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Taylor Walker (footballer)

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Taylor Walker
Walker playing for Adelaide in June 2019
Personal information
Full name Taylor Walker
Nickname(s) Tex, The Texan
Date of birth (1990-04-25) 25 April 1990 (age 34)
Place of birth Broken Hill, New South Wales
Original team(s) North Broken Hill (BHFL)
NSW/ACT Rams (TAC Cup)
Draft No. 75 (NSW SP), 2007 national draft
Debut Round 1, 2009, Adelaide vs. Collingwood, at MCG
Height 195 cm (6 ft 5 in)
Weight 102 kg (225 lb)
Position(s) Key forward
Club information
Current club Adelaide
Number 13
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2009– Adelaide 278 (641)
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
2020 All Stars 1 (0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2024.
2 State and international statistics correct as of 2020.
Career highlights

Adelaide

AFL

Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Taylor Walker (born 25 April 1990) is a professional Australian rules footballer who plays for the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).[1] He is a former NSW Scholarship player with the club,[2] and was drafted with pick 75 in the 2007 national draft.[3] Walker previously captained Adelaide from 2015 to 2019.

In 2020, Walker became Adelaide's all-time leading goalkicker.[4] Walker kicked a career-high 76 goals in 2023, making the All-Australian team for the first time.[5]

Early life

[edit]

Walker attended Willyama High School in Broken Hill.[1] His father, Wayne, was a prominent footballer in Broken Hill who played more than 350 games. Wayne wasn't a gifted or natural player but trained hard and became a highly respected centreman for the Centrals in Broken Hill.[6] In 2006, Walker accepted a NSW Scholarship contract with Adelaide at the age of 16.[2] However, he continued to play for his senior local amateur league team, North Broken Hill, in the Broken Hill Football League, leading them to the 2007 premiership with a seven-goal, best-on-ground performance, playing at centre half-forward.[7]

Football career

[edit]

Early career (2008–2011)

[edit]

Walker spent his first year at the Crows playing for Norwood in the SANFL, kicking more than 50 goals in the 2008 season.[6] He made his AFL debut in round 1 the next season, against Collingwood, and held his place in the side for the next 12 rounds.[8] This included a five-goal performance against reigning premiers Hawthorn in round 10, which earned him an AFL Rising Star nomination.[9] However, only three weeks later he was dropped from the senior side and played just one more match for the season, with coach Neil Craig wanting him to work on deficiencies in his game.[8]

Walker returned to the side in 2010 and showed fluctuating form, showing glimpses of brilliance alongside some poor performances. He was dropped from the side on a number of occasions throughout the year, sparking rumours that he and head coach Neil Craig were not seeing eye to eye and that Craig was using Walker as a scapegoat for Adelaide's poor form throughout the year. Again, Walker was accused of not showing enough defensive pressure in the forward line. He finished with 35 goals for the season from 18 games, including two sets of four goals against Fremantle and then Geelong.[citation needed]

Early in 2011, Walker was dropped once again and was seen drinking a beer on live television at a SANFL game, sparking speculation that he 'didn't care' and may have signed a contract with incoming expansion team Greater Western Sydney, with whom Walker had been previously strongly linked.[10] However, late in the season, Walker re-signed with the Crows for a further four years.[citation needed] Despite inconsistent form and injuries, Walker was the club's leading goalkicker in 2011, booting 32 goals from only 13 games, at an average of 2.5 per game, ranked sixth in the AFL.[11]

Improvement (2012–2014)

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In 2012, Walker improved under new coach Brenton Sanderson. By Round 8, Walker led the Coleman Medal count before two separate suspensions for rough tackles cost him the chance to lead the league's goalscoring.[12][13] However, Walker returned to finish the season in good form, booting five goals in Adelaide's come-from-behind Semi-Final win over Fremantle,[14] and four goals the next week in the Crows' Preliminary Final loss to Hawthorn.[15] In total, Walker kicked 63 goals for the season and averaged 3.3 goals per game, second in the AFL behind Lance Franklin.[11]

