Phil Davis Biography

Phil Davis explains how he decided to play on for a 15th season after speaking to new Giants coach Adam Kingsley.

"I was pretty content after 14 years to hang up the boots. I still loved the club and wanted to help that transition … he helped crystalise that and brought in a great coaching group and a great environment," Davis said.

"He helped me get over the hump to go around again."

GWS select Phil Davis with pick No.3 in the 2022 Rookie Draft.

Phil Davis re-signs with the Giants to play on in 2023.

The 31-year-old has been contemplating his future in recent months since suffering a second serious hamstring injury this season.

Davis always had a contract for next year if he wanted it, after deferring payments from his most recent deal until 2023.

But after managing only five games in 2022 – and only 26 appearances since the 2019 Grand Final – the former skipper had taken time to contemplate his future.

Phil Davis is set to miss up to three months after suffering a serious hamstring strain while lunging to tackle Tiger Noah Balta late in the second quarter at the MCG.

Giants Stephen Coniglio, Phil Davis and Matt de Boer are facing lengthy stints on the sideline.

Coniglio will have ankle surgery on Thursday after scans revealed a syndesmosis injury and will be sidelined for at least eight weeks.

Davis is expected to miss six weeks with a serious calf injury, while de Boer will miss up to 10 with a significant hamstring injury.

Stephen Coniglio will remain skipper of the Giants in 2021 while Toby Greene has been elevated to the role of vice-captain.

Phil Davis, Jacob Hopper, Lachie Whitfield, Josh Kelly and Matt de Boer round out the club's leadership group.

"It's an honour to be vice-captain of a club that I love so much and that has given me so much in my life. Leadership is something I've worked really hard on developing. It's an area I want to continue to improve in," Greene said.

"I'm really proud to support 'Cogs' as our captain. We've got a really strong group that will drive us forward in 2021."

Phil Davis has been ruled out for the remainder of the 2020 season. The former Giants skipper has been battling bone bruising to his right knee and it has flared up to the point where is unable to train.

"Phil has been managing this injury across this season but unfortunately it's reached the point where only a long period of rest will fix the problem," Giants GM of football Jason McCartney said.

"With that in mind, it was decided that it's in Phil's best interests to return home to Sydney to be with his partner and family and he'll undergo minor surgery in the coming days."

Stephen Coniglio will captain GWS in 2020 as part of a six-man leadership group.

The Giants won't have any vice-captains under Coniglio, instead entrusting Josh Kelly and Matt de Boer to support the star midfielder, along with newcomers Jeremy Cameron, Toby Greene and Lachie Whitfield.

Phil Davis and Callan Ward have stepped away from the Giants' leadership group after eight seasons as co-captains of the club.

"We're very fortunate at the Giants to have some outstanding leaders and I'm really confident in the mix of players that will be supporting Stephen as on-field leaders," GWS footy boss Jason McCartney said.

Stephen Coniglio is officially unveiled as Greater Western Sydney's new captain after exiting skippers Phil Davis and Callan Ward handed him the baton during an off-season holiday weeks ago.

"It speaks volumes for the people they are, they were here from such a young age representing our playing group and setting high standards," Coniglio said of his former co-captains.

"For the boys to do the co-captaincy thing for as long as they did, there wouldn't be too many organisations where two guys can come together for that long and jell so well."

Coniglio becomes the club's first sole captain since the club entered the competition and says he wants to drive a winning culture at the Giants.

"As a captain and a player, that's why we're here. We're here to win," he said.

"We've been able to forge a really strong club and we've been to four finals series in a row, and we want success at this footy club.

"That’s really important to me, as is continuing the really strong culture we have."

Phil Davis says playing in his upcoming 150th AFL match won't be the same without his co-captain Callan Ward who is recovering from a knee reconstruction.

Two of the club's first established signings in 2011, Davis and Ward were hand-picked to skipper the new club alongside veteran Luke Power through the Giants' inaugural season, and with Geelong's Joel Selwood, they're the longest-serving captains in the competition.

"With any milestone, you want to experience it with the people you've spent a lot of time with and gone through the most hardships with, and Cal is probably at the top of that tree," Davis said.

Ward says he's been privileged to watch Davis develop into one of the game's most respected leaders in their time at the Giants.

"At the start we both had to learn how to be leaders and we had no idea what we were doing, so we've had to grow and mature over the last eight years," Ward said.

