Delisted Ed Phillips

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Another great game by Ed who must be some chance to play seniors against Freo. Second-year Saint Ed Phillips again worked tirelessly through the midfield, racking up a game-high 37 disposals to back up his 32 against Port Melbourne a fortnight ago.

I hope he gets a chance while he is playing so well.

Go Saints
 
“We’re really proud of the way you’re going about it … Ed Phillips, well done.”

And with that, senior coach Alan Richardson confirmed what the budding midfielder has been patiently waiting for since he arrived at St Kilda: his chance on the big stage.

The 20-year-old has put together a string of impressive VFL form, racking up 32 touches against Port Melbourne in Round 3 before backing it up with a 37-disposal standout showing at Box Hill.

Phillips was taken at pick No. 56 in the 2016 draft, but the athletic midfielder has been forced to wait in the wings while fellow 2016 draftees Ben Long and Josh Battle have received their opportunity at senior level.

The younger brother of Collingwood’s Tom Phillips will become the 1592nd player to don the famous red, white and black when he runs out on Saturday night, and senior coach Alan Richardson said his long-awaited opportunity is well-deserved.

“I reckon there’d be a strong case to argue that this bloke’s probably our most in-form player,” Richardson said.

“You’ve embraced whatever’s been asked of you. You’ve become someone that the leaders now trust and they’re really looking forward to playing with you.”


Known internally as “The King”, Phillips gets his chance against a Dockers outfit smarting from a 77-point thrashing at the hands of Richmond at the MCG.

But in contrast, Fremantle’s home form has been ominous in 2018, so Phillips and the Saints will need to replicate their extraordinary efforts in the same fixture last year when they ran away 9-point winners in a thriller.


Go Saints
 
I was rapt for him to get the opportunity, and even more pleasing was that he didn’t look out of place.
Aaron Hamill
Running machine Ed Phillips has put together one of the best debut performances Saints fans have seen in recent years.

The 20-year-old amassed 24 touches, the most of any Saint on debut for 25 years, including seven contested possessions, operating at a 79% disposal efficiency rating.

Add five tackles to that performance, and the Saints’ third-highest possession winner on the night would be unlucky to lose the senior spot he’s so patiently waited for.

On what was ultimately a frustrating night for St Kilda, the wingman oozed class and composure with ball in hand.

After a debilitatingly slow start, St Kilda came into the main break posting their lowest score for the year at 1.5 (11).

And it would get even worse before things got better.

Lachie Neale’s goal to start the third term had the Saints staring down the barrel of a 43-point deficit.
But suddenly the tables turned.

The Saints bit back with six of the next seven goals, hitting targets, applying manic pressure and displaying the form that has eluded the team for much of the season.

A strong start to the final term saw hope of unlikely victory grow, hope that was ultimately dashed when inaccuracy in front of goal again halted any momentum.

But amid the gloom of another defeat was the performance of Phillips, a clear shining light.

“Ed looked really composed,” senior coach Alan Richardson said.

“I thought he was able to cope with the heat and the pressure that Fremantle was able to serve up … I thought it was a really positive first game.”

Sandringham Head Coach Aaron Hamill was also thrilled for Phillips after such a strong senior debut, with the ex-Saint having spent a lot of time developing the young wingman’s game in the VFL.

“I was rapt for him to get the opportunity, and even more pleasing was that he didn’t look out of place,” Hamill said.

“He made good decisions and he continued on his VFL form into AFL level, so hopefully for the fans, we’ve found one in Ed that can really contribute.”

Richardson was also impressed by the performances of the Saints’ other 2018 debutants, Hunter Clark and Nick Coffield, who stood up well under the fierce pressure applied by the Dockers early in the game.

“I thought our young blokes were pretty good today,” the senior coach said.

“I thought that Hunter Clark performed quite strongly down in defence, particularly early in the game when things weren’t going our way … and Coffield, too.”

The Saints face a tough task in Collingwood at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night, and Richardson’s side must emulate their third-quarter performance against Fremantle if they’re to claim their second win of 2018.


