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

[TennisPlayerAndy]

I like how everyone here has just taken it as a fact that the only reason Will Phillips isn't playing this weekend is because of his talent/form/skill.

We ignoring the fact that we have a report in this thread he left the training track early on Thursday and went into the rooms?

This quote?

He was participating in tackling drills I saw today, and laying solid tackles. They went inside after 15-20 minutes but there didn’t appear to be anything physically wrong with him.

 

[Del191229]

Still plenty of time for plenty of you to end up with egg on your faces regarding Phillips.

Probably the same types who said LDU wouldn’t make it or that Cunners was too slow.

If there is one kid who will use this to fuel his fire it’s Phillips

Yes, will be stunned if he's not offered another contract as many seem to think is possible.

 

[Del191229]

This quote?

Yeah, the "they" seemed to apply to the whole group right, not just Will?

Someone's source stitched them up.

 

[HBFlanker]

Still plenty of time for plenty of you to end up with egg on your faces regarding Phillips.

Probably the same types who said LDU wouldn’t make it or that Cunners was too slow.

If there is one kid who will use this to fuel his fire it’s Phillips

LDU had 440 possessions in his fourth year. Averaged 22 touches and over 3 tackles a game. Had 38 touches and 3 brownlow votes against the reigning premier.

Phillips aint in that category.

I'm sick of seeing comments like "If there's anyone this will motivate its Will" and "Theres no player on our list as driven as Will"

Frankly they are just words. Hes needs to stand up and show us something, or he needs to go.

Im not writing him off, but thats the reality. We invested a sh*tload in Will. He needs to show the results, and he needs to do it now.

 

[muttley45]

I see there is a Toby Sheezel listed there, any relation to Harry ?

 

[Epictetus]

Since selection, it's been "he's our Lachie Neale

9

Lachie Neale

Age

31

Ht

177cm

Wt

84kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

27.0

5star

K

11.5

4star

HB

15.5

5star

M

4.0

4star

T

3.7

5star

CL

5.9

5star

D

28.3

5star

K

13.9

5star

HB

14.4

5star

M

4.6

4star

T

4.0

5star

CL

5.9

5star

D

12.0

3star

K

4.6

2star

HB

7.4

5star

M

2.0

3star

T

1.0

3star

CL

0.4

3star

, probably the same people that didn't rate LDU and Cunners, he was probably injured".

He's just not up to it at the moment. About 6 coaches who spend every single day with the lad and pull apart everything hourly - including one of the best ever - clearly believe that

 

[roos_fanatic08]

LDU had 440 possessions in his fourth year. Averaged 22 touches and over 3 tackles a game. Had 38 touches and 3 brownlow votes against the reigning premier.

Phillips aint in that category.

I'm sick of seeing comments like "If there's anyone this will motivate its Will" and "Theres no player on our list as driven as Will"

Frankly they are just words. Hes needs to stand up and show us something, or he needs to go.

Im not writing him off, but thats the reality. We invested a sh*tload in Will. He needs to show the results, and he needs to do it now.

I’m of the opinion that he is still a year or so off, top age year destroyed by covid, then glandular fever last year and another bad bout of covid mid year.

He needs a couple of years of continuity to show what he can do.

I’m so confident that there is mat minimum a solid B grade AFL level player there.

 

[HBFlanker]

I’m of the opinion that he is still a year or so off, top age year destroyed by covid, then glandular fever last year and another bad bout of covid mid year.

He needs a couple of years of continuity to show what he can do.

I’m so confident that there is mat minimum a solid B grade AFL level player there.

Unfortunately, we don't have a couple of years to wait for Will. The spots will be taken.

 

[Del191229]

I’m of the opinion that he is still a year or so off, top age year destroyed by covid, then glandular fever last year and another bad bout of covid mid year.

This.

 

[Epictetus]

It's unfortunate Will got glandular fever, but it's doing a lot of heavy lifting in the explanations as to why in year 4 he's not being selected in one of the worst sides the club has ever put out onto a football field, historically.

