Gary Phillips

NSL Career: Sydney Olympic, Brisbane Strikers 376 (19) / 1982 - 1996/97

One of the warriors of the NSL, Gary Phillips was a hardworking and consistent player who battled in midfield and defence exceptionally well for his small frame over 16 seasons in the competition. Phillips was one of the league's best Australian-born players to have missed out on representing the national team.

Hailing from Bankstown, NSW - Phillips began his junior career at North Bankstown before moving cross-town to Wahroonga for a season. Phillips moved further north up the coast to Sawtell at the age of 10 and remained with the club until he was 15 before joining Coffs Harbour where he made his first team debut in the Northern Coast Premier League. After playing for Coffs Harbour in the Northern NSW State League in 1981, Phillips joined Sydney Olympic after failing to earn a contract with NSL clubs Sydney City and Newcastle, and made his NSL debut at the age of 18. 

Phillips became a regular in the entertaining Olympic side and played in their 1983 NSL Cup Final victory over Heidelberg and their two-legged NSL Grand Final loss to South Melbourne in 1984. Phillips scored two penalties and set up the winner in Olympic's 1985 NSL Cup Semi-Final victory over Newcastle but missed both the NSL Cup Final and NSL Finals Series due to injury. 

In the 1986 season, Phillips was instrumental in getting Olympic in to their second grand final in three seasons, scoring three goals in the Northern Conference Finals Series (including a brilliant volley in the final) and was one of Olympic's best in the side's two-legged NSL Grand Final loss to Adelaide City.

Injuries saw Phillips miss some important matches over the next three seasons - including the 1989 NSL Finals Series where Olympic lost to Marconi in the Grand Final -  but the midfielder returned for the side's 1989 NSL Cup Final against Adelaide City where they lost two-nil.

Phillips played in Olympic's NSL Grand Final and NSL Cup Final losses in the 1989/90 season and remained with the club until the 1992/93 season before moving to Brisbane Strikers. Phillips helped to nurture the young local talent at the club and was instrumental in the side qualifying for the finals series for the first time in the 1995/96 season. 

The following season, Brisbane earned a home grand final against Sydney United in which Phillips missed out on selection after playing in the side's two-legged major semi-final victory over the Sydneysiders. The veteran midfielder hung up his boots following Brisbane's grand final win at the age of 34 and continued his youth coaching roles in Queensland before becoming head coach of the Tonga national team in 2001. 

Phillips became Sydney Olympic head coach for the 2001/02 season and won the championship in his first season - becoming the seventh person to win a championship with a club as a player and coach. Phillips was surprisingly sacked by the club the following season, prior to claiming the minor premiership, before going on to have a number of coaching rules across Asia, Australia and Oceania in both mens and womens football.