Upper Ferntree Gully forward Ryan Phillips joins Warrandyte
Warrandyte has made its first signing of the Eastern league off-season but will wave goodbye to three senior players for the 2020 season, including an ex-AFL player.
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A good get for Warrandyte Football Club.
The Bloods have added Vermont junior product and Upper Ferntree Gully spearhead Ryan Phillips.
The key forward kicked 24 goals at Upper Gully in Division 1 this year in his only season at Kings Park.
Phillips made his Vermont debut in 2015 and made 26 senior appearances for the EFL powerhouse over four years, including the Eagles’ 2016 grand final defeat against Balwyn.
He can be expected to be one of the top recruits in Division 3 in 2020.
Warrandyte coach Anthony McGregor said Phillips would be a “super addition”.
“He’s a very good get,” McGregor said.
“He has a couple of mates down at Warrandyte that have played for the last couple of years.
“Speaking with Ryan, obviously coming from Vermont and Upper Gully … he just lost a bit of passion for footy.
“I just think he’s excited by the prospect of playing with his mates and enjoying his footy again.”
But Warrandyte will be without the Grimes brothers next year.
Tom has returned to junior club Hurstbridge and Jack and Nathan have retired.
“Tom felt home was calling him back, which is fine,” McGregor said.
“He wants to play Division 1 football and I can understand that. On the back of that, I think the decision was made a bit easier with Jack and Nathan retiring from football.”
The trio’s brother-in-law, Paul Donahoo, who was a regular in Warrandyte’s best players this year, will remain at the Bloods.
McGregor said the club raised the prospect of Jack, who played 100 AFL games with Melbourne, and Nathan playing on.
“It was always going to be a one-year scenario with those two with the hope Nathan’s body would hold out,” he said.
“His knees were causing him a lot of grief and Jack was probably the best player in the comp but he’s not in love with footy and he’s busy with his personal training.
“It was great experience to have that type of quality around the place and I’m sure they won’t be strangers to Warrandyte.”
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McGregor said the club would have growth out of its under-19s next year.
It hopes Connor Martin, Leo Garrick and Oscar Hodgson will graduate to the seniors.
“They will be the three noticeable ones we’ll gain improvement from,” McGregor said.
“We’re going to hinge a lot of things on the growth of our under-19s coming through.”
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