Adelaide captain Taylor Walker takes responsibility for grand final no-show

A devastated Adelaide captain Taylor Walker says he let his team down in the AFL grand final loss to Richmond.

Crows captain Taylor Walker signs autographs for fans at Adelaide Oval yesterday at the club’s family day following the team’s return from Melbourne. Picture: Tom Huntley.

A devastated Adelaide captain Taylor Walker says he let his team down in the AFL grand final loss to Richmond.

Walker was the only Crows forward to kick multiple goals, bagging two, but he had little impact on the game as his side was restricted to its lowest score of the season in losing by 48 points.

The skipper took responsibility, saying “I was disappointed in my output for the team’’.

“I feel like I let the boys down as a captain,’’ he said.

“And as a player I didn’t play my role. There were a few areas (of his game) that I was disappointed with.’’

Walker, who kicked 54 goals for the season — one shy of small forward Eddie Betts as Adelaide’s leading goalkicker — was slammed by Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes for what he claimed was a “physically meek’’ performance.

“I think if we look at the vision before the game with the national anthem stance ... if you're going to be aggressive like this and try to intimidate the opposition, walk towards them after the national anthem is played, you have to demonstrate this aggressiveness at the ball,’’ Cornes told Channel Nine.

“Walker, along with (fellow key forward) Josh Jenkins, didn’t have an influence.

“He had a poor finals series. (There are) examples where he was beaten time and time again in a one-on-one contest.’’

While Walker was strong enough to accept responsibility for the defeat, he defended his teammates after they had their effort questioned by coach Don Pyke and chief executive Andrew Fagan.

“I would never question any of the boys’ effort,’’ he said.

“I don’t think any of the boys would go out there and not try, so I would never question the effort of any of our players.’’

But Walker admitted the team lacked aggression — a hallmark of its finals wins against GWS and Geelong — in the grand final.

Asked whether the Crows were aggressive enough against the Tigers, he said: “Probably not — and we’ll look at that on Friday (at the team debrief).’’

While offensive juggernaut Adelaide’s 8.12 (60) was its lowest score of the season, Walker said the club failed in "all three facets of the game’’ against a pressure-packed Richmond.

“We lost contested footy, we weren’t able to get our attack going all day and we were pretty tardy with our defence as well, so probably all three facets were pretty ordinary,’’ he said.

“We just didn’t have 22 contributors, which has been our one-wood all year. We’re devastated because we wanted to win the thing (premiership) and we weren’t able to.

“But we’ll come back bigger and better, we’ve got to get better.’’

Walker refused to comment on the chances of Carlton star Bryce Gibbs joining Adelaide in the trade period, saying “I’m not a real fan of commenting on players from other clubs’’.

And he would not be drawn into whether he thought defender Jake Lever and speedy forward Charlie Cameron would quit the Crows to join Melbourne and Brisbane respectively.

“They probably know what I think (about them possibly leaving) but it's a decision they will have to make,’’ he said.

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