Scott Camporeale says he won’t deviate from Phil Walsh’s vision for the Club after stepping in as interim coach of the Crows on Monday.

A career assistant coach, Walsh was only 12 games into his senior coaching career when he passed away in tragic circumstances on Friday morning.

The respected 55-year-old had an enormous impact at the Adelaide Football Club in his nine-month tenure, and Camporeale vowed to try and uphold Walsh’s standards and plans for the Crows.

“The vision that Phil had nine months ago when I sat down with him in November was one of really clear messaging as to where we wanted to get to,” Camporeale said on Monday.

“We (the players and coaches) had a bit of a discussion this morning and tried to reflect on the values that Phil’s left at this footy club. His (mantra of) team-first and elite standards won’t change.

“The players are really behind that. They want to live and breathe what Phil’s put in place. There won’t be any deviation from that at all.”

Camporeale, who joined the Club as an assistant coach in 2011, will act as interim senior coach for the remainder of the 2015 season.

He described the difficulty of assuming the role in the wake of Walsh’s sudden passing.

“It’s obviously a really tough situation … but it’s time like these when everyone’s got to step up. I guess I’m just trying to do my bit for the footy club and the players,” Camporeale said.

“I’ve got great support. The other coaches, development coaches, the staff here and the Board, and also the supporters, they’ll understand that this Club needs everyone at this point in time.

“This group is a resilient group. This footy club is aresilient footy club. The challenge is ahead of us, no doubt about that, but I’mconfident the players, the coaches and the footy club are up for it.

“We’ll be doing our absolute darnedest to get this Club back to how Phil would want it to be.”

While dealing with grief of their own, Camporeale and his coaching team have the unimaginable task of trying to prepare the playing group for the AFL clash with West Coast at Patersons Stadium on Saturday night, and also the SANFL match against Central District at Elizabeth that afternoon.

Camporeale praised the support network in place for all involved at the Club, but said it was impossible to predict how the Crows would respond in either match.

“It’s a great unknown, really. It’s an unprecedented scenario,” Camporeale said.

“In this situation, everyone handles it differently. As for when we play West Coast this week, who knows? One thing I do know is that the players will want to respect Phil and what he’s already brought to this footy club.

“I’m just hoping the players are in the right frame of mind against West Coast to compete, but the number one priority at the moment is them and making sure they’re handling the situation as best they can.

“That’s a big job. The support mechanisms are around the place are unbelievable, not only for their players but the players’ partners, who are obviously a big part of this as well, and the families (particularly of) players from interstate.

“We’ve had unbelievable support from (Chairman) Rob Chapman and the Board and all the way through. The supporters should be really proud of their footy club at the moment.”

The Crows are putting the final touches on their coaching structure, which will also include West Coast premiership coach John Worsfold in the role of Coaching Director for the rest of the season.

A good friend and former colleague of Walsh’s, Worsfold accepted the invitation to help mentor and support the Adelaide coaching group and players through this difficult time.

Camporeale, who will still oversee the midfield to an extent, welcomed Worsfold’s appointment.

“John will be a great sounding board for us … he’s obviously an experienced coach,” he said.

“He’ll be a great resources not only for the coaches but also the players.”

Camporeale also praised the unprecedented support from the AFL and wider sporting community in the wake of Walsh’s passing.

“What other footy clubs have done around the country, particularly, the Geelong Football Club to have the respect for Phil and give us a little bit of time was outstanding,” he said.

“We’d like to thank all the clubs publicly for what they’ve done in recognising Phil.”