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

[Del191229]

As you say, he doesn’t have the size, or the tank, to play like Ben Jacobs (who also coincidentally had glandular fever).

Yeah, I was pretty sure he did, and it took him a long time and lots of hard work to really become a top end AFL player.

Also, its worth remembering Ben is only 32 and there's a world where he's one of the senior bods who have helped manage the rebuild.

I've always thought his loss hurt us far more than was immediatley apparent.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

Yeah, I was pretty sure he did, and it took him a long time and lots of hard work to really become a top end AFL player.

Also, its worth remembering Ben is only 32 and there's a world where he's one of the senior bods who have helped manage the rebuild.

I've always thought his loss hurt us far more than was immediatley apparent.

He was burying Trent Cotchin, among a whole host of others, in 2015 at 23 years of age.

I struggle to see Phillips replicating his trajectory.

Jacobs already had elite fitness before being struck down by glandular before his second season.

Phillips didn’t, and still doesn’t.

 

[Only Forwards]

I've always thought his loss hurt us far more than was immediatley apparent.

Honestly cutting JMac and Atley also hurt because we cut leaders who could have continued playing out of the club, limited as they may have been. Its part of the "we cut too deep" only to replace them with kids who were no where near making it.

I mean Patch Adams is also only 36. There could be a world where he played until his mid 30s and only just retired.

 

[Only Forwards]

He was burying Trent Cotchin, among a whole host of others, in 2015 at 23 years of age.

I struggle to see Phillips replicating his trajectory.

Sure.

However I still think this is a more worthwhile course of action than trading him for a third round pick or whatever other nonsense we would be offered for him.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

Sure.

However I still think this is a more worthwhile course of action than trading him for a third round pick or whatever other nonsense we would be offered for him.

We’ll get nothing in a trade.

A side will pick him up as a DFA if anything, but we don’t exactly have a playing list where there are no delisting candidates so he may very well stay on.

 

[Event Horizon]

He was burying Trent Cotchin, among a whole host of others, in 2015 at 23 years of age.

I struggle to see Phillips replicating his trajectory.

Jacobs already had elite fitness before being struck down by glandular before his second season.

Phillips didn’t, and still doesn’t.

Jacobs ended up with just 64 games for North. Has all the holemarks of having a gun son who will go top 5 in the draft in years to come.

 

[Event Horizon]

We’ll get nothing in a trade.

A side will pick him up as a DFA if anything, but we don’t exactly have a playing list where there are no delisting candidates so he may very well stay on.

Given we have just drafted two extra players and the fact our inflated rookie list needs to be trimmed down in line with other clubs, list spots will be hard to come by. We will need to delist at least 7-8 players. Possibly more. As crap as our list is, it won't be easy to finalize the delistings

 

[Harris 10]

Given we have just drafted two extra players and the fact our inflated rookie list needs to be trimmed down in line with other clubs, list spots will be hard to come by. We will need to delist at least 7-8 players. Possibly more. As crap as our list is, it won't be easy to finalize the delistings

I think we’ll be ok finding 7 or 8 players to move on.

 

[roos_fanatic08]

He was burying Trent Cotchin, among a whole host of others, in 2015 at 23 years of age.

I struggle to see Phillips replicating his trajectory.

Jacobs already had elite fitness before being struck down by glandular before his second season.

Phillips didn’t, and still doesn’t.

Dunno about elite, he was a decent runner without being outstanding. His 2017/18 pre-season was huge and it took his running capacity to another level, which resulted in him becoming an elite tagger.

If a player like Froggy Dumont can improve his running capacity to elite levels (one paced I know), then there is no reason why Phillips can't.

I'd give Phillips a 1 year deal with triggers for a 2nd year. Tie him to Scott/Stephens/Simpkin for the pre-season and see if he can't improve his running capacity. His running capacity at the moment is the biggest hinderance to his game.

 

[Mordecai]

Dunno about elite, he was a decent runner without being outstanding. His 2017/18 pre-season was huge and it took his running capacity to another level, which resulted in him becoming an elite tagger.

If a player like Froggy Dumont can improve his running capacity to elite levels (one paced I know), then there is no reason why Phillips can't.

I'd give Phillips a 1 year deal with triggers for a 2nd year. Tie him to Scott/Stephens/Simpkin for the pre-season and see if he can't improve his running capacity. His running capacity at the moment is the biggest hinderance to his game.

Wasn't his running capacity one of his strengths as a junior?

 

[Epictetus]

Wasn't his running capacity one of his strengths as a junior?

It was, yes.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

Dunno about elite, he was a decent runner without being outstanding. His 2017/18 pre-season was huge and it took his running capacity to another level, which resulted in him becoming an elite tagger.

If a player like Froggy Dumont can improve his running capacity to elite levels (one paced I know), then there is no reason why Phillips can't.

I'd give Phillips a 1 year deal with triggers for a 2nd year. Tie him to Scott/Stephens/Simpkin for the pre-season and see if he can't improve his running capacity. His running capacity at the moment is the biggest hinderance to his game.