In Round 5, 2013, against Carlton, Walker hyperextended his right knee and suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury requiring a full reconstruction and 12-month rehabilitation period.[16] In the meantime, Walker made headlines by appearing on The Footy Show and agreeing to shave his famous mullet to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation. He then went on to raise a total of $66,672.45 for the foundation before having his head shaved by TV personality and former Geelong player Sam Newman.[17]

Walker made his return to competitive football early in the 2014 season in the Adelaide Crows reserves' side, kicking three goals in a 37-point loss to Glenelg.[18] He made his return to the AFL against Collingwood in Round 9 at the Adelaide Oval, and played every game for the remainder of the season, kicking multiple goals in 11 games and a career-best six against the Brisbane Lions. He finished with 34 goals in 15 games, and averaged a career-high 14.7 disposals per game.[11] In November, Walker extended his contract with the Crows for three further years, until the end of 2018.[19]

Captaincy (2015–2019)

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In January 2015, Walker was appointed captain of Adelaide.[1] He returned to his best form in that year, finishing fourth in the Coleman Medal with 55 goals in the home-and-away season and leading the club inspirationally as they overcame the death of senior coach Phil Walsh to make the semi-finals.[11] He played his 100th AFL game in round 18 against the Sydney Swans at the Sydney Cricket Ground, fittingly in his home state of New South Wales.[20]

In 2016, he was voted the AFL Player's Association captain of the year.[21]

Walker went into his third season as captain with a full pre-season of training,[22] but when the season began there were concerns that a hamstring strain suffered in a JLT Series match against Brisbane Lions could rule him out of the Crows’ first match against Greater Western Sydney.[23] He worked hard to recover, going to extra training sessions in the week leading up to the match,[24] but was ultimately left out of the team. He returned in the second round against Hawthorn.[25] Walker began the season with great form, starring with five goals and four goal assists in the first half against Essendon in the absence of fellow key forwards Josh Jenkins and Mitch McGovern.[26] He kicked 18 goals in his first five games while Adelaide remained undefeated, but he began to struggle, only kicking 16 in his next seven with the Crows losing five of those games.[27] Though he was still contracted to play for the club until 2018, Walker signed a contract extension to the end of 2021.[28] In a match against the Western Bulldogs, Walker bumped defender Jason Johannisen into a goal post. Johannisen went on to play the rest of the match, but the incident was looked at by the Match Review Panel,[29] who charged Walker with misconduct and fined him $1,000.[30] Walker missed the final match of the home and away season against West Coast due to a toe injury.[31]

Walker captained Adelaide in the 2017 AFL Grand Final, which they lost to Richmond. Walker performed underwhelmingly and admitted that he was one of the players who didn’t play their role well enough. After the match he was criticised over the brevity of his post-match speech.[32] When teammate Jake Lever requested a trade from Adelaide to Melbourne, Walker was again criticised for saying that Lever was “choosing money over success”.[33] Weeks later Bryce Gibbs was traded to Adelaide from Carlton and Walker was accused of holding double standards, which he denied saying that Gibbs had come to Adelaide to spend time with family and accepted a pay cut.[34]

On 4 September 2019, Walker stepped down as the club's captain.[35]

Post-captaincy, racism controversy (2020–2021)

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On 19 September 2020, Walker became the all-time leading goalkicker for the Adelaide Crows. He scored his 441st goal for the club in Round 18 of the shortened 2020 season against Richmond, surpassing Tony Modra's previous record of 440. He was also Adelaide's leading goalkicker for the COVID-shortened 2020 season, scoring 15 goals;[36] this was the lowest tally for any club's highest scorer since Jack James totalled 13 goals for St Kilda in the 1920 season (exactly 100 years prior).[37]

Walker started the 2021 season in resurgent form, kicking 17 goals in his first three games and beating his 2020 tally in the process, finishing the year with 48 goals, his highest return since 2017. He joined Jonathan Brown as the second AFL player since 1993 to kick five or more goals in each of the first three rounds of a season.[38] He was widely lauded for returning to near career-best form in 2021, after a disappointing 2020 season where many commentators were questioning his future in the game. His return to form was highlighted with a match-winning goal against the previously unbeaten Melbourne in round 10, resulting in a one-point victory labelled as the "upset of the season".[39]