"He used to be really black and white with the way he thought about things, especially leadership stuff when it came to football, but now he understands people and football a lot more.

"He understands that there's grey (areas) in people's personalities and the way they go about things so he's a lot more relatable, and that shows he's come a long way."

Greater Western Sydney will be led by co-captains Phil Davis and Callan Ward for the eighth consecutive season as the club announced an unchanged leadership group for 2019.

Stephen Coniglio and Josh Kelly will again be vice-captains, while Matt de Boer is the final member of the group.

"What that process demonstrated for us is that we have a number of outstanding leaders at our club both in official leadership positions as well as across our entire playing group," Giants football manager Wayne Campbell said.

Heath Shaw praises teammate and fellow defender Phil Davis for taking his game to the next level in 2018.

"He's gone from being a lockdown defender to evolving with the game and bringing in more offence," Shaw said.

"This year he's taken it to a new level, backing himself to fly for marks and getting more involved in the attacking side of the game, and that comes on the back of confidence."

Phil Davis signs a new three-year deal with GWS that will keep him at the club until the end of 2021.

"It was a very easy decision, I really didn't have to put too much thought into it and it was a pretty quick process in the end," Davis said.

"It's been a great journey so far and hopefully there's a fair few years left. I'm looking forward to the next four years if you include this year."

Matt de Boer's remarkable career renaissance after being elevated into a new-look leadership group at Greater Western Sydney.

The Giants will again be led by co-captains Callan Ward and Phil Davis, who continue in the role for the seventh straight year, with vice-captain Stephen Coniglio joined by star midfielder Josh Kelly as a deputy.

All Australian Dylan Shiel was voted into the group again, but opted to step away from his leadership duties, while veteran defender Heath Shaw also made way.

Josh Kelly caps off an outstanding 2017 season, taking home the Kevin Sheedy Medal as the Giants' 2017 Club Champion.

Kelly finished 26 ahead of co-captain and 2012 Kevin Sheedy Medallist Callan Ward on 172 votes. Fellow co-captain Phil Davis (153 votes), 2017 Virgin Australia All Australian Dylan Shiel (152 votes) and running machine Tom Scully (137 votes) rounded out the top five.

“There’s no doubt Josh took his game to a new level this year playing a variety of roles and playing with a high level of consistency," Giants coach Leon Cameron said.

“He was part of our leadership group for the first time this year and everyone at the Giants admires his dedication to the club and playing group."

Phil Davis defends himself against allegations that he is a stager.

Premiership players David King and Cameron Ling were among the pundits to question whether Davis went down too easily during a recent clash with Western Bulldogs forward Jack Redpath.

Redpath received a three-game ban last week after unsuccessfully challenging his striking charge.

Davis, who plays his 100th game for the Giants this weekend, was unimpressed with much of the commentary about the incident.

"I was a little bit bemused by it all," the key defender said.

"It's always interesting when people make comments without all the facts ... some of the people that were leading chorus in that didn't try to make contact or learn the facts.

"That's always a little bit disappointing."

Jack Redpath is suspended for three matches after failing to contest a striking charge against Giant Phil Davis.

GWS captain Phil Davis expresses his dismay after witnessing a fan pouring beer directed at Toby Greene as Giants players were exiting the stadium.

"I don't think that's what we players deserve,” Davis told 3AW.

"It's just not right. We as footballers deserve our right to walk off the ground without having beer thrown on us."

GWS vice-captain Stephen Coniglio says Friday night's on-field spat between Giants co-captain Phil Davis and forward Rory Lobb was a result of the club not performing to its own high expectations.

The heated altercation, at three quarter-time of Greater Western Sydney's 23-point loss at Etihad Stadium, began with Davis shoving Lobb in the chest before veteran teammate Steve Johnson intervened.

The Saints went on to kick six goals to one in the final quarter to overturn a seven-point deficit at the last break that was as much as 17 during the third term.

The incident has been a talking point inside and outside the club since, but Coniglio said there were no lingering issues.

"I probably can’t tell you too much (about what was said) – I haven’t asked Phil’s or Rory’s permission – but I know those two had a very good chat about it first thing on Monday," Coniglio told Fox Footy.

"They were fine with it straight after and I think, with a lot of our performances, it hasn’t been at that high-end level.

"We expect a lot of each other and no doubt Phil and Rory expect a lot of each other and they were probably just highlighting that."

