AFL 2022: All the Adelaide Crows news ahead of Round 4
As Adelaide star Taylor Walker prepares to return after serving a ban for using a racial slur, a player who endured his own racism controversy 23 years ago offered some words of wisdom.
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Peter Everitt knows his own ban for racial vilification will never go away.
So as Adelaide star Taylor Walker prepares to return to the game on Sunday from his own suspension for using a racial slur, Everitt says the former Crows captain must embrace that it will hang over him for the rest of his life and use it to drive his educational journey.
And the AFL’s general manager of inclusion and social policy says, on top of hoping that Walker makes his playing return with humility, his suspension should serve as a warning to all other players that they “are vigilant about ensuring that you are committed to be anti-racist”.
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Walker, 31, will make his return to AFL action against Essendon at Marvel Stadium on Sunday after serving a six-match suspension for making a racial slur about North Adelaide’s Robbie Young while spectating at a SANFL match last year.
The former Crows captain was also forced to donate $20,000 to a South Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander charity and had to undergo education as part of his sanction.
Everitt, who was suspended for four games, fined $20,000 and had to undertake a racial awareness program for racially vilifying Melbourne’s Scott Chisholm while playing for St Kilda in 1999, told News Corp he was confident Walker had learnt considerably from the incident - as he had.
“Like I think anyone who goes down this path, you learn from your experiences, so I’m sure he is able to do that and come out and do what he does best,” he said.
“No doubt, you are always thinking about it. I still think about it today.
“Wherever you go, I travel Australia a lot and different areas in Australia, I know how bad it was at the time.
“But at the same time I’m proud that I was able to learn so much from it, and I get excited about going and heading back now (out to Indigenous communities).”
Ahead of his return Walker told Channel 7, in his contracted television spot, that he will carry the burden of the suspension for racial vilification for the rest of his life.
Everitt said Walker needed to use this to continue to learn.
“That’s the challenge of being able to continue to learn and keep putting yourself in a situation where you continue to learn,” he said.
“And when people bring it up you are able to talk from a more learned position.
“And that’s what I’ve had to do when people bring it up. I’m happy to talk about it and I say I made a mistake and I’m happy to say what I’ve been able to learn, I’m happy to talk about the amount we give back now.
“So you are then able to educate the person who asks that question or is having that semi crack at you.
“I actually embrace people to do that. I think it is one of those experiences that you learn from. You are not proud of it but you are proud of what you have been able to learn.”
Following the suspension, Walker took up an invitation to visit Indigenous communities in Port Augusta as part of a Crows Indigenous programs trip.
The visit included community work and a cultural experience.
Everitt said he hoped Walker got as much from going to Indigenous communities as he did when he visited areas in the Northern Territory and Western Australia following his own ban.
“I really loved it, the meaning of family and how much sport and family means to them,” he said.
“You see in the AFL there are Indigenous players every now and then who are going back home because they can’t get use to city life and when you go there. you understand why.
“It is their life out there, it is what they love.
“They enjoy their family and their heritage and the history of what the Indigenous culture brings.
“So to be able to immerse yourself for a little while and I do a lot of motor home tours through the outback, that is one of the highlights going into the communities and seeing the locals.
“I love it, for me I just understand so much more now and that’s why I love to go back and give back. We take a whole heap of footy boots whenever we go back.”
The Crows were criticised on Wednesday for a tweet that used a sunglasses emoji next to the words “he’s back”, above a smiling photo of the former captain, to confirm his selection after serving a six-game ban for racial vilification.
Matthew Nicks said on Friday that it was a “big miss”.
AFL general manager of inclusion and social policy Tanya Hosch, the first Indigenous person to be appointed to the league’s executive, said it was an “extremely unfortunate” mistake.
“We accept it was a mistake but, obviously, it was an extremely unfortunate one and I don’t think the tweet does justice to the work that has been done in the club since the incident occurred,” she said.
The reaction to the tweet by the Crows has demonstrated that there is still some significant discomfort and unease around Walker’s return to action.
Hosch said she understood the unease.
“I can understand that there will be mixed views from a whole range of people, even people who don’t necessarily follow football, but he’s met all the obligations of the sanction and we always knew that he was going to come back to play,” she said.
“I just hope that people accept in the spirit, it’s not like he’s come back from a hamstring injury. He’s come back from a really challenging situation... his sanction might be over but the impact from the moment is lingering for people, I’m sure.”
Nicks said he had spoken to the Crows players during the week to make sure they were comfortable with Walker returning to the side.
Hosch said all players in the league could take lessons from this.
“If you are not consciously thinking about the racist messages you’ve heard in your life and observed, that you can find yourself acting or thinking in a racist manager unless you are vigilant about ensuring that you are committed to be anti-racist,” she said.
“These are things that all of us have to think about wherever we sit in the social or football ecosystem, we have to think about this and also our structures and systems.”
And Hosch said while Walker was returning to action, and had served his suspension, the footy world still needed to be mindful of the hurt that had been caused.
