Phillip Walsh Biography

Collingwood development coach Neville Jetta is honoured with the 2022 Phil Walsh Memorial Scholarship as he prepares to launch his promising coaching career.

The former Melbourne defender, who was appointed by the Magpies last October after a 13-year playing career, was announced as the recipient of a $10,000 grant at the AFL Coaches Association's annual general meeting.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity from Collingwood to start my coaching career and blessed to have some great mentors around me. I'm already learning a lot about myself in this coaching world and having fun," he said.

"I will be using the opportunity to continue to grow my education and development to become the best coach and person I can be."

Eddie Betts commemorates his coach at the Crows, the late Phil Walsh, with letters on tape wrapped around his wrist during games.

"I've got 'SW' on here and 'SW' means start well," Betts shared on The Bright Side.

"Where that comes from is it was a Thursday afternoon 5 o'clock in the evening and we were all going home and Phil Walsh came up to me and said, 'You need to start well this week. If we get off to a good start this week, no one is going to stop you'.

"He gave me a fist bump, and those were the last words that Phil said to me."

Meredith Walsh, the widow of late Adelaide coach Phil Walsh, has been invited to attend Saturday’s Grand Final against Richmond as a guest of the Crows.

"We speak to Meredith often, including this week, and she knows that she’s an important part of this football club and she’ll be supporting the boys on Saturday afternoon," Adelaide chief executive Andrew Fagan said.

Adelaide's players are intent on honouring the legacy former coach Phil Walsh started on the two-year anniversary of his death.

"We never forget what he did for us in the short time he was here," Crows defender Brodie Smith said.

"The care he showed for the players and how much he wanted to win and how much he loved the game really rubbed off on us all.

"We'll definitely try and honour what he started here."

Cy Walsh will remain in a psychiatric institution for killing his father, former Adelaide coach Phil Walsh.

The 28-year-old was previously found not guilty of murder because he was mentally incompetent when he fatally stabbed his father at the family home in Adelaide.

In the Supreme Court on Tuesday, Justice Anne Bampton formally committed Walsh to detention in an Adelaide mental health facility until further order.

Walsh appeared in court via video link in a neat white shirt with a light-blue tie and his dark hair parted but he did not speak during the brief hearing.

The judge could have released him on licence, but after reviewing psychiatric and next-of-kin reports she accepted the Crown's recommendation to detain him.

Walsh was suffering a psychotic episode as a result of undiagnosed schizophrenia when he stabbed his father 20 times with a hunting knife, the court ruled in September.

Court documents have revealed the extent of his mental health problem, which started in 2011 as he was backpacking around the world.

He heard voices he believed were from another dimension, and at times he believed his father was the devil.

But he was not intoxicated by any drugs at the time of the stabbing, forensic reports showed.

Phil's wife Meredith said that she and her daughter were left heartbroken but she will continue to love and support her son.

She said there was a lack of information available to families like hers, calling for increased mental health research and awareness.

"We now all live the devastating consequences of a mental illness that was not understood," she said in her victim impact statement.

Cy Walsh has been found not guilty of murdering his father, Adelaide coach Phil Walsh, because of mental incompetence.

"I find he was suffering from a psychotic episode as a result of schizophrenia, which at the time of the conduct was undiagnosed," Justice Anne Bampton said.

Cy Walsh stabbed his father 20 times and at least two of the wounds were fatal, the court heard.

He was not intoxicated by any drugs at the time of the stabbing, Justice Bampton said, accepting the forensic reports.

The judge found the objective elements of the case were established beyond reasonable doubt.

She ordered Walsh be subject to mental health supervision for life and it is likely he will be detained for some time at Adelaide's secure mental health facility, James Nash House.

A statement from his mother and Phil Walsh's wife, Meredith, was also read to the court in which she said she would continue to love her son.

"My heart remains broken. My daughter is also shattered," she said.

"We now all live the devastating consequences of a mental illness that was not understood.

"I will continue to love and support my son as his father has always done."

Adelaide will commemorate the one-year anniversary of Phil Walsh's passing with a memorial at Adelaide Oval.

