Crows captain Taylor Walker says he’s focused on the upside of a mounting injury toll and learning from horror loss
ADELAIDE is coming off a 91-point loss and is ravaged by injury but sidelined skipper Taylor Walker is only interested in talking about the upside to come from a challenging start to the season.
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ADELAIDE is coming off a 91-point loss and is ravaged by injury but sidelined skipper Taylor Walker is only interested in talking about the upside to come from a challenging start to the season.
Walker said injuries had allowed emerging players to get an opportunity and take on-field responsibility for the team that is also without its vice captain in Rory Sloane.
The Crows are 6-4 going into Sunday’s twilight clash with GWS which can’t come soon enough after they were embarrassed by the Demons in Alice Springs on the weekend.
Asked whether this was the most frustrating period of his captaincy as he tries to get his body right to hopefully return against Hawthorn in Round 13, Walker said he was only concerned with how he could help the team.
“I look at ways I can help rather than woe is me. It’s frustrating sometimes — like on the weekend and watching us go through that and I can’t help on the field — but we all learn from it,” he told The Advertiser.
“Sloaney is going through it himself and good leaders find ways to lead when they’re not playing so that’s what we’re going through at the moment.
“But admittedly for us to play good footy we’ve got to get ourselves right so there is an element of being a bit selfish to get your own body right while also helping others.”
Walker has played six games this year in between a hamstring injury and an eventual admission that his body just hadn’t done the work in pre-season to allow him to perform.
The Crows were crying out for some on-field direction as the game slipped away from them on Sunday but Walker said he can’t rush back and put the second half of his season at risk.
“Realistically I’m not conditioned enough to go out there and play (right now) and it’s fair on myself and the team that I take two steps back and get conditioned to be able to maintain playing week to week for the rest of the year,” he said.
“We’re going through a bit of a challenging period as a footy club but we’re also going through a period of blooding some young blokes into AFL footy.
“If guys weren’t injured you might not get to see Gallucci, Poholke, Doedee’s rising form, Fogarty, Wayne Milera playing good footy.
“And Cam Ellis-Yolmen and Hugh Greenwood have had an opportunity to run our midfield.
“If Pykey thinks he’s got a headache now wait until we get to the end of the year trying to pick his team when everyone is fit, that’s the way I look at it.”
reece.homfray@news.com.au
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