Adelaide Crows captain Taylor Walker needs to look at his players’ union peers when questioning loyalty in AFL ranks

ADELAIDE Crows captain Taylor Walker cannot blame the AFL for increased player movement, writes Michelangelo Rucci.

Crows captain Taylor Walker has been shaken by Adelaide defender Jake Lever chasing “money over success” by taking up an offer from Melbourne. Picture: Michael Klein

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TAYLOR Walker hates free agency. In the Crows captain’s world, it is club before money, opportunity and addressing how the AFL draft denies choice to players.

Of course, Walker is playing for the club of his choice — Adelaide — after avoiding the draft to work his way to the Crows on a bizarre NSW scholarship in 2007.

And he has eagerly accepted those who have chosen the Adelaide Football Club when looking for a new team — Tom Lynch (St Kilda), Josh Jenkins (Essendon), Eddie Betts (Carlton), Troy Menzel (Carlton), Sam Jacobs (Carlton), Curtly Hampton (Greater Western Sydney while under contract) and Paul Seedsman (Collingwood).

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Walker has endorsed Adelaide raiding AFL rivals — even for contracted players, as is well remembered last year with Bryce Gibbs as he still had three seasons to honour in a five-year commitment with Carlton.

And Walker is very, very wrong to say the AFL has created this environment in which players eagerly start a game of musical chairs well before the official trade period opens each October at the end of the season.

Walker — admired by his playing peers in the AFL Players’ Association who have named him “Captain of the Year” for the past two seasons — needs to read his union papers.

It was the players — not the AFL — who created this environment.

Geelong Brownlow Medallist Jimmy Bartel. Picture: Jason Edwards

Taylor Walker after this year’s AFL grand final. Picture: AAP Image/Julian Smith

The players — not the AFL Commission — demanded free agency. And the union would prefer this free pass from a club to begin after six years’ service not eight. Under the six-year model, Brad Crouch would be a free agent at the end of next season.

The players wanted more movement — and Walker would be a brave man to stand up in a union meeting seeking to roll back the wins the players have had in their hard-fought collective bargaining agreements.

Walker is old school. And he will find support from many pre-AFL generation fans who are tired of watching players who become their heroes decide their football futures on money.

But “Tex” is not in line with many of his playing peers who will question the merit of the old-fashioned theme of loyalty in a professional era. This includes 2007 Brownlow Medallist James Bartel.

“He wants loyalty on a one-way street,” Bartel said on AFL trade radio this week. “He is very happy (Tom) Lynch (from St Kilda) and these guys who arrive at the Crows. But no-one is allowed to leave.”

Three-time Hawthorn premiership player and former Richmond and Western Bulldogs coach Terry Wallace also took issue with Walker saying: “‘Tex’, you (would) very happy for a player to come to your football club; you are happy to lure someone out of contract to come to your football club. You can’t have it both ways (to demand Jake Lever not take up a once-in-a-lifetime offer at Melbourne).”

Perhaps Walker will suggest the Crows never be involved in the AFL trade period, leaving Adelaide to only recruit in the draft?

Unlikely.

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