By Nick Creely
Narre South president Nathan Tracy has put the rumours to bed – Scott Phillips is going nowhere next cricket season.
Tracy; who also announced he will be stepping down as president of the club; confirmed that the legendary local cricketers has put pen to paper for the next two seasons, as the Lions’ captain-coach in Dandenong District Turf 2.
With rumours circulating that Phillips could be headed to a Turf 1 club after scoring 1315 runs at 57.17 and taking 93 wickets at 10.06 in his first two years at Strathaird Reserve after an extraordinary career in the MPCA, Tracy said the chatter was simply wrong, and quite “funny”.
“We understand that everyone will chat when you have someone like Scott; I know Mordialloc had a chat with him, and the rumours are bandied around everywhere, and I got contacted him quickly and he knew nothing about it and wanted to re-sign that day,” he said.
“He never considered moving, when I contacted him, he told me there was no fact to the rumours; it was all over the shop, everyone was talking about it, and it’s just garbage to be honest.”
Despite figures being thrown around about how much Phillips’ contract is worth, and with suggestion that he is ‘breaking the bank’ at the club, Tracy said his star player is actually taking less for his actual worth, all to make the club become a powerhouse in the DDCA.
“It’s totally wrong; you hear figures, and he’s taking less money for the next two years than what he has the previous; he just wants to be at our club, and loves the culture, and he feels like we’re close to being successful enough to jump into Turf 1,” he said.
“Scott’s results speak for themselves; he only bowled half the year, and was probably the best in the comp, and he scored 615 runs, he’s that professional player everyone wants; a lot of clubs have showed interest in him, and we’re very happy to have him.
“When Scott plays, he brings others up with him, so it’s not about the dollar; he could have gone to a lot of clubs for a lot more money, but he didn’t.”
Tracy said despite Phillips being 39 years old, there’s no reason why he can’t keep dominating.
“I don’t see why he can’t continue doing what he does, considering he’s playing against the same kinds of players he’s played against the last couple of years,” he said.
The Lions are reportedly in the frame to land some other quality players from rival clubs, as they gear up for a tilt at a Turf 2 premiership in 2018/19.
