The AFL match between Geelong and Adelaide scheduled for this Sunday has been cancelled following the death of Crows coach Phil Walsh.
The chief executive of the AFL, Gillon McLachlan, said the sport was “in mourning” on Friday as he announced the move, saying it was “not fair to ask the young men of the Adelaide Crows or the Geelong Cats to play in these circumstances”.
“This is a decision of the competition as a mark of respect to Phil Walsh,” he said.
Walsh’s son, Cy, was charged with his murder. Still sedated during a hearing on Friday afternoon, he made no application for bail and was remanded in custody to reappear on 15 September.
McLachlan paid tribute to Walsh, who was 55, as “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,” he said.
“To his family, we can only say that your loved father and husband is in all our hearts and whatever support we can offer, we will.”
The premiership points for Sunday’s game would be split between the Cats and Crows. The remaining seven games in the round would go ahead, he said. They will be preceded by a minute’s silence.
Supporters who had travelled to Adelaide for the match would be updated on arrangements.
“We know that the usual fun and passion of our game will not be there,” McLachlan said of the other games in the round. “We also know that our clubs, members and supporters will gather in a spirit of respectful mourning in support for the family and friends of a great football man who’s loved by so many.”
The chairman of Adelaide’s board of directors, Rob Chapman, said the short term was “all about wrapping our arms around all of these guys, all the people in our footy community, and offering them all the support that we can provide”.
Players had been told to “make sure you ask each other how you’re going at the end of the day. And whether you’re a player, fan, father, mother, just talk, talk to people”, he said.
“We’re not going to get over it any time soon, next week or the week after, but we’ve got to deal with what we’ve got to deal with. It’s the grief, the shock, the injustice, whatever it is and we will think about all the other things tomorrow.”
He said Walsh was “leader of men”. “Unambiguous, straight up and down, clear messaging, inspiring, genuinely cared,” he said.
“It’s probably why he had the longevity in our system in the football community that he’s had 30 years. Not a lot of people do that unless you genuinely care and you’re good at your craft.”
Crows midfielder Patrick Dangerfield left a tribute on social media, writing: “Words cannot express the sorrow and disbelief.”
“What Phil Walsh has done for our football club in such a short period of time is truly astonishing. Elite standards on and off the field. Phil led and we followed. His standards and philosophies will forever guide all those who knew him. I feel blessed to have known Phil Walsh and I am a better person because of him,” he wrote.
The prime minister, Tony Abbott, said there was “a pall” over Walsh’s home town, Hamilton, and “a pall over AFL more generally today”.
“I certainly would want to extend my deepest condolences to his family, to his friends, to his colleagues and perhaps we might just pause for a moment or two of silence,” he said.
Walsh was allegedly stabbed to death by his 26-year-old son, Cy, in the early hours of Friday. Ambulance crews treated him for multiple stab wounds, but he died at the scene, police said. His wife, Meredith, suffered leg injuries and is recovering in hospital.
Cy Walsh was arrested a short time later and detained for a psychiatric assessment at Flinders Medical Centre.
Walsh played in the VFL for Collingwood, Richmond and the Brisbane Bears before starting his AFL coaching career.
He began at Geelong, then became 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 Port Adelaide in 2014. He was appointed Adelaide Crows coach the same year, replacing Brenton Sanderson.
