AFLW gun Erin Phillips to play in Carlton Draft for Marong
Erin Phillips will pull the boots on for a local Victorian women’s footy side this weekend in her first game in almost a year. Here’s how she’s feeling and her preparations.
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Erin Phillips return to footy this weekend has been a little less stressful than before.
The recently retired AFLW gun will take to the field for Marong in the Central Victoria Football League in a one-off appearance on Sunday.
The big difference is there hasn’t been a massive pre-season to undertake.
“Well, there’s been no 2k time trials,” she laughed when asked about the differences in her preparation.
“For me personally, I enjoy keeping in shape but not to the point, where I’ve done any repeat efforts or things like that, like I would at this point of the year before.
“My last game of footy was November 4 last year so it has been a little while between drinks.
“I’m excited but also a little bit nervous.”
Phillips will play for the Panthers as part of the Carlton Draft initiative following in the footsteps of former AFL stars Matthew Lloyd and Trent Cotchin who already played their games this season.
The former Adelaide and Port Adelaide star will go into a side which has won just one game for the season.
They’ll face Golden Square, an opponent they went down to by 199 points in their previous meeting.
“I’m not a 199-point difference but we’ll give it a crack,” Phillips said.
“I’m just excited to get amongst it, I’m sure my competitive streak is going to come out at some stage. I’m looking forward to meeting new people, playing in a new environment.
“The whole family are making the trip over, including mum and dad. Just to get back to clubland is really exciting.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity to give back to community footy.”
After Phillips was drafted to Marong, Panthers president Darren Turnbull said it was a dream come true to secure the AFLW star.
“Our women’s team is so passionate about playing the game and mastering the skills it requires to play at the highest level, so to have arguably the greatest women’s player of all time in Erin playing a game for our club is a dream come true,” he said.
“Our girls already have plenty of questions around tactics to ask Erin, so hopefully she can teach them a few tips and tricks that will hold the team in good stead for the future.”
Sunday’s game is set to be played at Malone Park in Marong from 1.30pm.
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