NO PLAYERS were present when Matthew Primus announced to the media he would not coach Port Adelaide for the remainder of the 2012 season on Monday.

None were present earlier either, when president Brett Duncanson failed to fight back tears and told of his resignation.

» Primus walks after told he will not coach in 2013

Duncanson went first, a curious move by the club. He thanked all who he needed to thank, broke down crying, insisted he had the full support of the board but that he believed it was in the best interest of the club if he stepped down after the AGM.

A clearly upset Primus had to wait before he could have his say about his axing.

Sitting in a dark, pinstripe suit, Primus looked mere civilian without the Power kit all had become accustomed to seeing him wear since he joined the club as a player in 1997.

» In the frame: the 12 leading candidates to replace Primus at Alberton

He was cool, calm and collected as he revealed he turned down the Power's offer for him to coach the remaining four games of the season, citing a lack of passion under the circumstances.

Who could blame him?

He choked up as he described his disappointment with the board's decision to void his contract at season's end and out of habit he continued to label it 'our' club as if to emphasise just how dedicated to the cause he was.

» Primus exit triggers new speculation about Boak move

Primus said "it was a dream come true" to lead the Power and that he would have liked to have continued for another 10 years if it was possible.

"I wanted to be here for a long time and see this club and help coach this club to a sustained and very good football club, not only this year but the year after that and so forth and so forth," Primus said.

"Unfortunately that won't happen."

There's no doubt Primus felt hard done by.

He said he thought the club was on the right track under his guidance, he admitted its progress was perhaps "slower than people anticipated", but that he remained confident in his vision.

» Click here to watch Monday's media conference

His players had let him down with their underperformance and inconsistency, but Primus refused to acknowledge that fact and supported them right to the very end.

"They'll have another big pre-season and another year together of playing footy and if we can manage all that well and get the right people out on the park … I think there is upside," he said.

Primus and Duncanson may have both been ousted, but Port Adelaide's season-long review will ensure they're not the last to leave.

Club CEO Kieth Thomas was reluctant to label the review he commissioned a 'secret', although from what he described it was hard to find another appropriate adjective.

He said that since February, seven unnamed "external independent AFL experts" had each been assigned an area of the Power's football program to assess and report back to Thomas with their thoughts.

Thomas said the review had encompassed the entire club.  

"None of them were connected, they didn't know that it was part of an overarching review that I was conducting, they were simply reviewing and commenting on certain aspects of our program," Thomas said.

"I've been compiling that information, mixing it with my own observations and the observations of the people on the ground, we are nearing completion of that review.

"The outcomes will shape the way we approach our football program and building upon the program we've already got in the coming months."

Harry Thring covers news for AFL Media. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_Harry