Before the Round 21 Showdown match with Port Adelaide, news broke of Walker having made a racist comment about North Adelaide SANFL player Robbie Young. After an AFL investigation, Walker was suspended for six matches.[40] He was also ordered to donate $20,000 to a South Australian Indigenous program, undergo a racial sensitivity education program, and apologise to all Adelaide and North Adelaide players. Walker made an apology video over the incident with Young in frame.[41] Young accepted Walker's apology in the ABC interview, although the apology was criticised by some Indigenous leaders in the AFL community.[42]

Late career (2022–present)

[edit]

Walker had another outstanding season in 2022, being Adelaide's leading goalkicker for a record sixth time with 47 goals for the year, breaking the record set by Tony Modra in 1997. Walker kicked four goals in his return game from suspension against Essendon in Round 4. He kicked bags of five goals against Richmond in Round 5 and Collingwood in Round 18, as well as a bag of six against North Melbourne in Round 15. Walker was named in the All Australian squad of 40, but did not make the final team.

Walker had a somewhat quiet start to the 2023 season, kicking only three goals in the first three games. He returned to form in Round 4, kicking four goals against Fremantle. In his 250th match in Round 13, 2023, Walker would go on to kick a career-high 10 goals[43] against an undermanned West Coast side,[44] crushing his previous personal best of seven goals against the Brisbane Lions in 2015.[45] In Showdown LIV in Round 20, Walker was awarded the Showdown Medal after a major seven goal haul. After kicking another nine goals against West Coast in the final round of the season, Walker temporarily lead the Coleman Medal tally until Charlie Curnow kicked three goals in Carlton's final game to take the medal from Walker.[46] Regardless, Walker's final tally of 76 goals in a season is the most of any Crow since Tony Modra in 1997, when he won the Coleman Medal. Walker capped off his career-best season with his first selection in the All-Australian team[5] and a personal-best 16 Brownlow votes.

Walker missed the first game of the 2024 season against Gold Coast due to injury. In round 8, Walker kicked two goals to overtake Brendan Fevola in the all-time goalkicking category, totalling 624 goals and sitting in 33rd place. Following five consecutive leading goalkicker awards at Adelaide, Walker's forward dominance was finally relinquished by the rise of young Darcy Fogarty in 2024.[47] Following the conclusion of Adelaide's season, the out-of-contract Walker signed on for another year,[48] despite rumours that he could finish his career at a rival club.[49] Greater Western Sydney free agent Isaac Cumming chose Adelaide as his club of destination in the off-season, citing Walker as an influence due to their shared Broken Hill roots.[50]

Honours and achievements

[edit]

