Newly-appointed Coaching Director John Worsfold says he wasn’t surprised to receive a phone call from Crows CEO Andrew Fagan on Sunday.

After coming to terms with the initial shock of Phil Walsh’s sudden passing, Worsfold put on his hat as the Chairman of the AFL Coaches Association Chairman.

He started thinking about the ramifications his friend and former colleague’s tragic death would have on the Adelaide Football Club and its coaching group, in particular.

Worsfold experienced the Crows coaches in action firsthand during the NAB Challenge when he spent two days at the Club at the invitation of Walsh, who he mentored and worked alongside for five years at West Coast. So, when Fagan called on the weekend asking for Worsfold’s assistance, the Eagles premiership coach didn’t hesitate.

“It’s not so much a sense of duty, but supporting a club that I had a good friend putting a lot of his passion into, getting this footy club to where he wants it to go,” Worsfold said on Tuesday.

“I spoke to ‘Walshy’ last week about how he was tracking, how he felt with the way the team was going and if he was sticking to the things he said he was going to do while he was here. We had talked about me coming back in the near future to spend another two-day period to reassess how he was going, and almost mark him on where he said he was going to be.

“Now, this is big picture. Adelaide has a pretty young and inexperienced coaching group, who had a very strong person in charge and leading them.

“They don’t have that now and I think I can offer some insight into what Phil would’ve been trying to achieve and how we would’ve gone about doing that.”

Worsfold’s role at West Lakes will evolve as needs arise, but his main priority is to support Interim Senior Coach Scott Camporeale, and the entire coaching and playing groups.

Worsfold, who will be based in Adelaide, will leave the coaching to Camporeale and instead focus on ensuring the Crows coaches and players are adhering to Walsh’s vision and values.

“There’s definitely been a mark put on this playing group in terms of the vision Phil had put in place,” he said.

“They (the players) talk the language and are very focused on how they want to go about it, and how they want to become a good team. It’s not my job to put that in place – that’s in place. I’ll just support the current coaching group on staying in line with that.

“I know some of the challenges Scott will face over the next 10 weeks. I’ll be a sounding board for him. I’m not here to give him the answers. I want Scott to be Scott Camporeale and coach his way.

“I know he’s also focused on maintaining the vision that Phil had begun here, but he’ll do it with his personality.”

Worsfold distanced himself from the Senior Coaching role at the Crows, or any other AFL club, and said he wouldn’t play a role in determining who the next coach should be.

His first task is to help prepare the Adelaide players and coaches for an emotion-charged clash with West Coast at Domain Stadium on Saturday night. Worsfold, who spent 25 years at the Eagles as either a player or coach, said it would be a difficult game for both clubs.

“I know the West Coast players were challenged last weekend, playing up in Darwin,” he said.

“I had contact with every player that had played at West Coast while Phil was there. If I wasn’t on the plane (to Adelaide) yesterday, I would’ve gone out to the Eagles and caught up with them personally.

“Right now, Adelaide has got to focus on the immediate, which is to get over to Perth and perform well for their supporters. As Walshy would say, put on a good show for the fans because that’s what it’s all about.

“These guys are professional athletes, footballers and they want to play. Let’s see where the season takes us.”

When asked what Walsh would want from his players this week, Worsfold had a wry smile.

“Elite standards, I’ve got no doubt Phil would be pushing that. He’d be pushing that it’s team-first, that’s the consistent message I’ve heard,” he said.

“I’ve got a gut feel he’d be telling them to win the ground balls and the probably the tackle count.”