 

[My Left Foote]

LDU had 440 possessions in his fourth year. Averaged 22 touches and over 3 tackles a game. Had 38 touches and 3 brownlow votes against the reigning premier.

Phillips aint in that category.

I'm sick of seeing comments like "If there's anyone this will motivate its Will" and "Theres no player on our list as driven as Will"

Frankly they are just words. Hes needs to stand up and show us something, or he needs to go.

Im not writing him off, but thats the reality. We invested a sh*tload in Will. He needs to show the results, and he needs to do it now.

The reality is we've invested the exact same amount of time, energy and resources to all players from the 2020 Draft.

Phillips (32 games), Powell (45), Lazzaro (30), Spicer, & Ford (22). None of these players are close to reaching their full potential, they are all more than capable at AFL level and all look promising to varying degrees.

So if you're going to single out Phillips and say "He needs to show results, and he needs to do it now" then apply that same statement to all of them. Because as of right now none of them have achieved or shown so much more than Will that they deserve to escape the same level of scrutiny and criticism that is applied to Will.

 

[giantroo]

I see there is a Toby Sheezel listed there, any relation to Harry ?

Yes.

 

[HBFlanker]

The reality is we've invested the exact same amount of time, energy and resources to all players from the 2020 Draft.

Phillips (32 games), Powell (45), Lazzaro (30), Spicer, & Ford (22). None of these players are close to reaching their full potential, they are all more than capable at AFL level and all look promising to varying degrees.

So if you're going to single out Phillips and say "He needs to show results, and he needs to do it now" then apply that same statement to all of them. Because as of right now none of them have achieved or shown so much more than Will that they deserve to escape the same level of scrutiny and criticism that is applied to Will.

No we havent.

We invested pick 3 in Will.

And to be fair, the other 3 are in front of him now.

 

[Epictetus]

No we havent.

We invested pick 3 in Will.

And to be fair, the other 3 are in front of him now.

Powell is the only one that I have genuine confidence in making it. Ford has good stuff and keen to see more, but I wouldn't bet a dollar that he gets there.

 

[Disco Dew]

We ignoring the fact that we have a report in this thread he left the training track early on Thursday and went into the rooms?

Where was this? I don't remember seeing it.

 

[Disco Dew]

Yes.

Father son?



...

 

[Warlord69]

I mean this is just flat out bullshit. Speculating that McKercher, a part-time inside mid at best, will be a better contested ball winner, before he's even played a game, is laughable. And Powell is not a better contested ball player at this time. More creative, sure

This kind of s**t is a large part of the reason why so many flock here to defend Will

1. McKercher’s u18’s profile:

• Averaged 29 and a goal as rover.
• Capped his seasons off with a 32 possession, 8 clearance, 2 goal game for the allies.

Able to play other positions? yes. does that mean he isn’t capable of being an elite midfielder? Absolutely not.

2. There’s a thing in footy called projection. We project Harley Reid is going to be a good contested ball player based on his u18s vision. We knew Sheezel had this immense football IQ before he played a game of AFL footy. That’s what clubs do. The argument that you can’t compare McKercher’s traits (which were the reason he went pick 2) with another player because he hasn’t debuted yet makes absolutely no sense.

Powell is more debatable, but neither are anywhere close to some of our other young mids. The coaches believe Lazzaro, a speculative pick in the 30s, and a VFL stalwart for much of his time at North currently brings more value to the team than Will Phill.

Will is not tracking perfectly. Anyone that argues otherwise has serious rose coloured glasses on. Genuine sunk-cost fallacy.

 

[Warlord69]

Since selection, it's been "he's our Lachie Neale, probably the same people that didn't rate LDU and Cunners, he was probably injured".

He's just not up to it at the moment. About 6 coaches who spend every single day with the lad and pull apart everything hourly - including one of the best ever - clearly believe that

Was always an enormous fan of LDU, even throughout his injuries.
You could see these glimpses of elite traits, power, acceleration, agility etc, that you knew he just needed to time to get fit and healthy and put it all together.
Will has no such traits.

