How the Barrass deal sealed Hawk's delisting, interest emerging from other clubs

Delisted Hawk Ethan Phillips was still a chance to remain on the club’s list until the final minutes of the AFL Trade Period.

The key defender joined the club as an SSP addition ahead of the 2024 season and played one game in the brown and gold at the top level last season.

While Phillips only played one senior game for the club, he performed well in the VFL across 14 state-league games.

As list spots became tighter, Phillips revealed that he would have received a new one-year deal from the club if they couldn’t secure Tom Barrass via trade from West Coast.

Unfortunately for the 25-year-old, the Barrass deal was done at the eleventh hour of the trade period, sealing his fate as he was then not offered a contract for 2025.

“The discussions were pretty open with Hawthorn's list manager Mark McKenzie throughout the year,” Phillips told SEN Afternoons.

“Most of our key defenders were contracted and obviously we were after Tom Barrass and Josh Battle.

“Then in my exit interview they basically said that if Barrass comes, I’m out. But if they couldn’t get the trade done, then I’ve got another year.”

While he played just one AFL game in a tight loss to Port Adelaide, Phillips feels that his performance in that outing proved that he can compete at the top level.

Phillips also added that he’s spoken to a couple of AFL clubs about receiving a career lifeline as he hopes to continue his time at the top level.

“You worked over almost 10 years to get to that opportunity, so it’s definitely one I won’t forget anytime soon,” Phillips said.

“It was a great day for the family, and I'll always look on it with fond memories.

“I think I've proven to myself that I'm more than comfortable at the level with how I played in that game, so hopefully I get an opportunity elsewhere because I think I've definitely got a lot more AFL footy left in me.

“We've sort of put the feelers out at the moment and I've had a chat with a couple of clubs.

“There's a little bit of interest there at the moment, hopefully over the next few weeks we can progress those discussions and hopefully a club will give me an opportunity.”

If he doesn’t receive another shot at the top level for 2025, Phillips confirmed that he’s open to returning to VFL footy. The key defender previously played for Port Melbourne where he was named the Forthergill-Round-Mitchell Medal as the league’s best young talent in 2022.