A Souths Mackay junior, Phillips joined the North Queensland Cowboys as a teenager.
[4] A week later, he scored his first NRL try in the Cowboys' 6–34 loss to the New Zealand Warriors.
During that time he played over 100 games for the club, was selected for the Queensland Residents in 2006 and was named their Player of the Year in 2007.
[6][7][8] He retired at the end of the 2009 season but returned three years later, joining the Norths Devils.
In December 2014, Phillips signed with the Coventry Bears for their first professional season in League 1.