Sam Philp’s ultra consistency has the Northern Knights midfielder firmly on AFL draft radar

Look up consistent in the dictionary and you might see a picture of Northern Knights midfielder Sam Philp. The AFL Draft hope has taken his game to a new level after missing out on Vic Metro selection.

Sam Philp in action for Northern Knights.

If footy has taught Sam Philp anything, it is resilience.

The Northern Knights midfielder isn’t the tallest or strongest and hasn’t always made representative squads.

While being overlooked for Vic Metro’s AFL Under-18 National Championships squad was disappointing, Philp knows it’s not the be all and end all.

Former Knights teammate Justin McInerney did not feature for Metro last year before he was snapped up by Sydney at pick No.44.

“I’ve not been driven by it because going up the ranks I haven’t really made too many squads, so I like to pride myself on my resilience,” Philp said.

Sam Philp in action for Northern Knights.

“I had a really good chat with (Knights talent manager) Rhy Gieschen and (coach) Justin (Wenke), they were really reassuring.

“It’s not the end of the world. There’s still plenty of chances at the Knights and that’s been my focus.”

There have been few better in the NAB League this season.

Philp has earned a mention in the Knights’ best three players eight times in 10 games.

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But with the likes of Adam Carafa, Lachie Potter, Ryan Sturgess and Ryan Gardner on Metro duty, Philp has taken his game to a new level.

In Northern’s win over Dandenong Stingrays, he was best on ground with 19 disposals, six tackles and two goals.

He followed it up with 30 touches, eight tackles and a goal in the Round 11 win over Tasmania.

“With the Metro boys out, I feel like I’ve got a senior position in the mids,” Philp said.

Sam Philp is surrounded by GWS opponents.

“I’ve been relatively happy this season. One of my main aims was to be consistent.

“The last seven weeks, as a group, I’ve been really impressed by how we’re going.

“To lose the first four was obviously pretty frustrating but the way we’ve turned it around — I think we’ve won five of the last seven — and we’ve shown we can match up with the best.”

Philp admits he still has plenty to work on but prides himself on his inside work and has a pretty good role model to base his game on.

“One of maim aims this year was to try and get a bit more outside and be more valuable around the ground,” he said.

“I think kicking is something that can be pretty inconsistent at times.

“To say to work on my outside game is one thing, but (I need) to have a bit of polish and finesse with my kicks.

“Growing up, being a Richmond supporter, I’ve followed Trent Cotchin, being a Knights boy himself.

“I love the way he goes about it, the way he cracks in to every contest and how well he uses the ball.”

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