Taylor Walker is never one to shy away from a problem but public perception is hard to shake

ADELAIDE needs to realise if the fans and media believe the club is too defensive and too secretive then that’s the way it is, writes DWAYNE RUSSELL, and it is hurting the captain in the process.

Taylor Walker leads the Crows from the field after losing to Hawthorn.

TAYLOR Walker was at it again after the loss to Hawthorn. The public face of his club’s disappointment, and the voice of explanation for another disaster.

Tex’s refusal to hide and willingness to both fire and cop a few bullets, has been a brilliant part of his persona all career long.

But Walker is now more than just a spokesperson for his club. He has become the symbol of an era. An era in which it now feels as if we are watching both a team and a sports-science experiment.

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Most of what has happened at the Crows in the past 12 months is not Tex’s fault.

Certainly not the now infamous fitness program and injuries. Nor the now legendary pre-season camp and mind training. Nor the departure of stars like Jake Lever and Charlie Cameron.

But Walker, more often than most, has been the one publicly defending it all and from the moment he followed instructions and led the statement piece that was the Grand Final day “power stance”, he opened himself up to be the one nailed to a cross on everyone’s behalf if he and his team failed.

Taylor Walker leads Adelaide off after the loss to Hawthorn.

Walker is now the fourth longest-serving Crows captain behind three of South Australian football’s finest products; Mark Ricciuto, Simon Goodwin and Chris McDermott.

Tex will also leap over high flying goalkicking icon Tony Modra late next season and become the Crows greatest ever goalkicker.

Champion Data rates Walker as “elite”. He has an ultra-reliable career goalkicking accuracy rate of 60 per cent (third most accurate forward in the AFL again last year and with 18 goals, eight behinds so far this year), who regularly bombs goals in pressure situations from outside 50m.

And he is one of the most prolific forward-line mark takers in the AFL.

Walker also had the most score assists in the AFL last year. He produced an incredible kick inside 50m retention rate of 76 per cent, the highest ever recorded by Champion Data for a player with at least 60 kicks inside 50m.

For the record, the top five score involvement players last year were Walker, Lance Franklin, Dustin Martin, Robbie Gray and Patrick Dangerfield. Reasonable company.

But the South Australian fans who live in Australia’s most highly concentrated AFL fishbowl don’t care that the other AFL skippers voted Walker captain of the year for the past two seasons. And they don’t care what the stat geeks at Champion Data think.

Adelaide players line up for the anthem on Grand Final day.

They’ve got their own measurements and their own opinions. And a career worth of high-quality football can be erased quickly when you can’t replicate it on Grand Final day.

So when I said Tex was “one of the Crows’ all-time greats” during the commentary of the Adelaide versus Fremantle game a fortnight ago, I copped a few contrary opinions.

And technically, those fans are probably right. Walker has never been an All-Australian. And he has never won his club’s best-and-fairest — or been close to winning it - the best he’s finished in the Malcolm Blight Medal count is fifth, three times.

As good as Tex has been, he has only been sporadically great. And the true greats are either consistently great, or are big-stage great. And not only has he never won a flag, but the Grand Final which should have been his crowning glory is now a ball and chain he might drag around for the rest of his life.

But I still rate Walker higher than most. I love his on-field magic, his off-field personality, and the fact that he always speaks. And the Champion Data numbers don’t lie.

But my point is that public perception is reality, for both Tex and his club.

The Crows need to realise that if the fans and media believe the club is too defensive and too secretive and too dismissive of public opinion, and should be more transparent and honest, then that’s the way it is.

Especially in this time of crisis. Because too often lately, much of what Tex is given to sell to the market on behalf of his club, resembles a bag of magic beans.

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