Phillips began his career at the Illawarra Steelers in the 1987 NSWRL season. He made his debut in round 1 as the Steelers defeated the South Sydney Rabbitohs 25–2. He came off the bench and contributed two tries.[2] He started his first game in a 32–12 win against the Western Suburbs Magpies and overall, he played 20 matches in his rookie season.[3] The following season, he played another 20 games for the Steelers, scoring tries in three of those matches.[4] The next year, he played just six matches for the Steelers, in what would be his last season in that tenure with the Illawarra club.[5]
For the 1990 premiership season, he signed with the Balmain Tigers. He, however, only played one match in his first year with the team.[6] In the following year's competition, he played 13 matches. mostly off the bench.[7] The next season, he played three matches for the Balmain outfit in what would become his last season with the side.[8]
For the 1994 competition, he signed with the St. George Dragons. He only ended up playing one match for the Kogarah-based club, coming off the bench in a 24–6 loss against Canterbury.[9]
In his last year, he rejoined the Steelers. In his first match back, he again scored a try against South Sydney to gift his side the win 20–16.[10] He played six matches, all off the bench, before retiring from rugby league.[11]