DUAL Olympian and NAB AFL Women's superstar Erin Phillips has called time on her glittering basketball career to focus on Adelaide's premiership defence.
The Crows' co-captain, who was the inaugural AFLW best and fairest last year, hoped for a fairytale send-off from the Australian Opals on home soil during the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in April.
But Phillips has conceded that balancing football and basketball commitments with a young family would have been too difficult.
"It's (the decision) been a while coming, but I kind of left the door open for Commonwealth Games and just tried to work out how I could juggle the two – AFLW and playing for Australia – and even being a parent as well," Phillips said.
"Probably in the back of my mind I knew it was a real slim chance, but now to me it's pretty clear, so I'm really comfortable with the decision.
"I'm happy with what I've achieved in my basketball career and now I'm ready to look forward to just focusing on AFLW."
Phillips, who retired from the WNBA last year, shed a few tears after realising she needed to let go of her Commonwealth Games dream.
The 32-year-old had hoped to finish her Opals career on a high after the bitter disappointment of bowing out without a medal at the Rio Olympics.
"I would've loved to have finished on a better note, maybe on home soil in a Commonwealth Games in front of family, but not everyone gets to end it how they wish," Phillips said.
"Having a chat with (Opals coach) Sandy Brondello and the fact that I wasn't even playing basketball at the moment made it almost impossible to give that a crack.
"So it was pretty clear where my path was ending.
"I owe a lot to the game of basketball.
"It's taken me all over the world. I met (my wife) Tracy playing basketball, so there were a few tears, but that's just how much the game has meant to me."
Phillips' basketball career spanned 16 years and included world championship gold in 2006, plus an Olympic silver medal in Beijing in 2008 and two WNBA titles.
The Crows jet, who was also best on ground in last year's AFLW Grand Final, wants to channel her disappointment at ending her basketball career on a sour note into achieving more football success.
"It still drives me, it will never go away. It was a massive lesson that I learnt but it was also a really valuable one," Phillips said.
"Until I walk off the footy field – and hopefully it's not for another few years – I'll always have that burning desire to keep getting better, keep improving and know that might be my last game."
The Crows ramp up their preparations for the second AFLW season when they host Fremantle in a practice match at Darwin this Saturday night.