Phil Davis will miss this week's match against the Western Bulldogs with a hamstring injury after feeling a slight twinge at training.

Phil Davis has become the AFL's favourite punching bag.

Geelong's Tom Hawkins became the fourth player charged for striking Phil Davis in 11 rounds this season when he was, to the surprise of many, cited for throwing a clenched fist in the 25-year-old's direction in last Saturday's win over Greater Western Sydney at Simonds Stadium.

Davis's unwanted strike-rate, so to speak, is alarmingly high, because being the victim in four games in the first half of a season is unprecedented.

No individual has been the victim five times in separate games in one season since opponents were reported for striking and kneeing former Essendon and Port Adelaide player Gavin Wanganeen on five occasions in his Brownlow medal-winning season of 1993.

In three of those five occasions, Wanganeen's attackers were found not guilty.

Davis' predicament is so rare that only two other players in the past 40 years have been on the charge sheet as a victim five times in the one season, David Rhys-Jones in 1985 and Terry Wheeler in 1978.

However, each of the four players cited for striking Greater Western Sydney's captain in 2016 has been found guilty, with Brisbane Lion Dayne Zorko and Hawkins receiving weeks, while Melbourne's Jeff Garlett and Port Adelaide's Charlie Dixon were fined $1000.

Tom Hawkins is handed a one-game suspension from the Match Review Panel for striking GWS co-captain Phil Davis in the Cats' 10-point win at Simonds Stadium.

The 27-year-old's left-handed cuff early in the final quarter caught Davis on the chin and neck, and was graded as intentional conduct with low impact to the head.

Geelong coach Chris Scott says he was bewildered when he was made aware of Hawkins' striking charge.

"I'd seen the incident and I didn't really give it a second thought. I only got the news a couple of hours ago and it shocked me," Scott said.

"It is a big, big risk to take something like this to the Tribunal; we play the Bulldogs in two weeks at Etihad (and) it'll be a big risk to lose him for that as well."

Callan Ward and key defender Phil Davis will co-captain GWS for a fifth-straight season, but Shane Mumford and Tom Scully have made way for four new additions to the group.

Reigning club champion Heath Shaw will again support Ward and Davis, who have shared the skipper's role since the Giants entered the competition in 2012.

Gun midfielders Stephen Coniglio, Dylan Shiel and Devon Smith, and defender Matt Buntine, all 22-year-old Giants' 'originals', have been given a spot on the leadership team for the first time.

"We've had young guys who have been doing leadership stuff for four years that they've been here and they're ready to step in," Ward said.

"We didn't want the group too large, and seven is the perfect number for us.

"We've got four fifth-year players who are terrific leaders, terrific men; that's what we're about at this football club, great men and great people so I think it's really good signs for us.

"They'll fill the shoes really well."

Phil Davis is ruled out for the remainder of the season after straining his hamstring in the second quarter of the Giants' away loss to Port Adelaide.

Phil Davis is expected to be sidelined for an extended period after suffering a right ankle injury in the second quarter of the Giants' loss to the Magpies at the MCG.

The Giants expect scans to reveal damage to Davis' ankle ligaments.

Phil Davis says he wants the Giants' Anzac Day clash with Gold Coast in Canberra to be a permanent AFL fixture - even if it's purely for selfish reasons.

Davis grew up in the nation's capital and had two grandparents serve in World War II.

"My grandfather was in the air force and my grandmother was in the army driving a truck," Davis said.

"Both survived, which was terrific.

"So the military's always been part of my life and Anzac Day is always a day on the calendar that gets circled."

Cam McCarthy will get his chance to lock down a spot in Greater Western Sydney's forward line in Jonathan Patton's absence, with the West Australian picked to face St Kilda at Etihad Stadium in the Giants' 2015 season opener.

"He's come out of left field a little bit, his past two months have been enormous. He's got a lot of talent; he's still very raw but is going to be a good player for a very long time," GWS co-captain Phil Davis said.

"He's just a beautiful footballer, has a good set of dukes and hopefully it starts coming together for him now."

Phil Davis re-commits to Greater Western Sydney until the end of the 2018 season.

"It was a pretty easy decision for myself," Davis said.

"I knew I wanted to be here. This is the place I want to play my footy and it (the contract) went through quite easily."

Davis said the talent on the Giants' list convinced him that the ultimate success isn't too far away.

"One of the main reasons I decided to extend was that this is the place where I think I'm the best chance to win a premiership and I'm excited about where we're going.

