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Longtime Port Adelaide match committee member Phil Walsh, once the most influential figure in the Power coaches box, has joined this year’s mass staff exodus from Alberton.
Walsh had been a close friend and confidant of Port coach Mark Williams since the two played together for Collingwood, then Brisbane, in the 1980s, joining the Power as an assistant in 1999 when Williams took on the senior job.
He was the seniormost assistant for several years, acting as senior coach for Port’s win over West Coast in 2003 the weekend following the death of Williams’ legendary father Fos.
In 2004, Walsh was considered a mastermind of Port’s premiership success, winning the assistant of the year award from the AFL Coaches Association, and over the next two years he remained important.
But a souring of his friendship with Williams created some distance between the pair and last year he was shifted sideways into the fancily titled but peripheral position of “opposition analyst and innovations manager”.
Williams has been at pains to point out that he and Walsh remained on good terms, pointing out last year that they still shared a car to Power home games.
However Walsh cannot have appreciated playing second fiddle to a coaching group – including assistants Adam Kingsley, Matthew Primus, Jason Cripps and Tony McGuinness – that has nothing like his level of tactical experience.
“Phil has given us 10 great years of service, making a significant contribution to the Port Adelaide Football Club and our on-field success over that time,” Power football manager Peter Rohde said.
“While disappointed to see Phil leave, we understand his desire for a different challenge.
“We will look to replace the position and are confident that with the experience of our coaching and football group and the mentoring Phil has done with our key people, we are well positioned going forward.”
A taciturn type who has seldom been interviewed in recent years, Walsh will be sought after by several clubs given his range of experience and unquestioned tactical acumen.
New Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss is one man likely to seek out Walsh, having seen the Lions’ tilt at a fourth consecutive premiership thwarted in 2004 by Port’s players and coaches.
Walsh joins president Greg Boulton, chief executive John James, media manager Hitaf Rasheed, finance manager David Bartlett and commercial operations manager Steve Olech as senior figures to have left Alberton this year.
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