Phillips joined the Oakleigh Chargers in the TAC Cup in 2016 and stayed with the club in 2017.
[1] In 2018, he joined Port Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL), playing in 15 games and avering 11.5 intercept possessions.
[1] The same year, he also played for St Kevin's Old Boys in the Victorian Amateur Football Association in the club's premiership-winning team.
[6] On 17 February 2024, Hawthorn announced they had signed Phillips to the club's rookie list in the pre-season supplemental selection period (SSP).
[5] Phillips was signed after Hawthorn defender James Blanck suffered an ACL injury, which meant he would miss the entire 2024 AFL season.