Captain Nathan van Berlo says the Crows players were “shocked” and “shattered” to learn of Dean Bailey’s passing on Tuesday morning.

Bailey, 47, passed away on early Tuesday morning following a short battle with an aggressive form of cancer. The players, who had a scheduled day off, were called into the Club first thing on Tuesday where they were given the sad news.

“It was a massive shock for the group this morning. We obviously knew Dean was up for the fight and that he was fighting as hard as he could, but it was shattering for the boys to hear the news this morning,” van Berlo said.

“We really feel for Caron and Mitch and Darcy. They’re certainly a part of the footy club and our family. Our thoughts extend to them and we’ll help them out any way we can.”

Bailey was a popular figure at Adelaide. He joined the Club as strategy and innovation coach ahead of the 2012 season.

Van Berlo said the former Melbourne coach was a great mentor to the Crows players.

“Dean was a fantastic guy to have around the footy club. He was a mentor to a lot of our younger players and some of our senior players as well,” he said.

“He brought a great deal of energy to the group and had a great, dry sense of humour that the boys loved. He had a great mind for football, which the boys appreciated as well – being able to pick his brains about anything footy-related.

“A lot of guys had close relationships with Bails off the field, which they’ll certainly hold close moving forward.”