Mattaes Phillipou would be the youngest participant on the sphere when unbeaten St Kilda and Essendon conflict on the MCG, however the Saints are backing the teenager sensation to deal with the event.
St Kilda will rejoice their a hundred and fiftieth anniversary match on Saturday, with 18-year-old Phillipou and fellow children Mitch Owens and Anthony Caminiti amongst these excelling amid a 2-0 begin.
The No.10 draft decide underlined his expertise with an excellent efficiency in assault towards the Western Bulldogs, scoring three targets together with a sensational, thumping long-range effort.
“He’s uberly talented,” teammate Mason Wood advised AAP.
“He’s got a great head on him. I don’t know that I’ve met too many kids that are that driven and he’s really, really driven to be whatever he’s capable of.
“It helps that he is bought some expertise however I feel his drive’s what is going on to carry him other than the remainder of the blokes I’ve seen come by the soccer membership and different soccer golf equipment and that form of factor.
“So it’s good to know that other guys like Marcus Windhager and Mitchito (Owens) and Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera are on the same page with that kind of thing and it’s a really exciting group of guys.
“If something they’re the blokes driving a number of the requirements from the bottom up and while you’ve bought that, it would not matter who’s on the market we’re gonna be fairly exhausting to beat.”
Funnily enough Phillipou was on Essendon’s radar at draft time before the Bombers opted for Elijah Tsatas, who has yet to play due to a knee injury, at pick No.5, and he slipped to St Kilda.
Wood stressed the Saints were determined not to put pressure on Phillipou to perform.
“To say it is gonna be simple crusing his complete profession – it’s extremely exhausting to say if that’ll occur,” he mentioned.
“But his angle and the best way he goes about soccer will maintain him in actually good stead. So if he goes by a interval of droop, he’ll come good.”
For his part, 29-year-old former Kangaroo Wood has shone in two games on the wing while enjoying a role as a mentor to younger players at the Saints.
“Coming into the soccer membership, I wished to alter not a lot who I used to be however who you could be as an older man,” he mentioned.
“I definitely would have beloved to had someone that is simply caught out the arm and mentioned ‘come round for dinner as soon as per week or no matter or come stick with me’ – that form of factor.
“So I just try to be that guy that you would have liked to have when you were younger.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
