Rival football fans rarely agree on anything.
But there are some moments which result in absolute unity.
The last time Adelaide and Carlton fans united was when Chris Judd was stretchered from the field after rupturing his ACL in Round 10 of the 2015 AFL Season - the entire ground coming together as one to celebrate his phenomenal achievements and legacy on the game.
Sunday's AFLW Grand Final saw identical scenes, with the crowd in excess of 53,000 at Adelaide Oval giving Erin Phillips a standing ovation after she too succumbed to the dreaded knee injury.
Such an overwhelming action is testament to her standing in the eyes of football fans: legendary.
Even though she's already an established sporting icon following her career in the WNBA and WNBL with Olympic medals, national honours and plenty more accolades to boot, Phillips' three years in the AFLW have arguably been her most formative to her status as a champion.
And after taking out the AFLW Best and Fairest Award last night for the second time in her career, it's only solidified her reputation as one of the game's greats.
In time, it will undoubtedly be known as the Erin Phillips Medal.
Not just because of her on-field feats, but the impact they've had upon the wider community.
When the AFLW competition first began in 2017, many were sceptical about the very concept of women playing football at a professional level.
As girls from around the country geared up to play elite football for the very first time, the AFLW - in-between all the strong support and positive affirmation - was scoffed at, frowned upon and even laughed at by those who viewed Aussie Rules as strictly a male sport.
But even with the critics heavily riding the quality of play, Phillips would rise above; her skills, aerial prowess and ability around the contest making even the game’s most stubborn proponents' heads turn.
It has been her prolific skill and talent which has helped break down such segregation.
Named co-captain of Adelaide in its maiden year, the daughter of the champion Port Adelaide star, Greg Phillips, would carry her side through its first season, playing as an inside midfielder that drifted down to full forward to kick goals.
In 2017, Phillips put together remarkable numbers of 20 disposals per game to go along with nine goals, as she willed the Crows through the home and away season and into the inaugural AFLW Grand Final.
Facing an in-form Brisbane side, the Adelaide co-captain would come to life on the game’s biggest stage, claiming 28 disposals and kicking two goals to win the medal for best afield in the Crows' six-point victory.
After just seven weeks, Phillips had well and truly put the AFLW on the map, with her dominance earning her All Australian honours, the AFLPA MVP award and most importantly, the competition's highest individual honour, the AFLW Best and Fairest Award.
Riding such a high from the inaugural season, injuries would plague Phillips throughout the competition’s second instalment, with a persistent groin problem seeing her only feature in five matches and average 12 disposals.
Despite these issues, Phillips would still show flashes of her trademark brilliance, with her class and power still seeing her as one of the competition's most revered players.
Having achieved so much and at the age of 33, you could have forgiven Phillips for hanging up the boots and retiring from professional sport altogether.
But the Crows' co-captain had more to prove in 2019, and it showed in her incredible form throughout every game of the season.
With the league's skill level growing exponentially, Phillips would elevate to a whole new level, as with the help of midfield maestros Ebony Marinoff, Chelsea Randall and Anne Hatchard, the Crows would become one of the most impressive football sides of all time.
A Round 1 loss to the Western Bulldogs would be the only blemish on an otherwise perfect year, as their free-flowing and attacking style of play would be the headline for a dramatically improved standard of play across the AFLW.
Despite the growth of her teammates, Phillips would still lead from the front, averaging a career high 22 disposals per game to go along with nine goals.
And even with all of her incredible individual awards, Phillips would without a doubt take most pride in the events of last Sunday afternoon as she led the Crows onto the Adelaide Oval for their second AFLW Grand Final, this time against the much-improved Carlton.
With a record breaking 53,034 spectators watching on in the stands, her Crows would run rampant in what truly was a defining day in not just women’s sport, but Australian sport.
Although Phillips would tragically leave the ground after sustaining an ACL injury late in the third quarter, she would still receive the medal for best on ground for a second time in a Grand Final as her Crows ran out 45-point victors.
By season’s end, Phillips had earned her second All Australian guernsey, second AFLPA MVP award and second AFL Best and Fairest award, where she polled 19 out of a possible 21 votes.
In over 150 years of Australian rules football, it is pretty well fair to say nobody has had such influence and mastery on a competition like Erin Phillips has had in her three years of playing AFLW.
In what has been a remarkable journey since the first ball was bounced in 2017, it is safe to say that much of the growth and popularity surrounding the AFLW today can be owed to the dominance of Phillips.
That word - 'dominance' - isn't one used lightly in the eyes of Australian sport, with only a handful of our sportsmen and women truly exhibiting it on their respective fields throughout history.
Whether it be Sir Donald Bradman averaging 99.94 in test cricket in the famous 'invincible' days of the Australian cricket team or Margaret Court winning Grand Slam after Grand Slam throughout the 1960s and 70s, very few have been able to completely dominate their sport at the highest level.
Erin Phillips now joins such esteemed company.
With the league now set up for many years of prosperity and continual expansion, Phillips has inspired thousands of young girls to get out on the park and start playing footy.
There is one quote from her speech at last night’s AFLW Awards that has resonated and showed the effect that the AFLW has had and is continuing to have on women around the nation.
“When I was born, people felt sorry for [my dad] because he didn’t have a son to play footy someday, to carry the Phillips name… You can stick it up those people who said that to you.”
What Phillips is doing right now is bigger than just footy.
She is inspiring a nation to buck a trend that has been in place for decades and give girls a chance to play competitive football for as long as they desire.
That is what truly makes her an Australian sporting icon and a figure who will go down in the history books for her dominance on the field and inspiring work off it.
Erin, you truly are a legend.
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