The abrasive 24-year old Philip joined the Rebels in 2018 shortly after his debut for the Wallabies in November 2017, playing all 16 Super Rugby matches last season.
Winning a Super Rugby title and adding to his three Test caps were very clear motivations for Philip to extend his time with the Rebels.
“There’s a great vibe around our program at the moment and that’s built on a lot of hard work and a buy in from our entire group around who we want to be and how we want to play,” said Philip.
“I’m a driven guy and I love competing all the time. I think that’s a dimension I add to the group and in return, I really feel like this environment gives me the best chance to evolve as a player and a person.
“Living in Melbourne is something that I honestly had a few worries about initially, but it’s not hard to fall in love with this city.
"It’s been a great place to live and to play and I want to repay my enjoyment of living here with performances on the park that make Melbourne proud of me and the Rebels.”
Melbourne Rebels Head Coach David Wessels had high praise for Philip and confirmed that extending his contract was a priority for the Club.
“We’re really excited that Matt has recommitted to the Club. I’ve had the chance to work with Matt for a few seasons now and his hunger to constantly compete and be better in all aspects of his development is something that I admire,” said Wessels.
“Matt’s a guy who isn’t afraid of hard work. Melbourne can be proud to be represented by a guy as competitive as Matty.”
“I know he has a sense of unfinished business down here, so now it’s our job to harness that motivation ahead of what is an important season,” finished Wessels.
The Melbourne Rebels start their 2019 Super Rugby season away to the ACT Brumbies on Friday 15 February.
In preparation for the season, the Rebels will host the Queensland Reds in Ballarat on Friday 1 February for a trial match and travel to Canberra to play the Brumbies in another trial match tonight, where Philip will start at lock.
