MELBOURNE assistant coach Troy Chaplin has been awarded the 11th Phil Walsh Memorial Scholarship.
Chaplin had a 215-game AFL career with Port Adelaide and Richmond before transitioning into coaching at Melbourne in 2016 where he has been an assistant coach. He was part of the Demons’ 2021 premiership coaching panel and in 2025, served as interim senior coach for three games.
Chaplin, who was coached by the late Phil Walsh early in his career, saw first-hand the passion for innovation and how Phil was able to get the best out of his players through his personal and professional development. This is something that the highly respected Chaplin has been on a journey of creating.
Since arriving at the Dees, he's become known as an exceptional young coach with a huge appetite to learn and a desire to provide opportunities to support his players to develop. He's been able to balance both the technical side of coaching and a strong emotional intelligence, which he puts to use in the way he connects with players.
The Phil Walsh Memorial Scholarship was created following Phil’s tragic death in July 2015.
The winner receives a $10,000 grant to help develop coaches to follow the example Phil set during his coaching career.
AFL Coaches Association CEO Alistair Nicholson congratulated Chaplin and reflected on the impact Phil Walsh made to football and coaching.
“The Phil Walsh Memorial Scholarship reminds us of Phil’s relentless curiosity and care for people in the game. He had an impact on many of our members and the broader industry, and so we are very pleased to announce another worthy winner,” Nicholson said.
“Troy has been recognised for his commitment and passion to coaching and his want to prioritise personal and professional development in the pursuit of further coaching roles. The scholarship from the AFLCA will assist Troy to continue grow and provide opportunities to aid in this pursuit.
“We congratulate Troy and acknowledge the emotional layer of the Award this year with his connection to Phil through his playing days at Port.”
Melbourne Demons AFL Senior Coach Steven King congratulated Chaplin on his Award.
“This is a really fitting recognition for Troy and the way he goes about his coaching,” King said.
“In the short time I have known Troy, he has an outstanding appetite to learn and improve, and he really cares about the growth of the people around him.
“Given his personal connection to Phil Walsh and the values Phil stood for, this award feels especially meaningful. Troy is incredibly deserving, and we are proud to see his contribution to coaching recognised in this way.”
Chaplin described being awarded the Phil Walsh Memorial Scholarship as an incredible honour.
“To be awarded the Phil Walsh Memorial Scholarship is an incredible honour and something I’m extremely grateful for,” Chaplin said.
“Phil had a huge impact on my career and something I will be forever grateful for. His passion for learning and developing people left a lasting impression on me.
“This scholarship provides a great opportunity to continue learning and growing as a coach, and I’m thankful to the AFL Coaches Association and everyone at club for their support.”
Previous winners: Phil Walsh Memorial Scholarship
2016 - Ben Rutten
2017 - Adrian Hickmott
2018 - Aaron Greaves
2019 - Damien Truslove
2020 - Luke Kelly
2021 - Scott Selwood
2022 - Neville Jetta
2023 - Tim Clarke
2024 - Brad Ebert
2025 - Matt Spangher
