Player Watch #29: Will Phillips

[My Left Foote]

I don't disagree, just trying to be positive.

Who are you and what have you done with TAO?

 

[DuckYeah]

He’s too one paced Accurate. And God help him when the opposition win clearance & spread ?! … AFL is too quick for him .

Do you know how to slow a midfield down? Its not entirely about being quick. Will isnt as slow as people make him out to be.

 

[Amicalola]

Seems like Will is held to a different standard here than other players.

 

[FootySmartSimpson]

Seems like Will is held to a different standard here than other players.

Massively. We are pretty much playing 4-5 players down but we don’t want to give an extended chance to a kid who has proven his talent in the past and has generally bled for the club.

 

[Elroo]

Seems like Will is held to a different standard here than other players.

Yep, I'm happy to allow Will game time to get him up to speed, rather than snoozers like JS being gifted games.

 

[RossHenshaw]

Seems like Will is held to a different standard here than other players.

Pick 3 . That’s the expectation

 

[The Dingrel]

Will looked good today and as you say, LDU got more breakaways.

Simply has to keep playing imo

Agree, he has excellent lateral vision and can find a target by hand and foot. At the moment Sheezel is the only other player in the team on par with him in that regard. Just play him every game the rest of the season and see if he can become the player we hoped when drafted. If not, well there's not exactly a lot of downside from where we sit.

 

[DocSholl]

Seems like Will is held to a different standard here than other players.

Both ways

 

[The acurate one]

Who are you and what have you done with TAO?

The place is rather flat at the moment and so I don't tend to stick the boots in.

I hope Will succeeds,has a great career and makes fools of those that doubted him.

 

[The Warlord]

Agree, he has excellent lateral vision and can find a target by hand and foot. At the moment Sheezel is the only other player in the team on par with him in that regard. Just play him every game the rest of the season and see if he can become the player we hoped when drafted. If not, well there's not exactly a lot of downside from where we sit.

Yeah, he seems to be a confidence player too

 

[Krakouer Bonar]

Poor bloke has completed something like 2 of the past 6 pre-seasons. But then again, its pretty easy to judge from behind a keyboard...

 

[King Corey]

Wasn't that him getting carted off?

I really should've registered that gag for royalties.

 

[King Corey]

Who are you and what have you done with TAO?

Post coitus TAO is surprisingly mellow.

 

[shinboner magic]

Short mids no good - says who

Merrett, Neale , gulden, butters Seem to go ok

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

Short mids no good - says who

Merrett, Neale , gulden, butters Seem to go ok

Each of those guys have an elite, or multiple elite attributes.

 

[Devil Fish]

Yeah, he seems to be a confidence player too

Are there any players who aren’t?

 

[Blightys Barrel]

Poor bloke has completed something like 2 of the past 6 pre-seasons. But then again, its pretty easy to judge from behind a keyboard...

Might want to check your Maths there KB. Was part of the 2020 draft, so not sure how you arrive at 6 pre-seasons in 2024. If he is good enough and shows consistent improvement in the next 16 weeks, he will should earn another 1-2 year contract. There are like 17 contracts up for renewal at the end of this year, a good thing for internal competition in the playing group to fight for those spots.

 

[swaeney]

He had. decent run last year.

Did you not watch his last game against the Suns where him and Powell were handed the keys to the midfield?

 

[Krakouer Bonar]

Might want to check your Maths there KB. Was part of the 2020 draft, so not sure how you arrive at 6 pre-seasons in 2024. If he is good enough and shows consistent improvement in the next 16 weeks, he will should earn another 1-2 year contract. There are like 17 contracts up for renewal at the end of this year, a good thing for internal competition in the playing group to fight for those spots.

He didnt do a preseason in his last u/18 year, at the very least.

 

[Devil Fish]

Short mids no good - says who

Merrett, Neale , gulden, butters Seem to go ok

But are they surrounded by more shorts like Lazzarro, Wardlaw, Jy and now McKercher……..
Successful teams don’t have a midfield brigade full of 6ft or less players.
We need to establish who the best 2 of that group are, and then move the remainder on. Will Phil may actually be in the best 2 of that group. Albeit unlikely. But we need to find out I suppose.

 

[justroyal]

Short mids no good - says who

Merrett, Neale , gulden, butters Seem to go ok

Thinking about that comparison, you’re right. But one thing I’ve always thought our smaller mids don’t have the dynamic burst a lot of the other teams have.

They just seem ****ing slow. Especially Jy. Willphill seems like he doesn’t have the burst his ‘Rowell’ comparison has but he does offer better ball use compared to jy. Powell, good, but not dynamic.

My thoughts are Wardlaw and McKercher could help shift that. But for whatever reason, when playing as a mid, Lazzaro looks like our most explosive ****ing midfielder

 

[King Corey]

But are they surrounded by more shorts like Lazzarro, Wardlaw, Jy and now McKercher……..
Successful teams don’t have a midfield brigade full of 6ft or less players.
We need to establish who the best 2 of that group are, and then move the remainder on. Will Phil may actually be in the best 2 of that group. Albeit unlikely. But we need to find out I suppose.

This. Neale, Gulden, Butters all have several 185cm+ bulls in there with them.

 

[muttley45]

This. Neale, Gulden, Butters all have several 185cm+ bulls in there with them.

Spot on, Dunkley, Drew, and Rowbottom for example, and all a bit more defensively inclined

 

[The Warlord]

Are there any players who aren’t?

Nah some players seem to be able to turn up and deliver every week regardless. Harry Sheezel for example.

 

[FootySmartSimpson]

Both ways

I think this is fair.

I think for me it’s the fact that he is a ripper kid, has leadership potential, is tough and (at least at junior level) hunted the ball and man a bit like Wardlaw.

I was thrilled in 2020 by the surprise of North picking him.

I want him to do well, perhaps even a little more than other players.

In saying that, he definitely has a lot of work to do in order for him to look like the animal he did at junior level.