PORT Adelaide has secured midfield coach Josh Carr from Fremantle after headhunting the former Power player as a senior assistant to coach Ken Hinkley.
Carr, who was influential in the Dockers' improvement in 2022 and the development of their young midfielders, played 124 games for the Power and was previously an assistant at the club from 2011-15.
AFL.com.au reported this month that the Power were chasing Carr for a leading role in its coaching staff for 2023, leaving him well placed to succeed Hinkley, who is not contracted beyond next season.
IN DEMAND Port headhunts Carr with eye to its coaching future
With Carr returning, the Power have confirmed assistant coach Brett Montgomery and SANFL/forwards development coach Matthew Lokan will both depart the club.
The Dockers wished Carr well after three seasons at Fremantle, where he also played 83 games and was recruited by former teammate Justin Longmuir to join his coaching team at the end of 2019.
"Josh has been a great servant for the club both as a player and coach and the impact he has had on our midfield group in particular will be felt for years to come," Dockers football boss Peter Bell said.
"With his wife Karolina's family based in South Australia, we fully understand and support the decision they have made as a family."
The Dockers have elevated development coach Joel Corey to fill Carr's midfield assistant role, with the triple-premiership midfielder also seen as influential in the rise of Andrew Brayshaw, Caleb Serong and Co.
The former Geelong star joined the Dockers at the end of 2020 after a coaching stint with the Western Bulldogs, where he was stoppages and set plays coach in the 2016 premiership season.
He was also midfield coach under Luke Beveridge during his time with the Bulldogs.
"Joel is an incredibly popular member of our coaching group thanks to the genuine care he has for our players' development," Bell said.
"He has an impressive resume as both a player and coach, and the group benefit greatly from his guidance as a three-time premiership player."
In a statement, the Power said they had decided a "freshen up" of their coaching staff was needed, which includes the departure of 2004 premiership player Montgomery.
"Having reviewed the season in consultation with Ken and our coaches, it was determined that we needed to freshen up the roles within our coaching group, and Brett agreed after four years working at the club that this would be a good time for him to also pursue new opportunities," said Football GM Chris Davies.
"Under his tutelage, our backline became one of the hardest to score against in the competition and this year, our midfield showed strong improvement using innovation to deal with the problem that key injuries presented to us. He is an outstanding coach and will be missed, but we respect his decision to look at what is next for him at this juncture."
