Why Taylor Walker faces being dropped by coach Matthew Nicks
Taylor Walker has been a great player for the Crows but his place in the team and his future is now in doubt, especially as a veteran in a rebuilding side, writes Kane Cornes.
Kane Cornes
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I’ve had some fun and banter with Taylor Walker in the last couple of years, and we have both given each other as good as we have gotten.
However, I feel sympathy for the situation the former Adelaide captain finds himself in. His career is on borrowed time at Adelaide.
I was 28 when Matthew Primus called me into his office at the end of 2011 and told me my career at Port Adelaide was over.
It’s the conversation no coach wants to have with one of his players.
It’s uncanny how many similarities there are between the 2011 Power side and the current Adelaide squad. The career decline of a handful of senior Power players at that time, including my brother Chad, bear striking similarities to Walker’s current situation.
Port had a rookie coach in Primus as do Adelaide with Matthew Nicks.
Port had just begun rebuilding the playing list as is Adelaide.
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It’s tough and confronting for a player of Walker’s caliber to be facing the axe only three rounds into an already challenging season.
For all of Walker’s detractors he has as many admirers, particularly among the army of passionate Adelaide fans. Tex generates a buzz inside a packed Adelaide Oval whenever he goes near the ball.
For a proud footballer such as Walker, it’s hard not to feel embarrassment when you don’t perform to the level you expect of yourself.
Embarrassed was certainly what I felt when I got dropped from Port Adelaide’s senior team in 2011.
I went from playing at the top level in the AFL one week to running around at Prospect Oval for the Eagles reserves in the SANFL.
I told my family to stay home and not come to the game because I knew the sledges coming from over the fence were going to be brutal. They were.
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If Walker does miss selection this week, he will front up for a 16-a-side scratch match in front of no fans in Queensland this weekend.
On Monday night coach Matthew Nicks couldn’t guarantee Walker’s selection in the side to face Brisbane on Sunday.
“Tex at this point in time is struggling to get that job done forward of the ball,” Nicks admitted on radio 3AW.
It’s a massive fall from grace for a man who led his team so impressively to the 2017 AFL Grand Final and was close to being the club’s second-only premiership skipper.
Understandably, Walker has been unable to hide his frustration this season which has manifested itself in his body language.
That frustration is rightly directed towards the Crows midfield which has been smashed in all three games this season making life tough for any forward.
The shocking midfield service has further highlighted Adelaide’s forward struggles and lack of a physical presence forward of the ball.
Furthermore, the gulf left by the departing Charlie Cameron and Eddie Betts is obvious and a crumbing small forward who can apply pressure must be on top of the shopping list for list manager Justin Reid.
Walker himself has always relied on strong, straight-line leading and clean delivery from a dominant midfield which Adelaide have typically possessed. There has been no such luxury for the Adelaide forwards this season.
Walker’s foot skills and finishing has never been questioned and it continues to be elite this season.
He isn’t the only Adelaide player out of form. His key forward partner Darcy Fogarty is averaging a very concerning six disposals, three marks and one goal per game this season.
Despite Fogarty’s struggles, he should be saved from the selection axe due to his youth and undeniable talent.
One of Elliot Himmelberg and Billy Frampton must play on Sunday as the club searches for evidence on whether these two key prospects have a future beyond this season.
This means it’s likely Walker will be squeezed out.
Tex can be forgiven for lacking motivation. After all, Adelaide football director Mark Ricciuto’s stunning comments directed towards a host of past Crows players last week is evidence that any player on the Crows list above the age of 28 is dispensable.
The club is resigned to a bleak immediate future and a substantial rebuild. Wins will be few and far between.
Walker, 30, who has one season remaining on his contract, has nothing to play for. He has a significant decision to make at the end of the season.
Does he follow former teammates Josh Jenkins and Eddie Betts who chose to flee Adelaide and finish their careers elsewhere? It would be enticing to join a team in the premiership window and chase an elusive flag.
Or does he stay loyal and see out his contract with the struggling Crows and face the prospect of and spending the entire 2021 season playing in the SANFL?
It’s evident that the career of one of Adelaide’s most popular players is coming to an end and I, for one, can sympathise with him.