AFLW superstar Erin Phillips named Port Adelaide’s first AFLW captain
The three-time All-Australian is Port Adelaide’s inaugural AFLW captain – and says her dad Greg is “the most emotional I’ve ever seen him”.
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Three-time All-Australian and triple Crows premiership winner Erin Phillips has been named Port Adelaide’s inaugural AFLW captain, re-writing South Australia’s sporting history books in becomming the first footballer to captain both Adelaide and Port Adelaide.
Phillips co-captained the Power’s fierce cross-town rival, the Crows, from their inaugural season in 2017 until she stepped down ahead of the 2021 season.
After winning three premierships at West Lakes, the dual AFLW best and fairest left for Alberton in the off-season joining the inaugural women’s team of the club she grew up supporting.
The 37-year-old was unveiled as the Power’s inaugural AFLW captain on Monday ahead of their season-opener on August 27 and described it as “a dream come true”.
“Is that even allowed?” Phillips said with a laugh when asked what captaining both clubs meant to her.
“Look, it’s a massive honour.
“I’ve obviously got to (captain) the Crows and that was really special and … got to do it alongside Chelsea Randall, and now I get to lead this team.
“I couldn’t have imagined being in this position if you’d asked me even eight years ago (when the AFLW started), so everything’s just becoming a bonus.
As captain, Phillips will wear the No. 1 jumper, a tradition at Port Adelaide that dates back nearly 100 years.
Phillips follows in the footsteps of her father, Greg, who captained the Port Adelaide Magpies from 1991-93.
Phillips’s appointment also makes her the first AFLW player to captain the same club as her father.
She said Greg was “the most emotional I’ve ever seen him” when he learned of his daughter’s role in the club for whom he played 343 games and won eight premierships.
“He cried; (dad) was obviously just happy and he said to me: ‘It doesn’t matter what number, he would have been proud’, but it’s just a massive, massive honor,” the three-time All-Australian said.
Phillips’s former Adelaide teammate Angela Foley has been elected inaugural vice-captain, while former Gold Coast captain Hannah Dunn, former Fremantle All-Australian Gemma Houghton and triple-premiership Crow Justine Mules have been elected to the side’s inaugural leadership group.
Coach Arnell said she was confident the five-player group would lead the side with aplomb.
“They’re all fantastic people and fantastic footballers,” she said.
“A part to leadership that some people can underestimate is the off-field side of things and it certainly gives me great confidence with all five people … they have a wonderful connection and an ability to communicate well beyond the playing group.”
Arnell described Phillips as the “perfect” captain for her side.
“Erin embodies the Port Adelaide spirit through and through and is a fantastic role model and leader for our group and her connection and passion for this club is clear.”
For Phillips, the feeling is mutual: “I’m just loving where I’m at, loving this new team, love getting to work really closely next to Loz (coach Lauren Arnell), learning so much. So, it’s a dream come true really.”
The leadership group was determined through a playing-group vote, with the five players selected shown resounding support from their team.
It gives Port Adelaide’s inaugural team a solid foundation of leaders who have captaincy experience – Foley is no stranger to leadership as well, having served as Adelaide’s co-vice-captain for two seasons.
Port's head of AFLW Juliet Haslam described having Phillips as captain for the inaugural season as “very special”.
“We know she will do an exceptional job as our captain,” Haslam said.
“She embodies everything that this club is about and is a complete professional and role model to everyone.
“Despite currently returning from injury, Erin has already shown her strong leadership capabilities throughout pre-season and we can’t wait to welcome her back to full training. Most importantly, Erin is a good person and will help us to maintain the fantastic culture we have established in this new team.
“We are very excited to have Ange as our vice-captain, who has been an absolute positive force among our group over the last couple of months.
“And, to top it off, we welcome Gemma, Hannah and Justine into the leadership group, who are excellent players and people, and we trust they will do us proud.”
Speculation about who would be named the Power’s inaugural captain began in earnest last week when the club unveiled its historic first playing strip.
At the time, Port confirmed that the AFLW captain would wear the No. 1 jumper, as has been tradition within its men’s side for almost a century.
Among the top contenders for the inaugural captaincy included Fremantle dual All-Australian key forward Gemma Houghton and former Gold Coast Suns captain Hannah Dunn.
The Power’s home kit features the classic black base, with teal and white ‘V’s’ and a teal strip around the collar, while the black shorts are edged in teal.
An inverted version of the guernsey will see the footballers wear predominantly teal for clash games, with the design not dissimilar to one the Port men wore in pre-season matches between 2015 and 2017.
The white shorts are also edged in teal, while the playing socks are black, featuring a thick teal strip, flanked by thin white lines.
Last week, triple AFLW premiership winner Phillips, 37, said pulling on the Port playing kit for the first time was a significant milestone for both herself and the club.
“It’s special and I still catch myself looking down and going” ‘Oh my god, this is real, playing for a club I’ve always grown up admiring and wanting to play for’,” she said.
As for captaincy, Phillips said it would be an honour for whoever becomes inaugural leader.
“It is obviously the highest honour to be named captain of your team, especially at this club,” she told The Advertiser last week.
“Even asking my dad (Greg) who got to do it (1991-93), he always speaks about it being the highest honour and that one of his greatest memories of being at Port Adelaide, was getting to lead the team.
“Whoever gets that honour it’s going to be special.”
West Australian Houghton, who supported Port Adelaide growing up and went on to play 46 games and kick 40 goals in six seasons at Fremantle said the side was lucky to have many potential leaders within its ranks.
“I have the very strong belief that whoever wears No. 1 will do an amazing job and lead us out there,” she said.
“With the deep rich history that we have as a club, I think whoever gets that role is going to take it with pride and really lead us, not just as a playing group but the club in the community as well.”
Power’s Head of AFLW, Juliet Haslam, said she was pleased the club’s inaugural jumpers had retained the classic Port Adelaide design.
“They feel symbolic of our club, but with a fresh twist,” she said.
“More than anything, we want our female footballers to feel like an important part of this club, so keeping with the playing kit style we know and love was significant to us.”
The Power will wear its newly unveiled strip – most likely its clash strip – for the first time when it takes on Essendon at The Hangar in a pre-season game slated for August 13, before its Round 1 game against West Coast on August 27.
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