"With a young group they understand that and believe that and no doubt as the year rolls on, and the timing is right, we'll have more and more players extend."

Davis admits a kidney injury in round one last year had the potential to jeopardize his career.

"When I was injured I felt for a bit there that I would go off into the mist and retire," Davis said.

"But I had some good health and got better. Now I'm very thankful for the position I'm in."

GWS will stick with co-captains Callan Ward and Phil Davis who will share in the leadership of the club in 2015.

Tom Scully and Heath Shaw have been reappointed as vice-captains, while Shane Mumford remains in the leadership group.

"To go into our fourth year with a virtually unchanged leadership group speaks volumes about the stability and maturity of the club and is a tremendous endorsement of our leaders," Giants coach Leon Cameron said.

"Callan and Phil have developed into outstanding young leaders on and off the field and are ably supported by Tom, Heath and Shane."

Phil Davis will put the finishing touches on his recovery from a potentially career-ending kidney injury when he returns to the senior side for Saturday's game against the Brisbane Lions.

"It's been seven-and-a-half weeks of running, I've been able to do a fair bit of work in that time, and I'm pretty confident I can keep up with the rigours of AFL football," Davis said.

"It's funny, the opposition asked me during the game (in the NEAFL on Saturday) if I was sore, and I wouldn't have been out there if I'd been sore.

"I'm 100 per cent ready to go and feeling really good about my body."

Phil Davis makes a successful return to football, less than three months after suffering a serious kidney injury in round one.

"I was really anxious and nervous before the game," Davis said.

"But it was great to run around. I was very rusty, particularly early, but I got there slowly."

Three months after seriously injuring his kidney, defender Phil Davis has received the all-clear from his specialist and will make a welcome return to the field with the Greater Western Sydney reserves.

"I had the CT scan and it came back that it had fully healed, so that was terrific news," Davis said.

"I've lost a bit of the function, but apart from that it's in as good a shape as it was before.

"I've been very fortunate in my recovery, everything has gone really well for me."

GWS co-captain Phil Davis says the club is still on track despite a six-game losing streak and dropping their past two games to West Coast and Richmond by a combined 224 points.

"If you look at our group, from my point of view, we're one of the closest-knit groups I've been a part of," Davis said.

"Everyone gets along really well and enjoys each other's company, but you need to have success and that's the way it is.

"We're excited for what we're building and look forward to playing together for a long period of time."

Phil Davis hopes to return to football from a kidney injury before the end of the year.

"I want to play this year and my goal is to come back," Davis said.

"I probably wouldn't waste my time with two games at the end of the year, but if I can get four, five, six or more, that's my goal at the moment.

"But if the doctors said no, I'd look at it as a year off and maybe I can have another year at the other end of my career."

Phil Davis opens up about his kidney injury that doctors described as "up there with the worst" they had seen and more significant than those suffered by people in car crashes.

It all started with a seemingly innocuous knee to Davis' kidney from Sydney Swan Craig Bird in the first quarter of Greater Western Sydney's round one victory on March 15.

The contact didn't even leave a mark, but unbeknown to Davis he had suffered lacerations to his kidney.

He played on and helped his team to its greatest victory to date, even singing the team song, having no idea what was happening internally.

Over the course of his two-week ordeal, however, the 23-year-old would experience delirium and hallucinations and at one stage beg doctors to remove the organ so he could just ease the pain and get some sleep.

"I don't even have a bruise," Davis said.

"I just got the perfect point of his knee – the right angle, the right time.

"It was pretty scary because the specialist said it was up there with the worst kidney damage he'd ever seen.

"It smashed the back end of the kidney, it was all mushy at the back, and split a few of the arteries."

Phil Davis remains in intensive care due to a kidney bleed, an injury that leading sports medico Dr Peter Larkins believes will keep him out of the game for at least two months.

"It's a nasty injury and clearly his future is indefinite in terms of playing," Dr Larkins said.

"My best estimate is that it would be a minimum of six to eight weeks – the best scenario.

"They won't expose him to any contact sport.

"It's too early to predict at this stage whether he may require further medical treatment for his kidney injury."

Phil Davis is in hospital after copping an accidental knock to the kidney against the Swans.

"Phil is in good care and we will continue to monitor his progress. His family is with him in Sydney and we will provide a further update when it is available," Giants football manager Graeme Allan said in a club statement.

