HIS phone is yet to light up this week but former Helensburgh star Blake Phillips is expecting plenty of barbs to come his way when he faces his old club for the first time on Saturday.
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A key cog in what has been an extremely well-oiled Helensburgh machine in recent seasons, Phillips left a considerable hole in the Tigers side when he departed for Collegians following last season’s breakthrough premiership victory.
He admits the decision to leave behind the jersey he first wore as a six-year-old and – via Milton-Ulladulla as a junior – the only one he’s ever worn as a senior was a tough decision but one he’s already benefited from.
"I loved my time there but I think I'd got got a bit too comfortable up there at Helensburgh and my footy was slipping a little bit,” Phillips said.
“I’ve been living down in Wollongong and I saw that Nathan Fien was coaching [at Collegians].
"I thought a new coach, a new environment and new approach to things would help my footy and I haven't had any reason to doubt that.
“I'm loving what I'm doing at the club so it's paying dividends.”
Phillips got a taste of what his former teammates have in store for him in the preseason Challenge Cup but he’s expecting Saturday’s clash to be considerably more intense.
"I definitely earmarked this one on the calendar,” Phillips said.
"I'm glad it's down here at Collies and not up there at Helensburgh because that'll be a whole different kettle of fish up there.
"I came across Helensburgh in the Challenge Cup which was not as big a game as a proper competition game but it was still a bit nerve-wracking and there were some mixed emotions playing up there on the old home ground.
"After playing with them all those years and winning a premiership it was always a bit daunting to come up against them but it should be a good game against them this week.
It'll be a bit different coming up against them instead going into battle with them.”
For the first time in several seasons, the Tigers are staring down the barrel of three straight defeats and Phillips knows enough about the Tigers culture to expect a backlash on Saturday.
"They'll definitely be fired up this weekend coming up against us on the back of that,” Phillips said.
"They've got a very strong bunch of players up there and they're still a very good team so they're definitely going to be tough to beat this year. I've played with them for a number of years and I know how good a team they are. It’s going to be a very entertaining game."
While a premiership bond is unbreakable Phillips said friendships are put aside this week and he’s is expecting a few sledges to come his way.
“I haven’t heard anything just yet but I’m sure there’ll be some on the field come Saturday.”
The only other match in a split round this week will see a resumption of one of the league’s oldest and fiercest rivalries with Berkeley to host Dapto on Saturday.
