Williams coached his last game for the Power against Collingwood at AAMI Stadium on Friday night after reaching a mutual agreement with the club to part ways.
Williams’ shock exit came on the back of a club-record seven-game losing streak and Chaplin said the players were devastated to think they’d contributed to his decision to leave just six months into a two-year contract.
“You can’t help but feel guilty for some of the performances we’ve dished up this year and unfortunately it’s always the coach that feels the wrath,” Chaplin said after the game on Friday night.
“To Choco’s credit, he’s continued to try and get the best out of us and I think he has. He and the other coaches put in enormous hours to make us a better team.
"We know we’ve got a fair bit of improvement to go and he said that he would be watching us with great interest now and hoping that the boys really bounce back.
“He loves the club and he’s been around for a long time. All the effort that he’s put into us we’ve got to repay somehow ... it’s just unfortunate we couldn’t do it tonight.”
The players weren’t aware of the events that had unfolded on Thursday night when they arrived for their scheduled team meeting at Alberton on Friday, but they soon learned of their embattled coach’s imminent departure.
“We rocked up to our team meeting today and found out by word of mouth,” Chaplin said.
“There were a few emotions that run through you. There’s a little bit of disappointment and anger and with it happening on the day of the game, it was a bit hard to take in.
“When he walked in tonight, there was silence in the room and I think it only really hit home with the guys then.”
Football manager Peter Rohde was concerned the players would be flat against Collingwood on Friday night after a drama-filled day but the team responded with a spirited display.
The Power led by 36 points in the second term, but couldn’t maintain the intensity in the second half and the Pies ran out 26-point winners in the end.
After the game Williams addressed the players for the last time and told them they’d done him proud.
“To be able to come out and play we did ... I think the supporters would be really happy and it was a fantastic effort from the guys under the circumstances,” he said.
“I guess if you can’t get up for something like your coach leaving, when can you? We need to learn as a group that we need to play with that passion every week. You can’t play on emotion like that every week, but the guys played on passion tonight.”
