AFTER eight seasons, 66 games and countless team and individual achievements, NAB AFLW champion Erin Phillips OAM will retire from elite football.
Port Adelaide captain Phillips will hang up her boots following Saturday’s game with a long list of accolades to her name, including three premierships, two league best and fairest medals and All-Australian honours on three occasions.
Regarded as one of the best cross-code athletes in Australian sport, the 38-year-old is also one of the most decorated players in the AFLW.
Phillips began her AFLW career at the age of 31 with the Adelaide Crows, where she co-captained the club’s first four campaigns.
She is a two-time Adelaide Crows Club Champion and was named best on ground in two grand finals.
In her first season at Alberton at the age of 37, Phillips finished runner-up in the club’s best and fairest count and this year, she became just the 12th AFLW player to reach 1000 career disposals.
“Erin is a formidable athlete and an exemplary leader,” Port Adelaide head of AFLW Juliet Haslam said.
“I still recall the day she called to tell me she had made the decision to play for Port Adelaide. I clearly remember her asking if her dad’s number 22 guernsey was available. It was such a thrill.”
But Phillips never wore the number 22, instead the former basketballer donned the famed number 1 guernsey after being voted the club’s inaugural AFLW captain.
“Erin has given everything she has to this club,” Haslam said.
“She is a proud Port Adelaide person and her commitment to her craft is second to none. We are so pleased to have shared in the last two seasons of her career. It’s been wonderful to watch her lead our group as captain, and we look forward to seeing what she will do next.
“We wish Erin all the very best in her retirement. Erin, Tracy and their children, Brooklyn, Blake, Drew and Londyn will always be part of the Port Adelaide family.”
Prior to switching to football, Phillips enjoyed a successful basketball career in Australia, Europe and the United States, collecting two WNBA championships, one WNBL championship and on three occasions being named in the WNBL all-star five, and once a EuroLeague all-star.
The proud mother of four also claimed an Olympic silver medal, a Commonwealth Games gold, as well as a gold and a bronze in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.
Known as a hardworking, team-first person, Phillips will forever leave her mark on Port Adelaide’s AFLW program, and on the league.
“The time is right for me to call time on my football career,” Phillips said.
“I am so grateful to Port Adelaide and the Adelaide Football Club for giving me the opportunity to play the game I have loved since I was little.
“To share the last two years of my career with the Alberton crowd has been an incredible experience. I have given everything I had left to this club and I’m so grateful to our members and fans for their support, through the highs and lows.
“It has been a true privilege to lead this team and I can’t wait to see what this group will achieve in the coming years.
“It’s been an amazing ride and I’m looking forward to the next chapter. For me, that will mean giving my body a rest and spending more time with my family.
“I am so grateful to be finishing my playing days at Port Adelaide.”
Phillips will play her final AFLW game on Saturday, November 4 against GWS from 2:35pm. Port Adelaide will also mark Pride Round this weekend, celebrating the beauty and diversity of the LGBTQIA+ community.
