Adelaide’s Erin Phillips is an all-time AFLW great. Let’s solidify her legacy.
As the siren sounded on a third Adelaide premiership, beating the Melbourne Demons by 13 points, attention turned to Phillips and what she will do next in her incredible career.
The 36-year-old was, again, one of the Crows’ best players, kicking a goal – her 50th career major – from 16 disposals and four clearances.
She’s now a three-time Premiership player (twice as captain), two-time AFLW Best and Fairest, two-time best on ground in a grand final, two-time club champion and three-time All-Australian. The top-flight women’s league is still young, but her feats may never be matched.
The future Hall-Of-Famer has carried herself, the Crows and the AFLW with class, professionalism and a determination to prove women belong on the football field.
Whenever the superstar decides to retire, she needs to be honoured appropriately. Naming the Best and Fairest after Phillips would be a fitting tribute.
The Crows’ win over the Dees could mark the end of an era for Phillips’ club, as expansion now sees the league move to 18 teams – a second in Adelaide.
With an expected player raid coming from the Power, Crows fans will have a nervous off-season. Port Adelaide’s list of targets includes the AFLW’s greatest player.
Phillips’ father Greg is South Australian football royalty, winning eight SANFL premierships for Port Adelaide, the club she once said had ‘been the life of my family.’
In 2015, Phillips was publicly revealed as Port Adelaide’s first ‘signing’ (pending the club’s admission into the league), admitting she ‘bleeds black and white’.
Asked post-game about the speculation of a cross-town move, an emotional Phillips said her main focus has been on the Crows and she will talk to her wife and decide.
“Honestly, my whole goal has been to win another premiership with this team,” Phillips told Channel 7 after the grand-final.
“I haven’t thought about that. That’s something my wife Tracy and I will sit down and talk about and see what’s next in life. I’m just so proud to be a Crow.”
Speaking to ABC Sport in the change rooms after the game, Phillips admitted there’s a third option on the table, retirement.
“This could be my last game.”
Whether Phillips goes to Port, or goes on at all, she’s already solidified her legacy as the AFLW’s GOAT. And don’t forget, she’s a two-time WNBA champion and Olympic basketballer. Erin Phillips is on the Mount Rushmore of women in Australian sport. That’s not changing anytime soon.
