When Matt Panos received a phone call from Crows Head of Development Mick Godden, his first reaction was shock.

Panos, who had just hung up his SANFL boots after a 150-game career with Norwood, knew Godden as an opposition coach - first of Woodville-West Torrens and then the Crows.

The phone call was made to lure Panos, a two-time Premiership player and Jack Oatey Medallist, over to the Crows’ nest to work within the Club’s SANFL coaching cohort.

“Michael Godden, who is the head of development at the Crows, gave me a call and floated the idea of coming on board to work within the SANFL program,” Panos told AFC Media.

“I had spoken to him (Godden) a few times over the last couple of years after games or at functions, we had a conversation at the Magarey two years ago.

“But his phone call was a little bit out of the blue, I didn’t really know what to expect.

“It was something that I hadn’t really thought about or really didn’t know if it was an option, so he (Godden) caught me off guard a little bit.”

After a few more conversations and a catch-up with Crows SANFL Senior Coach Matthew Wright, Panos accepted the role as midfield development coach.

Now, almost three months later and entrenched in Adelaide’s SANFL program, Panos said he was pleased he answered that phone call.

“I caught up with Wrighty as well and thought it would be a really good fit and it all sort of made sense,” the former midfielder/forward said.

“We spoke about what the role is and how it would look and for me, personally, just coming out of the game, it was a good stepping stone to maybe becoming a coach.

“I always thought I wanted to go down a path of coaching, not necessarily knowing at what level and what sort of coach, but this is the best opportunity out of anything I would’ve thought or dreamed of coming straight out of the game.

“It’s been almost a breath of fresh air for me, and I think a new environment has been really good, too.”

The former Norwood Captain’s decorated SANFL career included booting 175 goals, playing in the Redlegs’ 2014 Grand Final win before kicking the winner in their 2022 flag.

Despite rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in Round Four last year, Panos overcame long odds and lined up in Norwood’s Grand Final against Glenelg.

The game didn’t go as Panos would’ve hoped, with Norwood going down by five points, but he said the decision to retire was made at the start of the year.

“I was lucky enough to come back and play and unfortunately the result didn’t go our way in the Grand Final,” Panos said.

“But from early on I knew that it would be my last year so that probably helped me transition into coaching and not want to be drawn back into playing.

“I have a family now, I’m 34, I feel like I always wanted to finish at the highest level I could, and with injuries and time, I knew it would be the end.

“It was a tough ending to my career but I can’t really look at the last 15 years in one game, having a son and caring for a family puts life into perspective a bit more.”

Panos said transitioning from playing to coaching has been easier than he thought it would be and he hasn’t looked back since.

“I thought I was really going to struggle with not playing,” Panos said.

“I absolutely loved everything about playing, I loved training, I loved pre-season, being with teammates, learning from coaches, trying to get better every session - that’s something I really enjoyed and the reason I played so long.

“But not really missing it that much has been surprising for me, at the moment I am really enjoying sitting back and being able to coach and see the game in a different light.

“I’ve got a really good connection with Andy McPherson and with Wrighty as well. We think about the game the same and get to share ideas.”

The Crows’ SANFL side had its first pre-season hit-out on Friday night and enjoyed a 50-point win against Woodville-West Torrens.

Panos said he was keen to continue developing as a coach and had been impressed with the Crows’ SANFL-listed players commitment.

“They don’t know if they’re going to get a game at the end of it and training and being dependent on how many AFL players play, but training standards are really high,” Panos said.

“The guys have put in a lot of work over the summer and some of the boys have been able to train with the AFL guys as well which has been an amazing experience for them.

“I want to get involved as much as I can and being straight out of the game, I want to give as much time, energy and effort to this role.

“I also want to win, so hopefully as a group, the team does really well and we can get back into the finals. From there, you never know what can happen in September if you hit form at the right time.”

Adelaide opens its 2025 SANFL campaign with a match against West Adelaide at Hisense Stadium on Saturday, March 29, at 2.10pm.