Adelaide Crows coach Phil Walsh stabbed to death, son charged with murder

Updated

Adelaide Crows coach Phil Walsh has been stabbed to death and police have charged his son with murder.

Police and ambulance crews were called to Walsh's house in Bungey Avenue at Somerton Park in the early hours because of reports of a domestic dispute.

Paramedics treated Walsh, 55, at the house but he died at the scene from multiple stab wounds.

Walsh's wife Meredith was taken to hospital to be treated for a leg injury.

Officers searched the area for their son Cy Walsh, 26, and detained him a short time later in First Avenue at Glenelg East.

Cy Walsh was taken to Flinders Medical Centre for a psychological assessment and his lawyer Rebecca Gristwood made no application for bail during a bedside court hearing this afternoon.

SA Police Superintendent Des Bray said police found a knife at the scene.

"It's just absolutely terrible when families are torn apart in such tragic circumstances. I mean this for any family, regardless of who it is," he said.

"It's one of the worst things that you can imagine that could happen to you.

"The only thing that is different with this is that he has a high profile. The pain and suffering of the family is no different."

Police issued an appeal for anyone who saw Cy Walsh in Brighton Road in the early hours to contact them urgently.

They said he was believed to have walked north along Brighton Road toward First Avenue at Glenelg East between 1:45am and 2:30am.

Police described him as about 185cm tall and of thin build with spiky blonde hair.

He was in a dark top and dark pants, with grey and brown Converse shoes.

Crows players gathered at the club's headquarters at West Lakes and fans left flowers at the entrance to the building.

The club issued a statement: "The Adelaide Football Club is devastated at the sudden passing of senior coach Phil Walsh in the early hours of this morning.

"We ask if you could please respect the privacy of his family, as well as our players, coaches and staff at this extremely difficult time."

The AFL said Sunday's scheduled game involving the Crows would not proceed, but the rest of the round would go ahead.

The Crows and Geelong will get two premiership points each.

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said "our game is in mourning".

"The sorrow and distress felt today touches many in our industry, because Phil Walsh gave such a lot to our game," he said.

"He was a man of boundless energy, enthusiasm and great intelligence. He was part of the AFL family for 32 years.

"And there are not many words of comfort today for those who feel this terrible loss in these most difficult of circumstances."

Crows chairman Rob Chapman has thanked the public for their messages of support.

"Look today, frankly has been all about, and is going to be all about, wrapping our arms around the Adelaide Football Club community, in particular Meredith, Phil's wife, and his family," he said.

He said he had met with players and staff this morning.

"I got a phone call at 3:30am from the police to say that a tragedy had unfolded and that it involved Phil Walsh, our coach. That's a phone call no-one ever wants to get."

Port Adelaide Football Club's chief executive, Keith Thomas, said his team's players are receiving support to deal with the death of Walsh, who was an assistant coach at the Power before joining the Crows.

He said the club had also "offered our full support" to its local rivals.

"We'll do whatever we can to help them through it," he said.

The SANFL has postponed two matches scheduled tomorrow at the request of both of Adelaide's AFL clubs.

Games between Adelaide's SANFL side and South Adelaide, and Port Adelaide and North Adelaide, will instead be played in Round 17 which is a split round.

Players in the remaining three matches will wear black armbands in honour of Walsh and observe a minute's silence before their games.

Crows in shock: Whateley

ABC sports commentator Gerard Whateley said Crows players and the entire community would be in shock over Walsh's sudden death.

"It's hard to imagine how his players feel this morning, just knowing what a shock it is from the outside," he told ABC News Breakfast.

"He's been in football a long time, played at three clubs and [had] a fearsome reputation as one of the most innovative minds in the game through his time at Geelong and then Port Adelaide [and] West Coast, where John Worsford hasn't held back any praise on Phil Walsh for the mastery of what he was able to build in their midfield.

"Then [he moved] back to Port Adelaide with more success, and across to Adelaide [Crows]."

Whateley said Walsh was a wonderful man and masterful tactician.

"He had such a lovely way about him. He would talk about [football] as war, in the formations that he would bring to the game," he said.

"He privately took himself overseas and did a course in management because he thought that was his great failing.

Phil Walsh's career VFL playing career 1983: Collingwood — 22 games, 9 goals

1984-86: Richmond — 40 games, 14 goals

1987-90: Brisbane Bears — 60 games, 18 goals Coaching career 2014-15: Adelaide Crows — 12 games (7 wins, 5 losses)

"He was a demanding man but what he didn't have had been how to manage Generation Y. And I know he's formed a very close connection to his players in a very short period of time."

