DANDENONG Stingrays midfielder Jackson Phillips made a promising VFL debut for Casey Demons over the weekend in what was the final fixture of the home-and-away season. The 18-year-old took the field in a game where both sides fielded a whopping 17 AFL-listed players, and Box Hill saluted by 57 points.

Phillips has enjoyed a steep rise up draft boards this year. He represented Vic Country at Under 16 level in 2024 and produced a steady bottom-age campaign before well and truly breaking out early this season. The balanced utility has become renowned for his dual-sided ball use and classy movement.

We put his performance under the Player Focus microscope.

Dandenong Stingrays, Vic CountryWing-Midfielder

Jackson Phillips

Height: 182cm

Weight: -

DOB: 30-01-2008

STRENGTHS:

+ Ball use
+ Class
+ Dual-sided
+ Scoreboard impact
+ Speed

IMPROVEMENTS:

– Contested ball
– Strength

STATS:

2026 Talent League (10 games):
20.4 disposals, 4.5 marks, 4.1 tackles, 4.1 inside 50s, 0.8 goals

2026 U18 National Championships (4 games):
16.3 disposals, 3.8 marks, 3.3 tackles, 3.3 inside 50s, 0.8 goals

PLAYER FOCUS

2026 VFL Round 21
Box Hill Hawks 17.10 (112) def. Casey Demons 6.19 (55)

#16 Jackson Phillips (Casey Demons)
Stats: 11 disposals (73% efficiency), 11 uncontested possessions, 5 marks, 1 goal

FIRST QUARTER:

While it took some time for Phillips to get his hands on the ball, he certainly made his moments count in the opening term. It was his movement which initially caught the eye, gliding across Box Hill City Oval with effortless transitional run and providing connectivity as a high forward.

Speaking of connectivity, Phillips formed a fruitful partnership with experienced Dee Jake Melksham. The youngster set up his teammate with a nicely weighted kick over the back, before Melksham quickly returned the favour by assisting Phillips’ maiden VFL goal – a classy right-foot snap.

Phillips’ IQ and anticipation allowed him to move into all the right spots to not only find possession up the ground, but also closer to goal. He had another scoring opportunity with thanks to Melksham, marking uncontested on a hard angle but missing his set shot from about 45 metres.

SECOND QUARTER:

Phillips once again took some time to get involved in the second term, although the going was tough as Casey entered half time with just 2.11 on the scoreboard. His efficiency and class formed a noticeable contrast to the otherwise very scrappy contest.

His first possession came around nine minute in, as Phillips worked up into the corridor to receive a handball and spread the play with a wide kick. He again featured through the middle with a super clean front-and-centre crumb before dishing off under pressure. Cool, calm and collected.

THIRD QUARTER:

After a relatively quiet second quarter, Phillips started on the ground in term three and was active on the perimeter of packs. He was consistently in position to receive on the outside or mop up the spills, before using his smooth movement and neat skills to shift into attack.

Phillips strung together a great passage out of defensive 50, providing support on turnover and linking up by hand to rebound. That ability to take ground and combine with teammates is pillar of Phillips’ game which lends beautifully to how football is played at the top level.

FOURTH QUARTER:

With Box Hill running out emphatic victors and the sting taken out of the game, Phillips didn’t have too much to add in term four. He continued to showcase his quick and clean hands under pressure, getting in spots to recover loose balls. The next step will be gaining the confidence to extract his own possessions more willingly against senior bodies.