The 34-year was appointed senior coach of Dennington for the 2019 Warrnambool and District league season.

He said strong relationships was critical and believed his job as a commercial bank manager gave him the skills to achieve that.

"This day and age if you have a good relationship with the players it makes it so much easier,” he said.

"You look at the AFL and the way they speak about Clark (Alastair Clarkson) and Nathan Buckley this year, they all improved their relationships and you saw the results.”

Phillips, who coached the club’s reserves to a grand final in 2014 and led the under 17s, said Dennington was working hard on retention and recruiting.

"We have had a long time where we were contenders and the last couple of years it's been at that stage where people left the club for different reasons and opportunities,” he said.

"So we will try and get them back and try and build back up the ladder and be much more competitive.

"If we can get the kids back that are in that 20 to 22 age bracket that left a few years ago try Hampden it will provide us with a boost.

"And the club still won seven or eight games last year, so to go from where we were to the top three is a massive ask, but to knock on the door of the five is probably a matter of five or six players.”

The club has also appointed Tully Allwood and Luke Pearson as playing assistant coaches for next season.