Club

Individual

Statistics

[edit]
Statistics are correct to end of round 22, 2024[51]
Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
  †  
 Led the league for 
the season
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game) Votes
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2009 Adelaide 13 14 23 19 88 22 110 57 25 1.6 1.4 6.3 1.6 7.9 4.1 1.8 1
2010 Adelaide 13 18 35 28 144 69 213 84 30 1.9 1.6 8.0 3.8 11.8 4.7 1.7 1
2011 Adelaide 13 13 32 13 85 61 146 61 9 2.5 1.0 6.5 4.7 11.2 4.7 0.7 0
2012 Adelaide 13 19 63 35 191 82 273 128 28 3.3 1.8 10.1 4.3 14.4 6.7 1.5 7
2013 Adelaide 13 5 10 6 40 21 61 23 8 2.0 1.2 8.0 4.2 12.2 4.6 1.6 0
2014 Adelaide 13 15 34 22 138 82 220 84 24 2.3 1.5 9.2 5.5 14.7 5.6 1.6 5
2015 Adelaide 13 23 59 45 253 73 326 171 31 2.6 2.0 11.0 3.2 14.2 7.4 1.6 10
2016 Adelaide 13 23 47 37 235 97 332 97 34 2.0 1.6 10.2 4.2 14.4 6.7 1.5 6
2017 Adelaide 13 23 54 35 237 105 342 146 44 2.3 1.5 10.3 4.6 14.9 6.3 1.9 7
2018 Adelaide 13 14 26 17 106 55 161 59 30 1.9 1.2 7.6 3.9 11.5 4.2 2.1 5
2019 Adelaide 13 22 43 22 175 89 264 112 32 1.9 1.0 8.0 4.0 12.0 5.1 1.4 3
2020 Adelaide 13 14 15 9 74 31 105 36 14 1.1 0.6 5.3 2.2 7.5 2.6 1.0 0
2021 Adelaide 13 17 48 29 155 72 227 90 23 2.8 1.7 9.1 4.2 13.3 5.2 1.3 9
2022 Adelaide 13 18 47 23 168 87 255 94 36 2.6 1.3 9.3 4.8 14.2 5.2 2.0 14
2023 Adelaide 13 22 76 34 226 60 286 124 29 3.5† 1.5 10.3 2.7 13.0 5.6 1.3 16
2024 Adelaide 13 17 27 20 139 48 187 96 25 1.6 1.2 8.2 2.8 11.0 5.7 1.5 0
Career 277 639 394 2454 1054 3508 1520 422 2.3 1.4 8.9 3.8 12.7 5.5 1.5 84

