Erin Phillips crowned SA’s Sports Star of the Year after a remarkable AFLW season
She’s had a remarkable season that culminated in an AFLW premiership. Now Erin Phillips has SA Sports Star of the Year to add to her accolades. Plus: All the other award winners.
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In only three years, Erin Phillips has become an icon in a sport she loves and which so much loves her back.
Following a decorated national and international basketball career and swapping the round ball for the oval ball, Phillips has become a household name thanks to her leadership skills both on and off the field and as an inspiration to the next generation of footballers, male or female.
The two-time AFLW premiership co-captain has been crowned SA’s Sport Star of the Year after a stellar football season which saw her not only hold aloft the premiership cup for the second time in three years, but saw her win her second grand final best-on-ground medal, her second AFLW best and fairest medal and her second AFL Player’s Association’s MVP award.
In her remarkable 2019 season, she averaged 21 disposals at a 60 per cent efficiency and kicked 11 goals.
She became the benchmark for the competition and led the league for contested possessions and score assists; was second overall for most goals kicked, total disposals, clearances and Champion Data ranking points; and third for inside-50s.
The Crows’ No. 13 was judged best on ground in the AFLW grand final on March 31, 2019, in front of 53,034 spectators who crammed into Adelaide Oval to see Adelaide beat Carlton by 45 points.
After the grand final, Phillips admitted she wasn’t expecting to be named best on ground.
“I was just so focused on the task at hand, to win, just to win the quarter, to get the job done and hold up the cup,” she said in March.
“It’s special, but like I always say, individual awards are an extension of your teammates’ hard work — they block for you, they pass you the ball. We work together.”
Phillips and the superior skills and fitness of her rampaging Crows outfit won eight straight games to win their second premiership and those skills were a key part of drawing a huge crowd to their grand final in March.
Just over 53,000 attended the game, setting a record for a crowd at a stand-alone women’s sporting event.
After the grand final Phillips said of the crowd: “It was amazing for our club and amazing for women’s sport to have that many people come and support this event and make it the highest-attended event ever for a female sporting event.”
But the grand final victory was bitter sweet, with Phillips tearing her anterior cruciate ligament in the third quarter and needing a knee reconstruction, with a long 12-month rehab ahead of her.
In typical Phillips style, though, she was not entertaining self-pity because of her injury and instead has become an inspiration for athletes and non-athletes alike overcoming serious injury and she has been documenting her recovery and rehabilitation.
And through the good days and bad of rehab, she’s taken heart in being able to help others going through uncertain or difficult rehabs.
“Every athlete is different … and I think it’s been really important that I’ve been able to help some people, just by reaching out to them and trying to keep positive so they know there are really good and really bad days ahead and to keep persisting and keep moving forward.”
The 34-year-old midfielder hopes to return to the football field in 2020 as the Crows mount their premiership defence.
Earlier this year she told The Advertiser: “My rehab is all planned to try to play again because honestly … I’m still an athlete, I still need those goals. Whether I get up in time (for the start of the 2020 AFLW season), whether I’m physically able, I don’t know. But I will be a part of our (Crows) team in some way, whether it’s helping coaching or some mentorship.”
In the AFLW off-season she lives in Dallas, Texas, with her wife, Tracy and their three children, where she is an assistant coach in the WNBA – the best women’s basketball league in the world – for the Dallas Wings.
OTHER AWARD WINNERS
Team of the Year: Adelaide Crows AFLW
Junior Sports Star of the Year: Montana Mckinnon (Football)
Elite Athlete with a Disability of the Year: Darren Hicks (Paralympic Cyclist)
Tanya Denver Award for Endeavour and Sportsmanship: Eliza Bartlett
2019 SOUTH AUSTRALIAN SPORT AWARDS
SPORT SA AWARDS WINNERS
Reconciliation Sport Award: Port Adelaide Athletics Club – Athletics SA
Active Inclusion Award: Goodwood Saints Football Club – SANFL
Richard Newman Primary School Athlete of the Year Award: Catrina Tan, Stirling East Primary School, Badminton
Secondary School Athlete of the Year Award: Alexandra Haydon, Henley High School, Squash
Administrator of the Year Award: Christine Newberry, Special Olympics SA
Official of the Year Award: Vanessa Devlin, Basketball SA
Country Athlete of the Year Award: Darcie Brown, South Australian Cricket Association
Volunteer of the Year Award: Gloria Dennis, City of Playford
Community Event of the Year Award: Softball Under 17 Combined Boys and Girls National Championships – Softball SA
Major Event of the Year Award: 2018 World Life Saving Championships – SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre
Coach of the Year Award: Chris Lucas, Basketball SA