Adelaide Crows star Taylor Walker will join Power gun Tom Rockliff down the slide in Big Freeze 6

Adelaide Crows forward Taylor Walker will take on the chilly slope when he goes down the Big Freeze slide alongside Power midfielder Tom Rockliff this Queen’s Birthday.

Adelaide’s Taylor Walker will take on the Big Freeze slide. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images.

• Port will make call on prison bars for Showdown
• How to get the most out of your Advertiser digital subscription

It has become one of the AFL’s most loved events within one of its biggest days.

And while there won’t be a Queens Birthday clash at the MCG it will not stop Crows forward Taylor Walker or Power midfielder Tom Rockliff from taking the plunge in the sixth ‘Big Freeze’.

Usually held prior to Collingwood and Melbourne clashing, the icy slide has become a hugely popular event in the AFL with footy identities, players and coaches taking the plunge to raise awareness and funds to find a cure for motor neurone disease.

And while COVID-19 restrictions mean the ‘Big Freeze’ won’t be held at the MCG, drawing on the spirit of the ‘Fight MND’ organisation Neale Daniher, the show will go on.

This will involve each club separately filming their ‘slider’ to ensure the AFL’s protocols are adhered to.

Walker and Rockliff will join GWS’ Toby Greene, Carlton co-captain Patrick Cripps, Gold Coast recruit Brandon Ellis, Essendon’s Orazio Fantasia, Bulldog Bailey Smith, Tigers star Jack Riewoldt and Brisbane’s Mitch Robinson in braving the icy waters.

Tom Rockliff will take an icy plunge in Big Freeze 6 Pic Roy Van Der Vegt

Rockliff said hopefully footy fans would enjoy what Port had planned for his slide.

“There is a bit of stuff in the pipework,” he said.

“We did some filming the other day and hopefully everyone can see the light side of it and get a few laughs out of it.

“And if you can afford it hopefully donate as much as you can.”

Rockliff said the courage of Daniher, who was diagnosed with MND in 2013, had galvanised the AFL community.

“It’s huge what Neale has done but there are so many people around Australia who also suffer with the disease,” he said.

“There is no real cure at the moment and hopefully with all the research that is being done and the donations that come in and the awareness that the AFL raises sooner rather than later we can come up with something that cures this disease.

“I think that is the great thing around footy and footy clubs they throw themselves around a range of causes.

“The footy community comes together for this in particular on a national stage year in year out for about six years

“I think it is a great cause and players, administrators and coaches all get behind it.”

SLIMMER ‘HAMMER’ PUTTING INJURY PROBLEMS BEHIND HIM

Star Port Adelaide defender Hamish Hartlett has slimmed down during the enforced 2020 season break to get on top of soft tissue issues that have plagued his career.

The Power vice-captain has battled numerous soft tissue injuries, on top of a torn ACL, over the past couple of years.

He suffered a quad injury in Round 1 against the Gold Coast that would have ruled him out for more than a month of footy in any normal season.

But the COVID-19 enforced shutdown of the 2020 season gave Hartlett the chance to recover and not miss any games.

Part of this was losing some weight to help his body.

Hamish Hartlett during a session last week. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)

“So yeah a little bit lighter on return which is good,” he said.

“(I’m) 81.5/82 kilos as opposed to the 83/84 I usually am. I’ll try and stay around that weight during the season which I think is important, I’m not getting any younger.

“Kenny (Ken Hinkley) made a statement to me today that the older you get the lighter you need to be so I need to keep that in mind going forward.

“I guess particularly for guys like me who have had soft tissue issues during my career the less load on the body and less load the legs have to carry so it makes sense.”

The 29-year-old copped a few hits in Port’s first week back of full group contact training.

“From the Wednesday session I walked away with three corkies and a split lip,” he said.

Vice-captain Hamish Hartlett Pic Roy Van Der Vegt

But with no lasting impacts, he said he will be ready for the Showdown next week.

“I think as players we put full faith and trust in our strength and conditioning staff the programs they set us over that break, certainly last week the way we trained we stepped right back into the action,” he said.

“By the end of the week we were doing 14km contact sessions and we know that this is going got hold us in really good stead for a game in a couple of weeks time.”

Originally published as Adelaide Crows star Taylor Walker will join Power gun Tom Rockliff down the slide in Big Freeze 6