References

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  1. ^ a b c Walsh, Scott; Harvy, Ben (14 January 2015). "Taylor Walker announced as new captain at Adelaide Crows". The Advertiser.
  2. ^ a b "Crows sign Broken Hill junior". AFC.com.au. Adelaide Football Club. 24 May 2006. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  3. ^ Barca, Jarryd (28 July 2016). "From Patrick Dangerfield to Taylor Walker, here are the best draft finds of the past decade in the AFL". Fox Sports Australia. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  4. ^ "Australian Football - Adelaide Football Club - Most Goals". australianfootball.com. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Walker, Dawson named All Australian for 2023". Adelaide Football Club. 30 August 2023.
  6. ^ a b Nicolussi, Christian (26 June 2009). "Youngster Taylor Walker under wraps in Sydney". The Daily Telegraph.
  7. ^ North Football Club Records 2007 edition, page 1
  8. ^ a b Gill, Katrina (9 December 2009). "Walker working his way back". AFC.com.au. Adelaide Football Club. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  9. ^ Holmesby, Luke (2 June 2009). "NAB AFL Rising Star: Rd 10". AFL.com.au. Australian Football League. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
  10. ^ "Walker's drink small beer to Craig". ABC.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 23 May 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  11. ^ a b c d "Taylor Walker - AFC.com.au". AFC.com.au. Adelaide Football Club.
  12. ^ Spits, Scott (15 May 2012). "Crow Walker cops two-match penalty". The Age.
  13. ^ Rucci, Michelangelo (1 July 2012). "Adelaide forward Taylor Walker facing three-match suspension for tackle on Steven Morris". The Advertiser.
  14. ^ "Walker leads Crows to finals win". ABC.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 15 September 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
  15. ^ "Hawks hang on against gutsy Crows". ABC.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 23 September 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  16. ^ "ACL tear puts Walker out for the year". AFL.com.au. Australian Football League. 29 April 2013.
  17. ^ Kelton, Sam (4 July 2013). "Taylor Walker cuts mullet for Leukaemia Foundation, raising $66,672". The Advertiser.
  18. ^ Walsh, Scott (26 April 2014). "Birthday boy Taylor Walker kicks three goals in strong return, despite Adelaide's 37-point loss to Glenelg". The Advertiser.
  19. ^ "Adelaide Crows secure Taylor Walker until 2018". ABC.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 18 November 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  20. ^ Sutton, Malcolm (28 July 2015). "Crows captain Taylor Walker to play 100th game against Sydney Swans". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  21. ^ Gaskin, Lee (7 September 2017). "Skipper snub to 'complete leader': Tex's journey". AFL.com.au. Australian Football League. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  22. ^ Homfray, Reece (14 February 2017). "Taylor Walker set for big 2017 after uninterrupted pre-season campaign". The Advertiser. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  23. ^ "Crows hopeful on Walker, Sloane fitness". SBS.com.au. SBS. 20 March 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  24. ^ "Walker, Sloane ramp up recovery". AFC.com.au. Bigpond. 21 March 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  25. ^ "Hawks swing axe, Crows recall Tex in AFL". SBS.com.au. SBS. 30 March 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  26. ^ McDermott, Chris (18 April 2017). "Chris McDermott reveals his Round 4 AFL Team of the Week". The Advertiser. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  27. ^ Morris, Tom (26 June 2017). "Adelaide captain Taylor Walker under fire for 'cruising', urged to lift intensity". FoxSports.com.au. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  28. ^ Harrington, Anna (27 June 2017). "Taylor Walker signs contract extension to remain with the Adelaide Crows". FoxSports.com.au. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  29. ^ Cherny, Daniel (8 July 2017). "MRP will look at Adelaide captain Taylor Walker for Jason Johannisen push". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  30. ^ "Walker charged with misconduct". AFC.com.au. Bigpond. 10 July 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  31. ^ "Is this the boost the Eagles need? Adelaide's Taylor Walker and Daniel Talia withdraw from crucial clash". PerthNow. News Corp Australia. 25 August 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  32. ^ "Taylor Walker has been shown up by Gavin Cooper, as Essendon legend Tim Watson claims the Crows turned on each other at halftime". FoxSports.com.au. News Corp Australia. 2 October 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  33. ^ Robinson, Mark (11 October 2017). "Taylor Walker hasn't displayed great leadership since Grand Final loss and Jake Lever's trade request". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  34. ^ Edmund, Sam (21 October 2017). "Taylor Walker denies double standards, says Lever and Gibbs different stories". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  35. ^ "Taylor Walker decides to step down as Adelaide Crows captain". Adelaide Crows. 4 September 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  36. ^ "AFL Tables - Adelaide Goalkicking Records". afltables.com. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  37. ^ "AFL Tables - St Kilda Goalkicking Records". afltables.com. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  38. ^ "Adelaide Crows forward Taylor Walker silences critics in 10-point victory". news.com.au. 2 April 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  39. ^ Michael, Luke (22 May 2021). "Tex the hero in upset of the season: Crows end Demons' unbeaten run". AFL.com.au.
  40. ^ Keane, Daniel; Smith, Matthew (6 August 2021). "Adelaide Crows forward Taylor Walker suspended by AFL for six matches over racist comment". ABC News. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  41. ^ Taylor Walker Apology, 9 August 2021, retrieved 31 March 2023
  42. ^ Taylor Walker apology not good enough according to some in Indigenous AFL community | ABC News, 10 August 2021, retrieved 31 March 2023
  43. ^ Phelan, Jason (11 June 2023). "Greats praise 'extraordinary' Tex turnaround after 10-goal haul stuns AFL world". Fox Sports.
  44. ^ Healey, Catherine (3 June 2023). "'Same old story' West Coast hit by more injury carnage as trio ruled out". Fox Sports.
  45. ^ "AFL Tables - Adelaide v Brisbane Round 21, 2015 Match Stats". AFL Tables. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  46. ^ Smith, Martin (30 August 2023). "King Charles receives second Coleman after dominant 2023". AFL.com.au.
  47. ^ Francis, Kieran (26 August 2024). "AFL Coleman Medal leaderboard 2024: Jesse Hogan wins award for the first time". sportingnews.com.
  48. ^ "One more year: Veteran Crows forward signs on for 2025". afl.com.au. 28 August 2024.
  49. ^ De Silva, Chris (27 August 2024). "Christian Petracca trades, Jake Stringer's extension, a crucial coaching search — the big calls facing all the AFL clubs that missed the finals". abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  50. ^ "Crows bump up free agent offer to even the count". adelaidenow.com.au. The Advertiser (Adelaide). 26 September 2024.
  51. ^ "AFL Tables - Taylor Walker statistics". AFL Tables. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
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