A tree on the north-eastern side of the ground will be dedicated to Walsh, with mulch from the flowers left outside the club after the former coach's passing spread around the tree.

A bronze plaque will also be at the site.

Phillip Walsh has been honoured by the AFL Coaches Association with the creation of a scholarship in his name that will be awarded to a young coach in the AFL industry each year.

A memorial service for Adelaide Crows coach Phil Walsh has wound up at Adelaide Oval, with guests describing it as an opportunity to pay tribute to a wonderful man who lived his life as a football person.

The service was for invited guests only with family, friends and members of the football community among those attending.

Former Port Adelaide football manger Rob Snowdon finished the final eulogy at the memorial by thanking Adelaide board member Mark Ricciuto.

"He's had an extraordinary life, we know it's too short … a very fulfilled life," Snowdon said.

"He really wanted to be a senior coach, we'd talk about it; he was passionate, he wanted to do it, he wanted to be a senior coach but no one ever asked him.

"I don't know if Mark Ricciuto's here, but 'Roo' thanks for asking him. He can tick that box."

In what Port Adelaide CEO Keith Thomas described as "a final salute" to the late Phil Walsh, Sunday's Showdown Medal will be re-named in Walsh's honour.

The Phillip Walsh Medal will only be awarded to the player judged best afield in Showdown 39, although a more permanent tribute is still being considered.

Indigenous players from Adelaide and Port Adelaide this week came together for a "brotherhood" dinner, highlighting their spirit of togetherness ahead of Sunday's Showdown.

As both clubs grieve the loss of Crows coach Phil Walsh, the Power reached out to the Adelaide players to invite them to what has become a traditional dinner for the club.

All Showdown hostilities have been cast aside this week and Port's Aboriginal programs manager Paul Vandenbergh said the club felt it could lend a hand to the grieving Crows players.

"After going through something similar a few years ago and remembering how difficult it was, we saw it as an opportunity to give our support to the boys," Vandenbergh told the club's website.

"Obviously some of our brothers knew 'Walshy' too, so they can relate to what the boys are going through.

"We reached out to Eddie (Betts) early last week to see if they wanted to join us, and he said 'absolutely'.

"That's what the brotherhood is all about – being there for each other, regardless of which colours you wear."

Adelaide chairman Rob Chapman believes Showdowns between his club and archrival Port Adelaide could be changed forever by Phil Walsh's tragic death.

Both organisations have embraced a bitter rivalry that stretches back to before the Crows' inception into the AFL in 1991.

But in the wake of Walsh's death the two clubs and their fans have united like never before.

The outpour of support from all sides has been heartwarming – and appreciated by those most affected by Walsh's passing.

It remains to be seen whether the rivalry between the Crows and Power will ever return to its former state but Chapman said next Sunday's Showdown would be like no other.

"Keith Thomas (Port's CEO) texted me prior to last night's game wishing me luck, I did the same to him Thursday night," Chapman said.

"It's not often you're going to see the leaders of two local clubs do that.

"There's been a lot of support for each other leading into [the Showdown] and you saw that with the players last night.

"We have some plans for our fans to congregate on the other side of the [River] Torrens this week and I'm sure supporters of both sides are going to mingle pre and post-game."

A small and and private funeral service was held in Adelaide for Phil Walsh, who died last week.

Close friends and family joined Walsh's daughter Quinn and wife Meredith at a Henley Beach chapel.

Also in attendance was Mark Williams and John Worsfold, who coached Port Adelaide and West Coast respectively while Walsh worked at the clubs as an assistant.

About 3000 people flock to an Adelaide training session as the emotional aftermath to the death of coach Phil Walsh continues.

The Crows staged their main training session at their West Lakes headquarters on Wednesday with players overwhelmed by the show of support.

"Everything is still so raw," midfielder Scott Thompson told reporters.

"There are probably a lot of questions that everyone has, but you can only go day-by-day."

Thompson is the first Adelaide player to speak publicly since Walsh was allegedly stabbed to death by his 26-year-old son last Friday.

And he reckons coach Walsh would have a simple order for his troops: get on with it.

"He had a saying that everyone used to listen to: 'just get the job done'," Thompson said.

