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

[Merlin007]

I don't quite understand what the drama is all about. He's effectively a second year player averaging 18 disposals, 4 tackles and 4 clearances a game (averages which would be a bit higher if we take into account that his 15 games are really 14, given he was subbed out once, and subbed on once). That's double his output from his 'first' year of 2021, a decent rate of improvement IMO. I agree with King Corey there's things to work on, and if he stamps himself in the side it will be as a contest-distributor, not a David Kind 'striker' in the mould of Bontempelli. But lots of good sides have that style of player, so I don't see why Phillips can't be one.

 

[FootySmartSimpson]

I love his tackling technique. It’s like seeing a leopard take down a Zebra. He gets in there with ferocious power, locks the arms and brings the oppo down in one smooth movement. Did it a few times textbook catching the man with with prior. But, alas, a few were not called.

 

[Warlord69]

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.

Dane Swan was pick 58

 

[the big lebowski]

Dane Swan was pick 58

He was. And he averaged 9,13,16 possessions per game in his first 3 seasons.

 

[Warlord69]

He was. And he averaged 9,13,16 possessions per game in his first 3 seasons.

Its expected for a speculative, later end pick to have a slow start to their career.
Less so for selection number 3.

 

[The acurate one]

Oh stop it, Phillips biggest issue is overcoming his physical limitations.
Tony Shaw did it through sheer determination, can Wayne, that's the question.

 

[The acurate one]

I love his tackling technique. It’s like seeing a leopard take down a Zebra. He gets in there with ferocious power, locks the arms and brings the oppo down in one smooth movement. Did it a few times textbook catching the man with with prior. But, alas, a few were not called.

I see it more a turtle taking down a snail

 

[the big lebowski]

Its expected for a speculative, later end pick to have a slow start to their career.
Less so for selection number 3.

I’ll ask this first. Do you put any stock into glandular fever ruining his entire second year, enough to consider this his second year?

 

[Warlord69]

I’ll ask this first. Do you put any stock into glandular fever ruining his entire second year, enough to consider this his second year?

Of course I do. He should however be showing flashes or even glimpses of why we took him so high.

 

[Psychic Roo]

Of course I do. He should however be showing flashes or even glimpses of why we took him so high.

Also covid affected u18 year.

 

[Passmore]

Oh stop it, Phillips biggest issue is overcoming his physical limitations.
Tony Shaw did it through sheer determination, can Wayne, that's the question.

Geez, I wonder what round T Shaw would be taken in the draft if he were coming through now.

 

[The acurate one]

Geez, I wonder what round T Shaw would be taken in the draft if he were coming through now.

Cat C, I don’t think English was his first language

 

[The acurate one]

Also covid affected u18 year.

Spare us the the pain , will he make it, you should know

 

[the big lebowski]

Of course I do. He should however be showing flashes or even glimpses of why we took him so high.

Sweet. So we agree it’s WAP’s second year and he’s wayyyyy behind fitness wise. I think they said in the q & a that he’d done 70% of the pre season this year, after having a year off.

Pick 3 - averages 18.3 disposals per game @ 73%, 4.2 tackles, 4 clearances from only 70% game time

Now you’ve said that’s not enough for a high pick. So let’s compare

Cunners (pick 5) - 12.9 disposals
LDU (pick 4) - 17.3 disposals
Simpkin (pick 12) - 18.6 disposals
Luke Ball (pick 3) - 20 disposals
Matt Rowell (pick 1) - 18.6 disposals
Trent Cotchin (pick 2) - 17.7 disposals
Marc Murphy (pick 1) - 17.9 disposals
Jason Horne ****face (pick 1) - 17.9
Connor Rozee (pick 6) - 12.9 disposals
Darcy Parish (pick 5) - 20.3 disposals
Tom Libberatore (FS) - 20.6 disposals
Jack Viney (FS) - 19.9 disposals
Petracca (pick 2) - 18.8 disposals

Edit: let’s compare him to his draft class

Braden Campbell - 15.9 disposals
Tanner Bruhn - 16.3 disposals
Tom Powell - 15.9 disposals
Elijah Hollands - 12.7 disposals
Sam Berry - 10 disposals

 

[Merlin007]

Sweet. So we agree it’s WAP’s second year and he’s wayyyyy behind fitness wise. I think they said in the q & a that he’d done 70% of the pre season this year, after having a year off.

Pick 3 - averages 18.3 disposals per game @ 73%, 4.2 tackles, 4 clearances from only 70% game time

Now you’ve said that’s not enough for a high pick. So let’s compare

Cunners (pick 5) - 12.9 disposals
LDU (pick 4) - 17.3 disposals
Simpkin (pick 12) - 18.6 disposals
Luke Ball (pick 3) - 20 disposals
Matt Rowell (pick 1) - 18.6 disposals
Trent Cotchin (pick 2) - 17.7 disposals
Marc Murphy (pick 1) - 17.9 disposals
Jason Horne *face (pick 1) - 17.9
Connor Rozee (pick 6) - 12.9 disposals
Darcy Parish (pick 5) - 20.3 disposals
Tom Libberatore (FS) - 20.6 disposals
Jack Viney (FS) - 19.9 disposals
Petracca (pick 2) - 18.8 disposals

This is a key variable IMO - comparable midfielders in the contest-distributor mould play 75-80% game time. As his fitness improves, so will Phillips' numbers

 

[AGC]

Sweet. So we agree it’s WAP’s second year and he’s wayyyyy behind fitness wise. I think they said in the q & a that he’d done 70% of the pre season this year, after having a year off.

