense etc.

his frame is exactly why Spitta is a good comparison.

He was undersized (still taller than WiPhi) and lacked depth on his kicking.

he made up with it with being a ferocious tackler and having a huge heart.

It took him a stint in the twos working on his deficiencies to get there though.

 

[Chadwiko]

Importantly, both Swallow and Phillips absolutely bought into the Shinboner way of life. They are fully dedicated to the club and they bleed Royal Blue and White.

Can't put a price on that.

 

[King Corey]

his frame is exactly why Spitta is a good comparison.

He was undersized (still taller than WiPhi) and lacked depth on his kicking.

he made up with it with being a ferocious tackler and having a huge heart.

It took him a stint in the twos working on his deficiencies to get there though.

I said pre-draft that Phillips and DGB were the guys I was really annoyed at missing at our pick (expecting McDonald or Hollands) so was very happy when we got him.

Am stating for posterity here - I think he will develop and become a 100+ game player. Top 10 B&Fs are a reasonable expectation. Not sure he'll "validate" the top 3 pick in terms of league positioning but that doesn't matter anyway. Another #3 pick comes to mind as a reasonable comparison - Chris Masten. He didn't end up another Chris Judd but won a flag and played his part in a winning team. No reason why Will can't look to achieve the same.

All that doesn't mean that those criticising on football grounds are way off. Of course Will has some strong traits like competitiveness, strong on-field awareness and quick decision making. But he is a smaller stature guy and without breakaway pace, a big leap, elite agility or the ability to bash it 60m off one step like Daniel Rich - he's going to need most things going in his favour from now on to become the player he can be.

 

[Psicosis]

It's bleedingly obvious to anyone who watched his footage from his year in the TAC or whatever it is.

In that year, pre-covid and pre-glandular fever, he was buzzing from contest to contest, and at the coal face he was a one touch player, clean gather of the ground ball under pressure, followed by a quick and accurate release to a team mate off either hand, virtually every single time. His kicking was super neat too and his decision making was excellent.

Watching him now it is undeniable that he hasn't been able to do the work needed to take the jump to AFL level in strength, fitness and speed. This has clearly sapped his confidence and his execution has suffered as a consequence. That level of talent doesn't just disappear ffs.

Much is said about his professionalism and positive attitude. He is going to need to dig deep into those reserves to get to a competitive level because he is coming from a long way back. Its easy to pot the kid, but the rewards for sticking fat and helping him get the best out of himself could be pretty damn big. The only issue will be the impact the glandular fever has had on his ability to get going 100%.

Just to refresh some memories, here are his highlights from his underage year in the TAC. Younger than everyone else, he has the strength, pace and skill to look like a dominant mid. He is clearly still missing that zip around the contest.

Between the ears is Wills biggest issue.

He looks like a guy that has all confidence zapped. Compare that to Wardlaw & Sheezel, who couldn't be more confident.

He has spoken a lot about working with the psych at the club which is great that he acknowledges it. Hopefully a big preseason getting himself really fit, brings the confidence back.

 

[Swallow_Wood]

Between the ears is Wills biggest issue.

He looks like a guy that has all confidence zapped. Compare that to Wardlaw & Sheezel, who couldn't be more confident.

He has spoken a lot about working with the psych at the club which is great that he acknowledges it. Hopefully a big preseason getting himself really fit, brings the confidence back.

I think the fitness has a major bearing on his confidence though. As King Corey has stated quite clearly, he doesn't have an outstanding attribute that can get him out of trouble or make him stand out, so without that AFL level of strength and fitness he gets left behind and thats gotta be hard to deal with. The fitness will probably return before the confidence does though, so we will hopefully see moments of that zip and skill around the contest before the penny drops fully.

 

[Themanbun]

Ordinary game but I liked that spinny groundy flippy handbally thing he did when he received that dodgy handball at full tilt

 

[Snojet]

Exactly what Swallow looked like in his first three seasons

Wow. So similar.
Thanks for the data.
I’ll take a chill pill until this time next year.

 

[Midas]

Strange comparison. A 2nd year Swallow vs 3rd year Phillips.

Fwiw Swallow's 3rd year was patchy only playing 3 games.

I compared his second because he played VFL in the 3rd. Which makes it even more relevant.

 

[nelroo]

Wow. So similar.
Thanks for the data.
I’ll take a chill pill until this time next year.

We are within our rights to be concerned though as where they were taken in the draft is not exactly similar .. expectations on Will are greater. Fingers crossed he can have a massive pre season.

 

[muttley45]

What were Dane Swans first few seasons like ? he was always called out as too slow to make it, but made those calls look silly.

 

[Hojuman]

What were Dane Swans first few seasons like ? he was always called out as too slow to make it, but made those calls look silly.

Yeh, l still have faith Mutt's.

 

[muttley45]

Yeh, l still have faith Mutt's.

Footballer v athlete argument.