"You look back since the events and the amount of love and support that we have seen from the whole football community ... has been overwhelming."

The family of Adelaide coach Phil Walsh thanks the public for their "overwhelming kindness" in the wake of his tragic death on Friday morning.

In a statement, the Walsh family said: "We take comfort in knowing that so many people are thinking of Phil, and us.

"Phil loved and adored his family, just as much as we loved and adored him. He was a devoted father, husband, son and brother. He was a much-loved uncle, brother-in-law and cousin, and a close friend, mentor and colleague to so many.

"Our hearts are broken. How much we miss him is beyond measure."

Adelaide Oval is silent and still in the moments leading up to 2.50pm, when the siren that was supposed to signal the start of Adelaide's game against Geelong sounded.

About 20,000 people lining the stadium's bottom tier delivered a standing ovation – a tribute to fallen Crows coach Phil Walsh.

Collingwood and Hawthorn players form a circle in the middle of the MCG in a moving unified post-match tribute to late Crows coach Phil Walsh.

Adelaide coach Phil Walsh is dead after a domestic dispute at his home. His son has been arrested.

"Police can confirm that the man murdered at Somerton Park in the early hours of the morning is Phil Walsh, coach of the Adelaide Crows," police said in a statement.

His 26-year-old son was arrested after police were called to a domestic dispute at the home in Somerton Park at 2am on Friday.

Walsh, 55, died at the scene despite attempts by ambulance officers to revive him.

He died from multiple stab wounds.

His wife is in hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

His son is also in hospital under police guard. He is undergoing a psychiatric assessment.

Adelaide's home game against Geelong on Sunday has been abandoned in the wake of the death of Crows coach Phil Walsh.

The teams will share two points each from the abandoned match – the same as for a draw.

On the eve of Showdown XXXVIII, Kane Cornes accuses Adelaide coach Phil Walsh of copying Port Adelaide's game plan.

"They use exactly the same terms and the same style of play that we use at Port Adelaide," Cornes said.

"We know exactly what they're trying to do and what they're going to bring.

"AFL footy's funny that most teams copy what the good sides are doing so no doubt Walshy's a smart man and he's copied the parts of our game that he likes."

When asked about Cornes' comments at Friday morning's press conference at Adelaide Oval, Walsh delivered a typically stern and straight-faced reply.

"I think Kane should just stick to playing personally," Walsh said.

Power chairman David Koch confirms Phil Walsh's departure from the club to join the Crows as head coach.

"We wish him well to take on the big job; we feel very flattered that the Crows come to us for their senior coach," Koch said.

"It's good testament to our football department.

"It's more than one person of course - we've got Kenny Hinkley, 'Nicksy' (Matthew Nicks) and Josh Carr, so it's a very good team."

Phil Walsh says a near-death experience in Peru has been the turning point of his life as he prepares to start his new role as head coach of the Crows.

"It (near-death experience in Peru) has been a big moment for me…I don't drink alcohol anymore, try not to drive a car, try and spend as much time with the people who are important, I try not to judge people as much as I did," Walsh said.

"I tell my kids to chase their dreams, so I probably don't want to look back at 70 years old and think what might have been."

Power assistant coach Phil Wash has become a strong contender for the vacant head coaching position at Adelaide.

Port Adelaide best and fairest winner Robbie Gray says Walsh would be a significant loss for the club if he joined the Crows.

"Walshy has been massive for us this year, he took over our midfield and he takes our leadership meeting and he does quite a bit around the club so he'd be a massive loss," Gray said.

"He's as tactically as good as they come in the AFL … I have no doubt he could take on a head coaching position."

Port Adelaide has axed midfield coach Shaun Rehn, to be replaced by West Coast strategy and innovations coach Phil Walsh.

"To have such an experienced and well-credentialed coach like Phil return to our club is very exciting," Port Adelaide director of coaching and strategy Alan Richardson said.

"Having spent the last five seasons at such a great club like West Coast, Phil will bring a wealth of experience and fresh ideas to our coaching panel.

"He played such a vital role in our club's 2004 premiership win and also the 2007 finals campaign. We see him as a perfect fit."