ADAM Skrobalak immediately saw something in Ethan Phillips.
Appointed as Port Melbourne's new VFL coach in September last year, having made the switch from the assistant coaching ranks at AFL level, Skrobalak had already started doing his research on the promising 196cm key defender by the time he got the job.
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As part of the interview process, Skrobalak had watched tape of every Port Melbourne match from the season before and felt he could shape Phillips into one of the League's most valuable young prospects.
He handed the 23-year-old a leadership role in his backline, giving him the licence and responsibility to become both the side's primary defender and its chief interceptor, and saw it reap immediate benefits throughout the season.
Phillips suddenly became a last-minute option for clubs on the lookout for mature-aged talent at the NAB AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft. Although overlooked, he is now firmly back on the radar of scouts ahead of next month's national draft.
"He's a very, very good mark," Skrobalak told AFL.com.au.
"For me, it was just getting him in line with the ball a little bit more and enabling him to get in a position to then go for his marks. The year before, he was probably caught off-line a little bit and sat on his opponent.
"He reads it off the boot very well, both the depth of the kick and the height of the kick. A lot of it is off the back of him getting in good position, then understanding whether he could make the gap. If it's 20m away, can he actually get there and can he impact? That was something he did really well."
Phillips' AFL chances received a significant boost when he was awarded the prestigious Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal last month. Recognising the most promising young talent in VFL competition, its winner has been drafted to an AFL list for 15 straight years.
The Port Melbourne prospect is hoping to make it 16 straight this November, where he could follow in the footsteps of players like Michael Hibberd, Kane Lambert, Nic Newman, Luke Ryan, Bayley Fritsch and, most recently, Collingwood's Charlie Dean.
It would come after a season in which Phillips has dominated at VFL level. His 5.1 intercept marks per game were the most averaged across a season since Sam Collins in 2018 – Collins, then at Werribee, would be recruited to Gold Coast later that year and become a best-and-fairest winner at the Suns – while his 11.5 intercept possessions per game were significantly more than anyone else in the competition.
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Champion Data notes that Phillips also ranked 'elite' for disposals (19.6 per game), disposal efficiency (85 per cent), marks (9.8 per game) and contested possessions (6.6 per game) across the season. It's a fair case for him to continue the Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal's proud history of being an AFL conveyor belt.
"The boys are already getting stuck into me," Phillips told AFL.com.au.
"They're making sure I know that they're going to give me plenty if I don't get picked up. But obviously, there's a great history with the medal and I'm part of this with some great winners. Hopefully, I can be the next one to go on and continue the streak and get picked up."
Phillips' situation now – where he has firmly emerged among AFL circles as one of the country's best mature-aged draft prospects – is a far cry from when he was 18, in his final season of junior footy with the Oakleigh Chargers.
Back then, he was completely overlooked by AFL recruiters and considered giving up on footy for good. He studied a logistics degree at university and got a job as a wharf planner, dealing with shipping and container movements.
Phillips had wanted to combine his full-time job with the stress-free environment of local footy. He was talked out of it by Port Melbourne's legendary coach Gary Ayres in a conversation he's now eternally grateful for.
"I remember when the 2017 draft passed, I wasn't really a chance of going. I had a bit of interest at the start of the year, but it died out pretty quickly," Phillips said.
"To be honest, I thought I was done with all of the football stuff. I was just going to focus on my uni and just play for my local club at SKOBs. I remember just talking to a few VFL clubs and they were saying it would be worth having a crack.
"The good thing about my chat with 'Ayresy' was that he told me Port Melbourne had a local feel and that I'd make lifelong friendships with the blokes I'd play with. I decided to stick with it and I haven't regretted it at all. I've made some lifelong friends at Port Melbourne, that's for sure. I've got some great memories with the club."
Skrobalak, a highly-regarded assistant coach at St Kilda for seven seasons before shifting to Port Melbourne, knows what makes an AFL player. In his 12 months working alongside Phillips, he's seen those traits emerge.
"At the moment, intercept marking is the No.1 thing that every club wants in AFL football. If someone has got that, which he clearly has, then I would be taking the punt on that," Skrobalak said.
"Every player has areas they need to improve on, but if they've got the ability to do something that every AFL club wants then I think a club should back themselves in and go for that.
"To lead the competition in intercept marks, at his age and his profile, it's a massive effort. I'd be taking the punt on him, for sure."
