Adelaide Crows AFLW star Erin Phillips steps down for new era
Crows captain and soon-to-be radio host Erin Phillips has told her teammates it’s time for a new leader. And here’s why she’s doing it.
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Crows AFLW star Erin Phillips has relinquished her captaincy.
Phillips, who The Advertiser announced last month would be replacing Jodie Oddy on Mix 102.3’s Breakfast show with Mark “Soda” Soderstrom, told her teammates after training.
The 35-year-old revealed she had been contemplating stepping down for the past year.
“I do feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders,” Phillips said.
“It’s the right time for me to start a new role and help develop the younger players coming up.
“There’s two parts. One: I’m towards the end of my career and when you go you want to leave the club in the right place by stepping down and helping the younger players into leadership.
“And two: I just want to enjoy the last year or two. I’m definitely not announcing my retirement yet but [I’m looking forward to] being able to focus just on football, going out there and not having to take on that extra responsibility and knowing that it is in great hands.”
Holding aloft the Premiership twice in her career with co-captain Chelsea Randall and coaches Bec Goddard and Matthew Clarke have been her favourite moments.
“But even if I hadn’t got to hold up a cup, it’s just been very special to be a captain of the inaugural team,” Phillips said.
“It was something Dad (former Port Adelaide captain Greg Phillips) did and he told me just how special that was.”
Phillips is now looking forward to playing the best footy of her career this season. She said her knee, injured in the 2019 Grand Final, is now fine and she’s done more pre-season training than the previous four combined. She’s also cautiously optimistic the team will do well this year.
“We are extremely fit and our skills have gone up incredibly, but, again, I’m expecting that from every team,” she said. “We had so many injuries last year and it’s so good to see all those girls back out there training. It gives you more confidence – touch wood.”
The Crows are due to face Brisbane next Sunday, but Phillips acknowledges the latest Queensland COVID breakout means it’s up in the air. But she is prepared for any eventuality.
“ Look, I’m prepared for the season to run normally, I’m prepared for it to be pushed back, delayed or even operating from a hubou’ve just got to go with whatever happens,” she said.
If players had to move to a hub, it would prove tricky for Phillips’ radio commitments, which starts on Monday. “Hopefully that doesn’t happen because it would be unlikely I could do both,’ she said
“Fingers crossed I don’t have to make that decision.
“Although we could live broadcast from the AFLW hub – imagine having Soda in the hub with all of us. That could be good fun…”
Originally published as Adelaide Crows AFLW star Erin Phillips steps down for new era
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