Pick 3 - averages 18.3 disposals per game @ 73%, 4.2 tackles, 4 clearances from only 70% game time

Now you’ve said that’s not enough for a high pick. So let’s compare

Cunners (pick 5) - 12.9 disposals
LDU (pick 4) - 17.3 disposals
Simpkin (pick 12) - 18.6 disposals
Luke Ball (pick 3) - 20 disposals
Matt Rowell (pick 1) - 18.6 disposals
Trent Cotchin (pick 2) - 17.7 disposals
Marc Murphy (pick 1) - 17.9 disposals
Jason Horne *face (pick 1) - 17.9
Connor Rozee (pick 6) - 12.9 disposals
Darcy Parish (pick 5) - 20.3 disposals
Tom Libberatore (FS) - 20.6 disposals
Jack Viney (FS) - 19.9 disposals
Petracca (pick 2) - 18.8 disposals

Edit: let’s compare him to his draft class

Braden Campbell - 15.9 disposals
Tanner Bruhn - 16.3 disposals
Tom Powell - 15.9 disposals
Elijah Hollands - 12.7 disposals
Sam Berry - 10 disposals

Yeah....but what ''AFL qualities'' does he have other than his ability to win clearances and contested ball, up there with many of the AFL's best at comparable stages of their career, fantastic tackling desire and ability (e.g. being the leading tackler and pressure acts player on the ground on the weekend despite only playing 70% of the game), and highly vaunted work ethic and leadership skills that have been continually lauded by his team mates and previous coaches.

 

[Devil Fish]

We can debate WP all we like but the fact is, he is signed until the end of 2024.

He has the next 12 months to elevate his game. If we are still debating him in 12 months & trying to make excuses for him, then I think we can concede he ain't gonna make it.

Powell is in exactly the same boat.

 

[zoomba23]

We can debate WP all we like but the fact is, he is signed until the end of 2024.

He has the next 12 months to elevate his game. If we are still debating him in 12 months & trying to make excuses for him, then I think we can concede he ain't gonna make it.

Powell is in exactly the same boat.

A bit like we let LDU go after four years... oh wait

 

[Sheezel2Wardlaw]

I'll just leave this here.



Phillips is playing in a bottom team & he's played less games. He is also spending less TOG.

 

[brooksnk]

I'll just leave this here.

View attachment 1781737

Phillips is playing in a bottom team & he's played less games. He is also spending less TOG.

But this is a perfect example of why stats don't tell the whole story (or close to it). No one would watch these two guys this year and think they are near the same level of quality.

 

[desie]

Of course I do. He should however be showing flashes or even glimpses of why we took him so high.

I’d class a couple of very good games mid-year as ‘glimpses’.

I agree with the general consensus that this becomes a serious conversation in 12 months.

 

[Zondor]

But this is a perfect example of why stats don't tell the whole story (or close to it). No one would watch these two guys this year and think they are near the same level of quality.

Correct. JHF can burst from a pack and has a penetrating kick. Phillips has neither quality. He tends to get the pill out of a pack via a handpass and sadly his kicking lacks penetration. :stern look

 

[the big lebowski]

Correct. JHF can burst from a pack and has a penetrating kick. Phillips has neither quality. He tends to get the pill out of a pack via a handpass and sadly his kicking lacks penetration. :stern look

So as much as I hate him, JHF is a very good player (with a tonne to work on). He’s easily better than WAP and no one will argue otherwise. The stats simply gave some perspective.

For instance Phillips has 0.5 goal assists per game be 0.7 goal assists for JHF. They are objective numbers. Disposal efficiency over all is in phillips favour yet he has twice the handballs to JHF so you’d expect that. Score involvements is 5.3 to 3.9 in JHF but the diff is almost all his actual average scoring solo output. Point being JHF disposal doesn’t end in a team mate scoring anymore than WAP.

Infact Eddie Ford, whom I like, and plays forward, has basically the same ave score involvements as WAP and I read here recently he’s the only non bust from the 2020 draft.

Archie Perkins also a goal a game forward and pick 7 after WAP averages 5. Luke Pedlar, also a forward aves 4.7.

All this with WAP in a team that scores much less than most teams.

Phillips needs to get into space more and kick it, we know that.

Hopefully one pre season allows him to
Do this more. And spread in general. Rome isn’t built in a day though and it takes time.

 

[the big lebowski]

So he’s ok?

 

[Disco Dew]

So he’s ok?

Never in doubt. **** the haters