 

[Fish Sticks]

At the Fan Day, and in one of his pressers.

I must have missed both of those… what did he single him out for in particular?

 

[zoomba23]

1. McKercher’s u18’s profile:

• Averaged 29 and a goal as rover.
• Capped his seasons off with a 32 possession, 8 clearance, 2 goal game for the allies.

Part time midfielder? Able to play other positions? yes. does that mean he isn’t capable of being an elite midfielder? Absolutely not.

2. There’s a thing in footy called projection. We project Harley Reid is going to be a good contested ball player based on his u18s vision. We knew Sheezel had this immense football IQ before he played a game of AFL footy. That’s what clubs do. The argument that you can’t compare McKercher’s traits (which were the reason he went pick 2) with another player because he hasn’t debuted yet makes absolutely no sense.

Powell is more debatable, but neither are anywhere close to some of our other young mids. The coaches currently believe Lazzaro, a speculative pick in the 30s, and a VFL stalwart for much of his time at North brings more value to the team than Will Phill.

Will is not tracking perfectly. Anyone that argues otherwise has serious rose coloured glasses on. Genuine sunk-cost fallacy.

You didn't say 'midfielder,' did you? You said inside midfielder. That one word carries a lot of weight. As an inside-outside midfielder, I'll confidently use projection, that concept which you've so condescendingly put to me, to claim that McKercher will outdo Phillips by the length of the Flemington straight. Kicks, inside 50s, handball receives, goals, and metres gained, it won't be a contest. For raw average contested numbers in the AFL; tackling, contested possessions, clearances, I will bet my left eye that Phillips will cover McKercher.

Never said he was tracking perfectly. I'm concerned about his ground coverage as well. I'm just trying to impart some sanity on some of these takes

 

[Junk yard]

I like how everyone here has just taken it as a fact that the only reason Will Phillips isn't playing this weekend is because of his talent/form/skill.

We ignoring the fact that we have a report in this thread he left the training track early on Thursday and went into the rooms?

You read that wrong, and he's been named in the VFL intraclub.

 

[Warlord69]

You didn't say 'midfielder,' did you? You said inside midfielder. That one word carries a lot of weight. As an inside-outside midfielder, I'll confidently use projection, that concept which you've so condescendingly put to me, to claim that McKercher will outdo Phillips by the length of the Flemington straight. Kicks, inside 50s, handball receives, goals, and metres gained, it won't be a contest. For raw average contested numbers in the AFL; tackling, contested possessions, clearances, I will bet my left eye that Phillips will cover McKercher.

Never said he was tracking perfectly. I'm concerned about his ground coverage as well. I'm just trying to impart some sanity on some of these takes

Fair enough - agree to disagree

 

[FootySmartSimpson]

I reckon there's only room for one smaller "busy" mid in the side and Charlie Laz has nabbed it with his epic preseason. Add to that the need for experienced bodies in the midfield with Jyza out and Will gets squeezed.

I suppose the test for Chaz (& Will) will be against hardened opposition as opposed to the training track.

Wishing both luck.

 

[FootySmartSimpson]

Don’t think you can say he’s a good contested ball player because even though that’s his specialty, our other mids (LDU, Wardlaw, Powell, Mckercher in time etc) are better in that department.

What are you actually basing this on?

Powell was playing as a HF for two years (one under Clarkson’s tenure) while Will was playing in the guts.

McKercher is highly rated but yet to play a game.

Wardlaw is a better inside player but there is no shame in that. George will be our best player if he can stay fit.

LDU is primarily a second possession centre square mid that excels when using his evasiveness and power to cut ribbons in the opposition. If you look over the second half of the year, it was Phillips hard and often unsung work that released him (and others).

Those that talk sh*t about Will, do so at their own peril.

 

[Bren]

As bad as it might sound... Will needs to step out of Harry's, George's and now Colby's and Zane's shadow and put his own stamp on the game.

You are worthy Will, you will get there... when you get your chance i hope you grab it and run with it!!