Port Melbourne‘s Ethan Phillips won the Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal while working full-time and is now in the sights of AFL clubs

Ethan and Angus Phillips both agreed Angus probably had the better of it after he was selected for the Vic Metro Under 16 team for the national championships this year.

Angus is a promising 191cm forward attached to the Sandringham Dragons program. But Ethan figures he has the upper hand now after his receipt of a major VFL award last Monday night.

The 197cm, 92kg Port Melbourne defender took the Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal as the league’s most likely player.

It was reward for a season in which he made his mark – and took many a mark – at half back for the Borough.

By the time the counting was done after Round 22, he had pulled in 147 grabs, averaging 9.8 a game, as well as 19.6 disposals.

Nearing the end of the season one VFL commentator identified him as “Ethan the Interceptor’’, such was his rising tally of sure-handed interventions.

His performances earned him not only the medal, but a slot in the VFL team of the year.

Phillips, 23, has been on the VFL scene since 2018.

He agreed with commentator Nigel Carmody’s assessment that 2022 represented his “breakthrough’’ season.

“It’s funny how it works,’’ Phillips says, explaining that in previous years he put in big preseasons, only to struggle with niggles. Ahead of this year “I was struggling to get on the track, but when the season came around I had no issues at all with my body’’.

“I think I’ve physically matured, mentally matured, and ‘Skrob’ [Port Melbourne coach Adam Skrobalak] has taken the professionalism, the training standards, to another level,’’ he says.

The Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal was introduced in 1989 and has become a coveted award.

The past 15 winners have graduated to AFL lists (Collingwood’s Charlie Dean was last year’s recipient and handed over the medal to Phillips).

The run includes Melbourne premiership players Michael Hibberd and Bayley Fritsch, premiership Tiger Kane Lambert and Fremantle defender Luke Ryan.

“It’s a really good feeling to be recognised for having a good year and then seeing your name alongside some of the previous winners,’’ Phillips says.

“There are some pretty good players there. It’s definitely a good medal to put in the cabinet.’’

He says his teammates were quick to remind him he has a lot to live up to: “Yeah, the boys are saying they’ll be giving me plenty if I don’t get picked up.’’

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Ethan Phillips began his football at East Malvern Knights. He was in good company in his age group, playing alongside Bailey Smith, Jack Higgins and Angus Styles.

Unsurprisingly, the team won two premierships and made two other grand finals.

Phillips went on to school football at St Kevin’s and to Oakleigh Chargers in the NAB League. He says he had a “little bit’’ of interest early in his top-age year of 2017.

When nothing came of it, he headed to Port Melbourne for an interview with senior coach Gary Ayres, keen to “go down the VFL route and try to get my name back in the mix’’.

It’s fair to say his talk with Ayres went well.

“I had a coffee with him and I remember walking away knowing he was the coach I wanted to play for,’’ Phillips says. “He had me cracking up the whole time.’’

Progress in his first two seasons was steady. Then it was checked by Covid-19, which killed off the 2020 season and half of 2021. Port went into 2022 with a new coach in Skrobalak, who had been an assistant at AFL club St Kilda.

Early in the season, Phillips had a traditional defender’s role, his primary concern to keep his opponent quiet.

It changed. Mark that down to his marking.

“I started to take a few intercept grabs and ‘Skrob’ decided to free me (up) a little bit more and try to get some attack started off the halfback line,’’ he says.

“I was pretty happy when we’d rock up to a game and it would be blowing a gale and I’d try to get into ‘Skrob’s’ ear and suggest we play a loose man behind the ball.’’

Nine months ago Phillips began full-time work in the logistics industry.

He says his job was his No. 1 priority, making him think he has a lot of improvement in his football.

“With work and footy, it can get pretty full-on during the week, but I sort of like that, I like having the schedule and routine in my life,’’ Phillips says.

“Work’s been really hectic. It’s interesting that I was able to have a good year of footy when it wasn’t my main focus.

“Me as a footballer, I don’t think I’m anywhere near the finished product. I just know if I get an opportunity on an AFL list, I’m going to go to another level, dealing with the best and most professional people in the industry. I think an AFL club can get a lot more out of me.’’

Skrobalak has taken calls from AFL clubs about his tall defender and believes he’s worthy of a league listing.

He says Phillips started to believe in his ability this year and, more than anything, it explained his rise to the medal and a team-of-the-year jumper.

“I think he settled into his role, he’s got a good number of games under his belt now, he’s 23, he’s got a mature body, he’s stable off-field and he understands what it takes at the level,’’ Skrobalak says.

“All those things go into it, and we had a game plan where he could go over and intercept and beat his opponent one-on-one with aggressive positioning.

“It sort of super-charged the way he played. He’s got beautiful hands and reads the ball very well off the boot. But him getting a bit more belief into what he could do was a big part of his improvement. Yes, we set it up for him a little bit, but he really took the opportunity and ran with it. The belief thing was big for him.’’

Skrobalak says AFL clubs are “screaming out’’ for key defenders and he’s had “five or six genuine calls’’ about the club’s fourth Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal winner.

“I think he’s got enough upside to play AFL,’’ Skrobalak says. “Being in a full-time system would help him a lot. A pre-season in the gym, some more run under his belt, more learnings about the game … I definitely think there’s something there.’’

As for bragging rights with Angus, Phillips says his younger brother was “pretty up and about’’ after his Vic Metro selection.

“I never played Metro … he’s definitely had a better junior career than me,’’ Phillips says.

“I’m more of a later bloomer.’’

His medal win has just given his little brother something to chase.

Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal winners

1989: Chris Owen, Preston

1990: Mathew Quirk, Oakleigh

1991: Ron De Iulio, Box Hill

1992: Julian Shanks, Williamstown

1993: Adam Williams, Sandringham

1994: Bruce Cohen, Box Hill

1995: Mark Porter, Coburg

1996: Paul Dooley, Williamstown

1997: James Puli, Werribee

1998: Andrew Shipp, Springvale

1999: Mark Passador, Springvale

2000: Michael Swan, Port Melbourne

2001: Kristian DePasquale, Coburg

2002: Michael Firrito, Box Hill

2003: Aaron Davey, Port Melbourne

2004: Adam Fisher, Sandringham

2005: Jackson Barling, Williamstown

2006: Jason Davenport, Geelong

2007: Shane Valenti, Sandringham

2008: Robin Nahas, Port Melbourne

2009: Michael Barlow, Werribee

2010: Michael Hibberd, Frankston

2011: Ahmed Saad, Northern Bullants

2012: Dean Towers, North Ballarat

2013: Kane Lambert, Northern Blues

2014: Nic Newman, Frankston

2015: Adam Marcon, Williamstown

2016: Luke Ryan, Coburg

2017: Bayley Fritsch, Casey Demons

2018: Josh Corbett, Werribee

2019: Jake Riccardi, Werribee

2020: not awarded

2021: Charlie Dean, Williamstown

2022: Ethan Phillips, Port Melbourne