Phil Davis and Callan Ward are retained as GWS co-captains in 2014 with Heath Shaw joining Tom Scully as vice-captains of the club.

Shane Mumford and Stephen Gilham round out the leadership group.

"I don't know what the media in Melbourne think about Heath, because they always seem to be on his back, but he's been unbelievable," Davis said about Shaw.

"What they thought he was going to provide has been nowhere near what he's actually been able to do.

"He's been enormous for our footy club and he's just a natural leader, people are drawn to him, he's an infectious character, he leads by example and sets good standards."

Irish-born debutant Aidan Corr will replace Greater Western Sydney co-captain Phil Davis in the backline for this week's clash with Essendon at Etihad Stadium.

"I'm pretty nervous, especially having Phil out," Corr said.

"He's good on the field, through the NAB Cup he always helped me with positioning and talking to me.

"I'll have to listen to Stephen Gilham, take advice from the boys and go as hard as I can I guess."

Phil Davis will miss six weeks due to a stress-related back injury.

"Phil underwent scans and there was a fracture present so he'll be on a non-weight bearing training program for the next month due to the injury," Giants' head of sports science John Quinn said.

"We believe the injury was triggered by a knock to the lower back in recent weeks and it would continue to get worse if he played on."

GWS coach Kevin Sheedy sings the praises of Kurt Tippett, with the Giants desperate to sign him.

"A good thing about Tippett is he's also a ruckman," Sheedy said.

"He's a former basketball player and well over 200cm. Clubs are always looking at that spare ruck/forward who can come in and make it happen.

"We'll look at the opportunities to get a player like Tippett, there's no doubt about that. We've got an opportunity to pick up a good player and we should do it."

After winning the 'reverse Coleman Medal', GWS defender Phil Davis wins the 'reverse Coleman Medal' after having 52 goals kicked on him in 22 games, the most in the league ahead of Richmond's Alex Rance (48 goals, 22 games) and Port Adelaide's Alipate Carlile (47, 20).

"It's been a tough year down back and when the ball gets kicked to you a lot it's very challenging," Davis said.

"But it's also been very enjoyable and we've had some great people play in the backline alongside me."

GWS co-captain Phil Davis tells Fox Sports News that he left Adelaide before the end of last season to help his former club.

"It was definitely a difficult time for myself," Davis said.

"I was injured and wasn't going to play for the rest of the year and it got to a point where I thought I should help Adelaide with their list management."

Following their first AFL game against Sydney, Greater Western Sydney co-captain Phil Davis says his team should be proud of the exciting journey it's begun.

"I was just really proud of them and I wanted to tell them that this was the start of a fantastic journey that we can all be a part of," Davis said after the match.

"I think it was a great night for football in general. I know there was a lot of scepticism out there about how we were going to go, but I thought tonight we showed a bit of what we're capable of and I think everyone in our team can play better, which is a good sign as well.

"It wasn't our Grand Final or anything, but it is the start of a journey for us, an exciting journey that we can all be proud of."

Veteran Luke Power, plus young recruits Callan Ward and Phil Davis will lead GWS as co-captains during its debut season in the AFL.

"We think these players will provide first-class leadership and support for the club both on and off the field as we build a team that can compete for ultimate success in the years to come," GWS chairman Tony Shepherd said.

"In particular I want to congratulate Luke, Callan and Phil on becoming the inaugural captains of the GWS Giants."

An ongoing promotional tour of GWS' supporter catchment has kept coach Kevin Sheedy from meeting Giants recruit Phil Davis.

Greater Western Sydney CEO Dale Holmes insists the club has no agreement with Adelaide defender Phil Davis that contravenes the AFL rules regarding recruiting players from other clubs.

"I can absolutely categorically say that Phil Davis does not have a contract [with GWS] and if Phil Davis wished to do a U-turn tomorrow he could walk away," Holmes told 3AW.

"It's purely a discussion where we gave a guide and a principle around the terms. The rules allow for that and essentially what we're going through is at the end of the year we'll sit down with the player and work through the specific terms of the agreement."

Adelaide caretaker coach Mark Bickley admits the defection of Phil Davis to Greater Western Sydney has shattered the team, particularly after Nathan Bock had left for Gold Coast the year before.

"Nathan was an All-Australian, best-and-fairest centre half-back and we lose him. Phil was our No.1 draft pick a couple of years ago, pick 10 … and he really made that position his own in a short space of time and we were really rapt that we were able to cover for Nathan," Bickley said on SEN radio.

