Recovering from a quad strain which has kept him out of SA’s first two matches of the AFL National Championships, McPherson will instead be primed for the fourth and final contest against Victoria Country at Simonds Stadium on Wednesday.
Speaking on SANFL Radio, Phillips said he didn’t want McPherson to be playing two matches with just four full days recovery in between after returning from injury.
South Adelaide forward Nathan Krueger and West Adelaide midfielder Josh Smithson have been included for their first match of the Championships, Krueger named on the interchange and Smithson in the forward pocket.
Impressive Central District midfielder Jackson Hately was unlucky to miss but will get another opportunity to shine next year given he is just 17 while Sturt’s Hugo Barry will undergo a full reconstruction after injuring his Anterior Cruciate Ligament in the dying minutes of SA’s win against the Allies.
Eagles utility Cooper Gaffney has travelled with the squad and will be an emergency for the match on Friday.
SA will train at AFL clubs North Melbourne, Richmond and the Western Bulldogs while spending the next week in Victoria while also watching two AFL matches during the weekend to get a feel for what life is like as a professional footballer.
McDONALD’S SA U18 TEAM
South Australia v Victoria Metro
Friday June 30
Etihad Stadium 4.10pm (SA time)
Live on Fox Footy Channel
F: (3) James Rowe, (45) Bryce Denham, (26) Josh Smithson
HF: (15) Jordan Houlahan, (36) Jack Lukosius, (40) Darcy Fogarty
C: (37) Charlie Ballard, (12) Alex Martini, (2) Izak Rankine
HB: (14) Isaac Hewson, (38) Harrison Petty, (18) Brodie Carroll
B: (32) Thomas Schmusch, (24) Brandon Zerk-Thatcher, (17) Brad McCarthy
R: (49) Callum Coleman-Jones, (13) Jackson Edwards, (6) Connor Rozee
INT: (41) Nathan Krueger, (16) Mitch Crowden, (27) Liam Denton, (5) Stefan Giro, (34) Sam Davis
EMG: (4) Cooper Gaffney, (21) Andrew McPherson
IN: Nathan Krueger, Josh Smithson
OUT: Hugo Barry (knee), Jackson Hately