Unfiltered: Patrick Dangerfield reveals last conversation with Phil Walsh
Dangerfield's eventual departure from the Crows was a key storyline throughout the 2015 season with the gun midfielder out of contract and a free agent.
Unfiltered with Hamish McLachlan featuring Patrick Dangerfield, 9.30pm Wednesday following The Front Bar on Seven and 7plus.
The move to the Cats was widely expected and it came as no surprise when the two clubs agreed on a deal on the opening day of the trade period.
Dangerfield had waited until after the Crows' season ended before publicly announcing his desire to join Geelong, but he had told some key figures already.
And one of those was Walsh, just hours before he was tragically murdered by his son Cy.
Speaking to Hamish McLachlan on Unfiltered, Dangerfield recounted how it went down.
'The first person I told was Phil Walsh, we had green tea, he was a very big tea man, we caught up, it was a Thursday afternoon,' he said.
'I told him and he said that he would keep it to himself and I felt like I could believe him, he was that sort of guy.
'Ten hours later, David Noble (head of footy) was at the door at 5.30am.
'It was a strange moment in time when you tell the coach and he's not with us the next day.
'I got the front door, nothing good happens at 5.30am, (Noble) said 'pack your stuff and come in, Phil's dead.'
'It's almost easier to talk to because it still doesn't seem real, like it was just out of a movie.'
Dangerfield said the next week was a blur as the club dealt with the shock situation.
Unfiltered with Hamish McLachlan featuring Patrick Dangerfield, 9.30pm Wednesday following The Front Bar on Seven and 7plus.
'It was one of the toughest weeks I've experienced. Emma Barr, who's our player development manager at the time, she was incredible in keeping the group united in that sense,' he said.
'It was extremely difficult on everyone in the building because we'd had a couple of down years and we were playing some really good footy and there was some solid direction.
'He was ruthless in terms the way of he coached and communicated but he was also a father figure in the way he explained things.'
Adelaide's clash against Geelong was cancelled before the Crows headed to Perth for an emotionally charged clash against West Coast
Walsh had also spent time at the Eagles and the players locked arms in solidarity in powerful post-match scenes.
'We split the points with the Cats and then we went over to West Coast the following week and that week it was just like the emotional release after that game was enormous,' he said.
'It wasn't closure by any means, but the end of that game and locking arms with the West Coast players ... that was a pretty interesting time.
'We experienced so much in life together, unfortunately we experienced something that no one should have to do deal with it, but we did and we only had each other.'
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X Learn More Loaded : 31.71% Close Modal Dialog This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. 00:23 SUBSCRIBER ONLY Dawson speaks on potentially losing Rakine for the AFL finals more more spoken about what it could mean to be down one of their guns. Adelaide Crows' Jordan Dawson has...... ... more 'My focus, really, is on Adelaide, who seem desperate to fight every angle of this,' he said. 'It's not a picture of accepting responsibility and acting in a contrite manner. And they are arguing the toss at every turn, formally and informally — (making the argument) finals games should be worth more than home-and-away games, even though there's no precedent in the system for that. 'They have gone with Rankine was provoked, which is a big stretch, I think — he was antagonised, but provoked is a big stretch. 'Informally, they've even raised Snoop Dogg. That's the domain of talkback radio, not a responsible footy club.' 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I think the players are going to be fine, I reckon Adelaide are going to be fine. "As much as on paper they're not as strong, I don't think they're thinking like that." Simpson, who said Adelaide could "absolutely" win the flag without Rankine, urged Nicks to remain calm as he attempts to navigate a difficult situation. Earlier on Wednesday, Nicks admitted the intense spotlight on Rankine and his team had been a distraction. "But no, we're locked in on what we're doing this weekend," Nicks said. "We just put support around Izak because it is a tough thing to go through, and he knows it's going to be tough from here. "But we'll work our way through it." Adelaide had lobbied for a three-match ban, which would have given Rankine a chance of playing later in the finals. The Crows will host two finals after their North Melbourne fixture, as they return to the major round for the first time since 2017. Last month, West Coast's Jack Graham was banned for four games for making a homophobic remark to a GWS player. In April last year, Port Adelaide's Jeremy Finlayson banned for three games and, the next month, Gold Coast's Wil Powell was suspended for five matches, both for directing homophobic slurs are opponents. Two VFL players have also recently been banned for homophobic slurs. Sydney defender Riak Andrew last month was suspended for five matches for an anti-gay slur while playing for the Swans' reserves team against North Melbourne. And in July last year, St Kilda's Lance Collard was banned six games for homophobic comments while playing in the VFL for Sandringham against Williamstown. Two AFL premiership coaches are adamant Adelaide can still win the flag if star Izak Rankine is suspended for the rest of the season over his homophobic slur. And the pair are convinced Matthew Nicks and his players would hold the same belief internally. Rankine is set to become the sixth AFL-listed player suspended for making a homophobic slur to an opponent over the past two seasons. The convoluted process to determine the length of Rankine's ban will stretch into a fifth day, after the AFL granted the Crows' request for additional time to respond to the league's proposed sanction. An AFL spokesperson said the league will provide an update on Thursday. At the centre of the AFL proposal is a five-match suspension, which would sideline Rankine for the rest of the season. The 25-year-old is regarded as being among the league's most talented players and has until now shaped as a key cog in the ladder-leading Crows' premiership assault. If Rankine is ruled out for the finals, it would be a huge blow to Nicks's chances of steering Adelaide to their first premiership since 1998. John Longmire and Adam Simpson both faced losing key players before finals campaigns, at Sydney and West Coast respectively, and insisted such obstacles can be overcome. Simpson successfully guided the Eagles to the 2018 title despite losing Nic Naitanui, Brad Sheppard (both to injuries) and Andrew Gaff (suspension) late in the season. Simpson said Nicks and the Crows would be focused on their last home-and-away match against North Melbourne, at Marvel Stadium on Saturday. But he added losing Rankine would not shake Adelaide's belief in their premiership credentials. "They know there's particular talented players that are very important but no one wouldn't believe they can still win it without him," Simpson told Fox Footy on Wednesday night. "It's not a difficult message to send (as a coach): someone gets another opportunity, we keep moving forward. "Rankine's going to be the one they're worried about the most. I think the players are going to be fine, I reckon Adelaide are going to be fine. "As much as on paper they're not as strong, I don't think they're thinking like that." Simpson, who said Adelaide could "absolutely" win the flag without Rankine, urged Nicks to remain calm as he attempts to navigate a difficult situation. Earlier on Wednesday, Nicks admitted the intense spotlight on Rankine and his team had been a distraction. "But no, we're locked in on what we're doing this weekend," Nicks said. "We just put support around Izak because it is a tough thing to go through, and he knows it's going to be tough from here. "But we'll work our way through it." Adelaide had lobbied for a three-match ban, which would have given Rankine a chance of playing later in the finals. The Crows will host two finals after their North Melbourne fixture, as they return to the major round for the first time since 2017. Last month, West Coast's Jack Graham was banned for four games for making a homophobic remark to a GWS player. In April last year, Port Adelaide's Jeremy Finlayson banned for three games and, the next month, Gold Coast's Wil Powell was suspended for five matches, both for directing homophobic slurs are opponents. Two VFL players have also recently been banned for homophobic slurs. Sydney defender Riak Andrew last month was suspended for five matches for an anti-gay slur while playing for the Swans' reserves team against North Melbourne. And in July last year, St Kilda's Lance Collard was banned six games for homophobic comments while playing in the VFL for Sandringham against Williamstown.
