PLAYING a crucial role off the bench, Australian sporting star Erin Phillips has helped her Woodville Warriors keep their season alive with an elimination final win over the North Adelaide Rockets in the NBL1 Central Women’s.

Known for her storied AFLW career, where she was one of the greatest players to ever lace up their boots in the competition’s history and recently inducted to the league’s Hall of Fame, Phillips is now in her home state playing for the Warriors, showing just how talented of a multi-sport athlete she is.

A dominant second half from the Warriors saw them break away after a see-sawing contest prior to the main break. Despite trailing by three points at half time at The Lights Community and Sports Centre on Saturday night, Woodville outscored the hosts 38-20 in the second half, cruising home to a 15-point triumph to advance to the next round of the finals.

Phillips played a crucial part in the Warriors staying alive in season 2025, showing that at 40 years of age, she still has the capability to play a winning role at a professional level.

North Adelaide Rockets (67) def. by Woodville Warriors (82)

Erin Phillips – 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists

It was another strong showing off the pine for Phillips, who has become a major weapon for the Warriors in the 2025 season, and is looking to add yet another piece of silverware to her already remarkable trophy cabinet.

She was injected into the game midway through the first quarter, and made an immediate impact on the offensive end by finding Laura Erikstrup with a nice pass before getting involved on the scoring front herself. Her first made basket was a nice triple to put Woodville back in front, before driving into the paint and finishing at the cup less than a minute later.

Phillips was fouled on a three-point attempt a couple of minutes later and nailed all three free throws that came as a result, before poking the ball free from the opposition and splashing home the triple in transition to close out the quarter. At the end of the first period, Phillips already had 11 points to her name and was the dominant player in the contest.

It was a quieter second quarter from the veteran, who drew plenty of defensive attention after her exploits in the opening frame. However, she was able to get involved on the glass and still found the bottom of the net with a nice midrange jumper after the Rockets snatched momentum, although the Warriors would trail at the main change.

After spending most of the third frame on the bench, she returned to the fold in the final quarter, with Woodville looking to rely on her experience and skill to close out the game. She found Ambah Kowcun with a nice pass in the opening stages of the period, before mainly getting involved as a rebounder for most of the term. However, Phillips nailed the dagger late in the piece with a three-pointer through contact to put her side up by double-digits with the opportunity for an and-one, although she failed to convert.

She finished the contest with 16 points, seven boards and three dimes on 5/10 shooting from the field and an accurate 3/4 shooting from behind the arc in 30 minutes of play. Her first quarter showed she still has the ability to take over a match and can still play a crucial role for the Warriors in the coming weeks.