Whateley said the Crows players would have anything but football on their minds at the moment.

"These are young men, 18-32 years of age, and he's been their mentor and across the past eight months their father figure guiding them.

"I don't think it's reasonable to ask them, from learning this news on Friday morning through to Sunday, to even think about football."

Football colleagues, fans stunned by Walsh tragedy

Gold Coast Suns coach Rodney Eade played football with Walsh at the Brisbane Bears.

"I was quite stunned," he told a media conference on Friday morning on learning of Walsh's death.

"He won the best and fairest in the first year. I came here in the second year so was involved with him for three years. He was very passionate about his footy, had strong opinions about the game.

"He was very professional, the way he went about preparing himself.

"We've all got issues in our lives, whether it be relationships or money or employment, but it puts in perspective when things like this happen. My thoughts and feelings go to the family and Meredith. It's tragic."

Former Adelaide Crows coach Graham Cornes said Walsh's untimely death was hard to comprehend.

"I mean, it's really hit everybody hard this morning when they woke up to it," he said.

"Not only the circumstances, but who it is and how many people it will impact and it's not just the footy club, it's the whole state," he said.

AFL Players' Association released a statement expressing its sympathy to those close to Walsh.

"On behalf of all members, the AFL Players' Association offers its most deepest sympathies to the family, friends and colleagues of Adelaide coach Phil Walsh," it said.

"Our focus from here is the wellbeing of the playing groups and staff of the Adelaide, Port Adelaide and West Coast football clubs.

"We will provide all the necessary support through the services we currently have in place."

Adelaide fans have been stunned by the tragedy, said Crows supporters' group member Carol Shillabeer, adding the death was affecting many people.

"I think we're probably the same as everybody — you just feel as though you need to do something," she said.

"We didn't know him on a personal level, but as part of a family group it affects everybody."

Some Crows fans have taken to Facebook to urge people to tie a club scarf outside their home for Walshy.

Crows club member Aaron was one of the first people to lay flowers at the doors of the club's West Lakes headquarters.

"They're my club. I love my club — you cut me and I bleed these colours, you know. [Laying flowers was] something I just had to do [to] show my respect for Walshy," he said.

"Today is not just a sad day for the Adelaide Football Club, it's a sad day for AFL, for all sports in general."

Brian Guy, who played junior football with Walsh at Saint Marys Football Club at Hamilton in Victoria, told 891 ABC Adelaide he was in shock after hearing of his mate's death.

"I'm not sure what else I can do actually except say a prayer for his family and friends," he said.

Mr Guy said he was on his way to the local newspaper office to lodge a tribute notice.

He described Walsh as a larrikin and an extremely talented sportsman.

"Phil was very gifted — not only football, he was also very good at basketball and athletics and tennis. I remember we won a double tennis championship once as juniors too," he said.

"Everyone seemed to love Phil because he was so easygoing and relaxed."

Tragedy also struck for the Crows early last year when assistant coach Dean Bailey died after a battle with cancer.

South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill offered his condolences in an official statement.

"My thoughts are currently with Phil's family, friends, as well as the players, officials and supporters of the Adelaide Football Club," Mr Weatherill said.

"These thoughts extend to everyone who has associated with Phil throughout his career, including his time at the Port Adelaide Football Club."

Walsh played 122 VFL games for Collingwood, Richmond and the Brisbane Bears between 1983 and 1990.

He started out as a strength and conditioning coach at Geelong in his post-playing career before becoming assistant coach at Port Adelaide in 1999, where he helped the Power to a 2004 premiership.

He moved to the West Coast Eagles as assistant coach in 2009 before returning to the Power in early 2014.

He was appointed Crows coach in the 2014 off-season, replacing the sacked Brenton Sanderson.

At the time, the club said Walsh was one of the game's most respected tacticians.

"Phil is a respected figure in the AFL and the right man to lead our club down a path of sustained success," chief executive Andrew Fagan said.

"Our search was thorough and intensive and he emerged as the standout candidate, possessing an astute football mind and team-first approach."

Walsh coached the Crows for 12 games, winning seven and losing five.

Topics: murder-and-manslaughter, crime, law-crime-and-justice, sport, somerton-park-5044, adelaide-5000, sa

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