The AFL has appointed respected executive Geoff Walsh to assist Laura Kane with football operations.

According to Agenda Setters host Caroline Wilson on Monday night, the former North Melbourne CEO has been working part-time at league headquarters in a consultancy role since late 2023, but will step up to deputise Kane in a full-time capacity after a push from clubs to bolster the footy department with more experience.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: AFL appoint Geoff Walsh to deputise Laura Kane.

“I can tell you tonight that Geoff Walsh — the highly respected former North Melbourne CEO and footy boss, briefly worked most recently at St Kilda, left quite quickly under the new Ross Lyon regime for personal reasons, and has been working part-time, two days a week at the AFL — is going to step up and work with Laura Kane, the AFL head of footy ops,” Wilson said on The Agenda Setters on Monday night.

“He’s going to go, to four, or even five days a week, probably full-time ... to help with footy.

“There are a lot of lieutenants under Laura Kane but there is no doubt that she lacks the experience that Steve Hocking had when he was there, and Andrew Dillon had when he used to hold the role.

“You’ve got Josh Mahoney, you’ve got Ned Guy, Daniel Richardson of course working with the coaches, but the AFL’s view is that department needs experience, and Geoff Walsh is their man.”

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Walsh’s portfolio since making the move from clubland to the AFL has included the AFLW, VFL, VFLW, Coates Talent League, CBA competitive balance and, most recently, Tasmania’s list build and incoming draft concessions.

Before that, he had 37 years of club experience across senior roles with Carlton, North Melbourne, Collingwood and St Kilda.

Clubs have been “noisy”, Wilson confirmed, about the experience — or lack thereof — in the league’s football department in recent times, so Walsh’s appointment will be a welcome one.

“Laura Kane is highly respected and very intelligent and was a popular appointment, but she’s 34, and she’s a woman,” Wilson said.

“So, she’s going to be up against it, I reckon, with some people simply for those reasons, for her youth.

“Similar to when Adrian Anderson was appointed some years ago ... under Andrew Demetriou; not seen as the traditional footy person the clubs are used to.

“Geoff Walsh is seen as an experienced, respected, great operator, has worked with Laura, working on the Tassie draft concessions as we speak, worked on Coates League, worked on equalisation, and basically (is) experienced, and that’s what the clubs are saying they want.

“They want more feedback, they want more communication, and they want experience.”

Kane was the first woman to be appointed as the AFL’s head of footy when she won the role in August 2023, just months after Dillon was officially unveiled as CEO.