Will Phillips is itching to make his AFL debut, but he knows rushing things could do more harm than good.
Instead he is being diligent in his preparation and wants to have a sustained run at AFL level when his name is eventually called by coach, David Noble.
“Obviously I’d like to play as soon as possible but I’m happy to be patient, and keep working on my game and control what I can control,” he told North Media.
“I could’ve jumped straight into the deep end but I probably would’ve broken down having not played last year, so it was important that I didn’t burn myself out too early.”
The North Melbourne draftee completed his first full game of football in more than a year in Saturday’s VFL practice match against Casey.
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The inside midfielder says while it’s taking time to build conditioning for senior football, all indications show he is progressing well.
“Having not played last year due to Covid, it was a bit of a shock to the system coming into this level,” he said.
“Once I build that base for match fitness, I feel like I can take it to that next level … I’m slowly adapting to the speed of the game and working out how I can have an impact.”
The third pick in the 2020 NAB AFL Draft, Phillips praised the North medical staff for allowing him to reach the point where he can play games unrestricted.
He says his slow introduction will hold him in good stead.
“I feel like I can hit the ground running once I get in the side … to feel confident I can take that next step is just magnificent.”
Phillips says the influence of some of the club’s more experienced players has also been important.
“A lot of the senior players have made an effort to get to all us younger boys. We realise we have a really young group,” he said.
“Jy Simpkin, Dom Tyson and Aaron Hall have been really good for me and have all taken me under their wing. I couldn’t be more grateful for their support.
“If they can hand down their lessons then the future looks really bright for North … our young group has a lot of potential.”
