STRENGTHS:

+ Agility
+ Ball use
+ Decision making
+ Dual-sided
+ Poise
+ Scoreboard impact

IMPROVEMENTS:

- Accumulation
- Contested game

Everything Phillips does on the football field is stylish. A confident character with just the right amount of swagger, his deft movement makes him near-impossible to lay a hand on, capped off by phenomenal foot skills on both feet. He is pure silk in football form.

Phillips is arguably best suited to the outside, where his transition running and ability to connect the ground shine. He can rack up uncontested possessions in slow play and methodically pick out targets, or give flow to his side's ball movement in waves of possession. Either way, he makes his touches count and is extremely efficient.

While deadly in time and space, Phillips can be just as effective carving through congestion. With clean hands and innate spatial awareness, he uses feints and nasty side-steps to escape traffic, hardly ever looking rushed in the process. That kind of IQ and poise comes built-in, you can't really teach it.

Phillips' ability to hurt the opposition is compounded by his ability to hit the scoreboard. At a going rate of just under a goal per game, he is a deadly finisher in open play who comfortably kicks the ball 50 metres on both feet. Barring a 0.4 return in the preliminary final, he has proven capable of splitting the big sticks from anywhere.

While boasting a relatively strong frame and powerful athletic attributes, Phillips can continue to enhance his contested acumen. He goes hard and can win his own ball cleanly, but can be wrapped up more often as an onballer. In time and space, his skills, speed and work rate are more regularly observed.

Another aspect that perhaps restricts Phillips from yet being a full-time midfield option is his consistency. While he reliably picks up between 15-20 disposals per game, recruiters will want to see a greater accumulation factor. He rarely goes big, instead priding himself on being able to make each touch count and impact the scoreboard.