Go Saints
 
Brains Trust66 said:
Ed was back in the side against Carlton and played well with 21 disposals and 8 marks . Happy to have him back in the team.


Go Saints
Click to expand...
Like the cut of his jib.

Think we have one here once he gets a few games under his belt
 

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Brains Trust66 said:
Disappointingly Ed had been dropped for the Giants game . I would rather they got some more games into him.


Go Saints
Click to expand...
Agree mate. Kids need a few consecutive games to get the taste for it and understand how hard they need to work.
 
Exciting young midfielder Ed Phillips has inked a new two-year deal with St Kilda, which will see him remain at the Saints until at least the end of 2020.

The hard-running wingman has impressed in seven AFL games in 2018 after making his debut against Fremantle in Round 8.


READ: Ed shines on debut

General Manager of Football Simon Lethlean said Phillips had improved out of sight this season and looks a player of the future.

“Ed’s improvement has been clearly evident to everyone at the Saints and we saw that rewarded with his debut earlier this year,” Lethlean said.

“He is an endurance machine and has the potential to become a key part of our side in the coming years.

“His attitude and work ethic around the club is first class and he is really driven to keep improving.”

Phillips said he was looking forward to more opportunities to represent the red, white and black.

“I’m rapt to be signed on for a further two years,” he said.

“We have a really strong bond with the young guys coming through together and I’m excited for what the future holds.”

“I just want to keep doing what I can to develop myself and help us improve.”

Phillips was selected with pick number 56 in the 2016 National Draft.


Go Saints
 
Hamill says -
Ed Phillips 19 kicks, 15 handballs, 10 marks, 1 tackle

He certainly will be discussed, Ed. He’s put some back-to-back performances together on the wing, which has been really good for him. He’s kept himself really healthy, and he’s a really keen learner – he wants to be a student of the game. He used the ball a little bit better than previous weeks, so he keeps building nicely...Ed’s certainly improved this year and we think he can add a lot of value to the program for years to come.


Go Saints
 
Speedy wingman Ed Phillips is taking his time trial victory in his stride … literally.

The 20-year-old, who took out the club’s 3km race on Saturday, told SEN earlier this week that while important, the run was widely seen as a launchpad for the rest of the pre-season.

“You’ve got to take it seriously,” Phillips told SEN Breakfast.

“I try and treat it as another session, another chance to be getting better. It’s a good marker to see where the boys are at coming back from the three week break, but it’s definitely not the be-all and end-all.”

It was a brutal return for the Saints after the AFL’s first ever mandatory three-week Christmas break, which Phillips admitted would make some football staff nervous.

“There was always going to be a bit of scepticism from the strength and conditioning guys as to how guys would come back,” Phillips said.

"But I think we as a group saw through everyone’s results that everyone’s come back in really good shape. It will give us a solid platform now to launch from for the next block of training, into pre-season games and into the season.”

And Phillips’ focus is firmly fixed on continuing to build momentum through the pre-season, as the entire footy industry looks ahead to Season 2019.

“Every year you’ve got to have optimism that you can play well and win more games than you lose, but it’s hard until you start playing games against other teams to compare,” he said.

“We feel we’re in a good position now, but we’ve still got a lot of work to do. You’ve got to keep the faith and be optimistic about what we can achieve.

“A lot of guys are developing really well, especially the younger guys. Nick Coffield and Hunter Clark have been good standouts pre-Christmas already with their work ethic and developing their endurance.

The older, more experienced guys are also really pushing the group…Dan Hannebery has been really good coming down to the club and having a really positive impact from day one."

“It’s hard to pinpoint just one person above the rest at the minute. Everyone’s really pushing each other to get better, and hopefully a number of guys can have a break-out year this year.”


Go Saints
 
Round 2
Hamill says

Ed Phillips
30 disposals, 19 kicks, nine marks
“Ed got better as the game went on. He gave us good shape from a winger’s point of view, he got his hands on the ball, he was able to get in good spots and give us good use. All in all, he was better than last week, but I think the way we used to ball helped him.”
 
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