Player of the week: Phil Davis

By Dalton Woods

Phil Davis, one of the inaugural co-captains of the GWS GIANTS, was a product of Canberra’s Marist College, a school he attended until he moved to South Australia at the age of 14.

He was selected by the Adelaide Crows with pick 10 in the 2008 AFL National Draft, but persistent shoulder injuries curtailed Davis’ efforts to make a name for himself at the highest level until he finally made his debut in 2010.

It was a baptism of fire for the young defender, the then 20-year-old forced to match up against high quality forwards such as Geelong dual premiership winner, Cameron Mooney.

Perhaps Davis’ most impressive performance came in Adelaide’s opening round clash against Hawthorn in 2011, where he started to fulfill the potential that made him such an appealing prospect for the Crows.

Tasked with the job of handling the mercurial Lance Franklin, Davis completely outplayed his big-name rival, accumulating 25 touches to inspire the Crows to a 20-point win.

After this auspicious start to his sophomore season, Davis unfortunately suffered another shoulder injury, which required him to undergo a shoulder reconstruction in Round 6 of 2011.

In September of the same year, no longer under contract to Adelaide, Davis was the first player from a rival club to announce he would join the GWS GIANTS in their first season in the AFL.

Upon his signing, Davis said: “This is an exciting day for me and I’m pleased to be making this announcement back home in Canberra; it’s a place that I spent the first 14 years of my life and I look forward to being close to here again.

“The GIANTS have a big future ahead of them and that was a driving force behind my decision. With the draft picks and the quality of the players already signed, I can’t wait to move up to Sydney and start my career with the GIANTS.”

Davis’ departure was a huge blow to Adelaide’s future aspirations, with the club earmarking the defender as a future leader who they could build a premiership assault around.

The frustration at losing a player of Davis’ calibre was evident in the words of then Football Operations Chief, Phil Harper, who, at the time, articulated the club’s disappointment.

Our club is bloody disappointed Phil has made this decision. We understand it, but we don’t like it.”

“When you lose a player who is 20 years old and whom we see as a future captain of our club and as a rising star, it’s certainly a massive loss.”

These remarks showed just how highly Davis was regarded as a talent both on and off the field.

However, Adelaide’s loss was the GIANTS’ gain, and Davis certainly didn’t disappoint his new club in their debut season, going on to claim the award for the club’s best defender.

His most impressive display came in Round 12 against Richmond, tallying 23 disposals to go with seven marks.

This backline domination was one of the reasons GWS were so keen to sign the youngster, and GIANTS fans will be hoping to see much more of the same in the years to come.“