"And now you lose Phil, so it's devastating for the players because we've got a young group and we were hoping to try and keep that group together. So when one defects it's hard to cop."

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire accuses GWS of cheating on its first official recruit in Phil Davis after a deal had been agreed on outside of the permitted negotiation window.

"We bang on about the salary cap and all the rest of it - they're cheating on their first signing. What the hell is going on?" McGuire said on Triple M.

"I've been saying this for ages, that sooner or later this is just really going to blow up and everyone's going to do their lid on this one and I reckon this is an absolute insult to everyone in the AFL competition."

Adelaide key defender Phil Davis is the first player to confirm signing with GWS, a move which has frustrated the Crows.

"The club recognises Phil's honesty in coming forward this morning to inform his teammates of his decision, soon after he made it on the weekend," Adelaide football operations manager Phil Harper said.

"I can ensure all our members and supporters that we did everything in our powers to get Phil to stay, including putting forward an offer well in excess of any offer to an 18-game player in the club's history."

Phil Davis becomes the third Adelaide player linked to GWS and Crows coach Neil Craig says the club cannot afford to lose any of them.

"I don't want to lose Phil Davis," Craig said on.

"It would be the same if we lost Taylor Walker. I want Taylor back in form, so he can continue his AFL career and improve at the rate that I think he can.

"We'd be worse off without Taylor, and it would be the same for Bernie Vince. We can't afford to lose any of those players, but we are [helpless] because of the rules."

Adelaide defender Phil Davis will be forced to have surgery after injuring his shoulder in Saturday night's win over St Kilda and will be sidelined indefinitely.

Phil Davis suffers a dislocated shoulder after attempting to apply a tackle on St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt and is likely to miss the rest of the season.

"It's disappointing for Phil because he's a key player for us and he's developing into an important player. I love his attitude to footy and it's just disappointing for our supporters when that sort of injury occurs," Adelaide coach Neil Craig said.

Adelaide defender Daniel Talia wants to steal the best-22 place of his mentor Phil Davis.

"There's only one spot in defence between three or four of us. Phil's probably ahead right now, but there's definitely a lot of competition. Hopefully, Luke Thompson, James Sellar and myself can push up for that spot in the senior team," Talia said.

"For a bloke that's fighting for the same position as me Phil has been really helpful. I appreciate what he does for me, but it would be good if I could push for his spot and kick him out. He won't like me saying that, but that's the reality of it."

Young defender Phil Davis now hopes to take his game to the next level in Adelaide's backline.

"I felt as though I had a pretty good run and got a lot of confidence out of what I could do last year...but centre half-back is a tough position," Davis said.

"You've got to play on a lot of good footballers and they can easily kick a lot of goals on you, but for me it's about trying to improve. Hopefully, I can improve on last year and keep on doing what I want to do. It'll be a challenge, but one I'm looking forward to."

Adelaide coach Neil Craig has kept NAB AFL Rising Star nominee Phil Davis on the outer so not to upset his team's balance for its clash with Richmond.

"I'm still keen to keep a similar structure down back. To bring Phil into that structure would change things significantly and it would take some flexibility away from us," Craig said.

"Phil will continue to play in the SANFL and continue to place significant pressure on Nathan Bock, Scott Stevens and Ben Rutten in defence. I'm not against playing Phil up forward at some stage because I think he'll end up being a very good forward."

After an outstanding shut-down job on Geelong forward Cameron Mooney, Adelaide's Phil Davis earns a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination.

"I probably want to move into a more key-position role," Davis said of his goals moving forward.

"I feel as though I can hopefully put on another five or six kilos, fill out a bit more but hopefully keep my agility if I can and keep that flexibility where I can play on the smaller opponents as well as the taller opponents."

Adelaide debutant Phil Davis was a shining light for the Crows in the side's fourth straight loss for the year against Carlton.

"There were a couple of errors I made that I'd like to improve on, but it was a good start. It was big step up and I was pretty tired by the end of the game," Davis said.

"There were a few things I did a bit wrong in the NAB Cup in terms of my positioning and knowing the team structures, but I've worked on those areas over the last four or five weeks and have hopefully become a better player."

Phil Davis makes his AFL debut for Adelaide at Football Park with 16 disposals (8 kicks and 8 handballs), 7 marks and 2 tackles in a 48-point loss to Carlton.