Carlton have poached highly regarded Port Adelaide football boss Chris Davies to replace Brad Lloyd, who was let go by the club last month in the post-mortem of the Blues’ disappointing season.
Davies, who spent 11 years at Port Adelaide and is a South Australian, is choosing to leave right when the coaching succession plan for which he was the main architect takes place.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Chris Davies leaves Port Adelaide for Carlton role.
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It means Josh Carr will take over from Ken Hinkley as coach of the Power without the backing of one of his biggest supporters.
“Which is a fascinating appointment, isn’t it?” Caroline Wilson said on The Agenda Setters.
“Now, Port Adelaide have known for a couple of weeks that they were going to lose Chris Davies
“He’s highly rated, and several clubs have gone after him. Melbourne has spoken to him this year, Collingwood last year. Several clubs, Victorian clubs, were looking at Chris Davies, who is going to make the move.
“I understand he has family reasons to stay in Adelaide, but he’s chosen to come here. I think his family will predictably follow him in the second year.
“But it’s fascinating because it was Chris Davies who was the person, the administrator at Port with the footy expertise, who oversaw the coaching handover with Ken Hinckley to Josh Carr. And it was Chris Davies who earmarked Josh Carr as the next coach of Port Adelaide.”
Davies will take over as Carlton’s head of footy, giving under-pressure coach Michael Voss a new face to report to, while his band of assistants are yet to be confirmed.
Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes — whose brother Chad was also let go by the Power as an assistant coach as part of the changes ahead of 2026 — said Carr is being set up to fail.
“When Josh Carr first came back from Fremantle, I think Chris had the plan that Josh would take over from Ken. That was years out,” he said.
“So (Davies’ move is) just shocking timing for Josh Carr. I can’t blame Chris; 11 years at Port Adelaide. It’s a cut-throat environment. Pretty relentless and ruthless.
“I think he’s fatigued and needs to change the scenery. He’s worked with Michael Voss, knows him well. So that makes sense. Big club, good challenge.
“But I just wonder how they’re going to support Josh. I think it’s unfair. It’s got a bit of a Matty Primus feel about it where you give a young coach a coaching opportunity but you don’t support him enough around.
“You’ve got a CEO, Matthew Richardson, who is a very good business administrative CEO, David Koch, the chairman, is not a football person at all, you’ve lost Travis Boak, you’ve lost some experience from your assistant coaches.
“Now, they’re going to make some changes and some additions. I think the medical staff and the fitness department are going, well, what does that leave us? There’s some conjecture over that.
“So, yeah, I think there’s so much work to be done in the next couple of months before the draft to support the coach.”
In a statement on the club’s website on Monday, Davies said it was a tough call to make, but one that he’s excited about.
“Port Adelaide has been a significant part of my working life, and I’m proud of what we’ve achieved together during this time,” Davies said.
“The decision to leave wasn’t easy, but I feel the timing is right for both the club and I.
“I’ve had the privilege of working with exceptional people — from players and coaches to staff and volunteers — and I’m confident the club is well-positioned for future success under Josh Carr.
“I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this great football club.”
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Richardson said Davies made a massive contribution to the club.
“I thank Chris for his hard work and commitment to the Port Adelaide Football Club across eleven years,” he said.
“The AFL industry places great demands on people in leadership roles and Chris has navigated these demands across his tenure for more than a decade with exceptional leadership and professionalism throughout.
“It’s always disappointing when good people leave but after consideration of the changes we are implementing under new senior coach Josh Carr, we agreed that now is the right time for both parties.
“We wish Chris all the very best for what the next chapter holds for him and his family. He’s made a significant contribution to the Port Adelaide Football Club and has been instrumental in an era of significant change and growth for the club.”
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