He was an elite tagger earlier than that though. Did some massive jobs in our PF year in 2015.

 

[roos_fanatic08]

He was an elite tagger earlier than that though. Did some massive jobs in our PF year in 2015.

Perhaps I'm getting my years mixed up, I just recall an article where he attributed his rise off the back of a pre-season where he took his running capacity to another level.

 

[perplexed]

A lot of talk of Will becoming a tagger. Can't see this working unless he can improve his tank. I only watched the second quarter of the game on the weekend, but Will certainly wasn't tagging anyone then. He had a weird role that I couldn't understand. He rarely stood next to anyone at stoppages and was often standing by himself five or ten metres on the attacking side of the contest.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

Perhaps I'm getting my years mixed up, I just recall an article where he attributed his rise off the back of a pre-season where he took his running capacity to another level.

He barely played after 2015 so it must have been before then.

I’d say off season either 2013/2014.

 

[King Corey]

He’s a depth midfielder at best.

LDU, Simpkin, Wardlaw, Sheezel, Powell, McKercher.

He sits seventh, level with Lazzaro, and don’t see him overtaking any of them, regardless of his professionalism.

As you say, he doesn’t have the size, or the tank, to play like Ben Jacobs (who also coincidentally had glandular fever).

Don't see any shame in him being that 7th option, injury contingency etc. Agree on sustained AFL performance to date he's not getting past any of that top 6. And that's before trade/draft play a role too.

But if both he and the club are happy with him as depth that's a reasonable worst case scenario. The dream scenario for him is obviously that he edges out a senior player on merit.

 

[King Corey]

He barely played after 2015 so it must have been before then.

I’d say off season either 2013/2014.

He was decent in our "outstanding" 2018 season (TM Ben Buckley) when we won the non finals premiership.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

Don't see any shame in him being that 7th option, injury contingency etc. Agree on sustained AFL performance to date he's not getting past any of that top 6. And that's before trade/draft play a role too.

But if both he and the club are happy with him as depth that's a reasonable worst case scenario. The dream scenario for him is obviously that he edges out a senior player on merit.

If he’s happy to stay on the list then great.

I see him in the same vein as backup QB. Never threatening the main on field player(s) but acceptable back up.

 

[King Corey]

If he’s happy to stay on the list then great.

I see him in the same vein as backup QB. Never threatening the main on field player(s) but acceptable back up.

Same at this stage. If a 23yo version of the contest to contest mid he projected to be as a 17yo emerges, great.

But on the very outside chance we made finals next year, having a guy ready to cover any 1st choice mid ready and willing is worth the punt of a contract extension imo.

He's probably going to end up a Dylan Smith at this rate - top end pick, some early promise, excellent character but overcome by physical limitation.

But I'd rather these types of guys on the list than a Curtis Taylor - 6 years in the system with somehow less lean body mass than when he started - or an Atu Bosenavulagi - spitballing a Rugby 7s career on our dime.

 

[Liam Boy]

Honestly cutting JMac and Atley also hurt because we cut leaders who could have continued playing out of the club, limited as they may have been. Its part of the "we cut too deep" only to replace them with kids who were no where near making it.

I mean Patch Adams is also only 36. There could be a world where he played until his mid 30s and only just retired.

Yeah, I think the aggressive cut made sense when you just looked at the raw numbers, but we took it too far. We didn't have the draft capital to actually replace the guys we delisted with guys who could make it. Like, we got rid of Mason Wood for who? Phoenix Spicer? Patrick Walker? Atu Bosenavulagi?

 

[ChairmanZia]

Hr reminds me of Ben Jacobs. Hugely regarded juniour that never translated that to senior footy.

Then became a gun tagger and was rapidly evolving into a gun two way midfielder before cruelly struck down.

That's Will's go imo

I read that he is being trained as a defensive midfielder.

I would dearly love him to become a good negater, we haven't had one of those for a while.

 

[swaeney]

Yeah, I think the aggressive cut made sense when you just looked at the raw numbers, but we took it too far. We didn't have the draft capital to actually replace the guys we delisted with guys who could make it. Like, we got rid of Mason Wood for who? Phoenix Spicer? Patrick Walker? Atu Bosenavulagi?

Baffles me why Majak got let go also. Blokes like him with his athleticism don’t come around very often

 

[Liam Boy]

Baffles me why Majak got let go also. Blokes like him with his athleticism don’t come around very often

He was pretty done physically. As much as I would've liked to see it, I don't think he would've gotten a game.

 

[Colby Cheer Squad]

He barely played after 2015 so it must have been before then.

I’d say off season either 2013/2014.

His games tallies (remembering that he joined us in 2013)

2011 - 12
2012 - 14
2013 - 7
2014 - 14
2015 - 23
2016 - 7
2017 - 0
2018 - 13

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

His games tallies (remembering that he joined us in 2013)

2011 - 12
2012 - 14
2013 - 7
2014 - 14
2015 - 23
2016 - 7
2017 - 0
2018 - 13

2019 - 0
2020 - 0

He was a genuinely massive loss, especially 2016.