“I think what we need to remember is that there has been a lot of people harmed through the original incident,” she said.
“And we have to be mindful of that as everyone comes back and we are getting on with things, we must be respectful of what’s happened and remember that people will still be working through this for a long time.”
Nicks opens up on Tex’s return, Crows’ big social media miss
- Matt Turner and Simeon Thomas-Wilson
Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks has called the club’s social media post announcing Taylor Walker’s return to the team a big miss.
The Crows were criticised on Wednesday for a tweet that used a sunglasses emoji next to the words “he’s back”, above a smiling photo of the former captain, to confirm his selection after serving a six-game ban for racial vilification.
Nicks said he was disappointed about the post, which had not been deleted.
“That was a miss, that was a big miss,” Nicks said of the tweet.
“We’re people, people make mistakes.”
Walker is set to play his first match since July 31 last year when he faces Essendon at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.
The AFL suspended him in August for making a racial slur to North Adelaide’s Robbie Young at a SANFL game.
Walker took time away from the club after the incident and returned for day one of pre-season but was barred from playing in the Crows’ two practice fixtures.
Nicks said he spoke openly with the squad about Walker returning this week and the responses were positive.
“I’ve got no doubt people are having conversations outside of here as well,” he said.
“If you look at it from a bigger picture point of view, I think it’s positive we’re at least talking about these things and we’re not going to accept the behaviour that we’re seeing around the league.
“We’ve still got a lot of work to do in this space.”
Nicks said Walker had done a lot to educate himself since the incident, including via regional community trips and hundreds of conversations.
“We know we need to be better in that space and are open about it,” he said.
“We’re continuing to work in that space and all about becoming better people.
“It’s not just Tex working to become that better person, it’s the whole footy club.”
CONFIRMED: Taylor Walker will face Essendon this weekend.
— Adelaide Crows (@Adelaide_FC) April 6, 2022
He's back 😎#weflyasonepic.twitter.com/vGwla24vmA
If Walker received a negative reception from fans, it would not be new.
“Tex has been a player that is loved by our members and supporters, and is cheered every second week like no other when we play home games, and treated the opposite when we play away games,” Nicks said.
“A lot of the influential players, the best players in the game are treated that way.”
Walker replaces omitted key forward Darcy Fogarty.
The 31-year-old will play alongside Elliott Himmelberg and Lachlan Gollant, who are both coming off four-goal hauls in last week’s thrilling Showdown victory.
“From a football side of things, (Walker was chosen because) it’s about the experience we need ahead of the ball,” Nicks said.
“He can’t have done any more from a fitness point of view besides playing games.”
Nicks said he had spoken with Fogarty, the club’s No.12 pick from 2017, regularly over the past few weeks about what it would take to raise his game to the next level.
He said the club wanted Fogarty to improve his aerial contests and he also needed to boost his confidence.
Nicks said he was proud of the club’s AFLW team and was hopeful it could beat Melbourne in Saturday’s grand final at Adelaide Oval.
‘ITCHING TO PLAY’: ADELAIDE CROWING ABOUT TEX RETURN
Adelaide assistant Nathan van Berlo expects Taylor Walker’s return from his racial vilification suspension to make the team walk a bit taller on the field.
“He’s a past skipper of the club, he’s the leading goalkicker in the club’s history and has an aura about him that will help us experience-wise,” van Berlo said.
“No doubt he takes the number one defender from the opposition team too, which helps (Elliott) Himmelberg and (Lachlan) Gollant, and the rest of the small forwards around him.”
Adelaide has opted to bring Walker straight back into its AFL side to face Essendon at Marvel Stadium on Sunday after serving his six-game ban.
He will replace key forward Darcy Fogarty, who has been dropped.
Walker’s last match for the Crows was 249 days ago against the Western Bulldogs on July 31.
The AFL suspended the 31-year-old in August for making a racial slur to North Adelaide’s Robbie Young at a SANFL match.
Walker, who later spent time away from the club before returning for day one of pre-season, was also barred from playing in Adelaide’s two practice fixtures.
Van Berlo said the Crows’ match committee considered playing him in the SANFL this weekend but believed his experience over 14 years and 220 games would boost the top team.
Adelaide will consider restricting his time on the ground on Sunday because he “may be a bit rusty and he may be blowing a fair bit”.
“We’ll back him in not having any match fitness to date but obviously he’s been in the system for a long time now,” van Berlo said.
“He’s been itching to play a game of footy at any level for the last few months.
“He’ll certainly be excited to get back out there.
“We look forward to having him back ahead of the ball.”
Fogarty has booted 2.3 from the first three rounds, registering a total of 22 disposals and 10 marks.
Himmelberg and Gollant’s four-goal hauls in Friday night’s come-from-behind Showdown victory added to the likelihood of Fogarty being omitted if Walker was named.
Van Berlo would not disclose what Fogarty needed to improve, saying there were already enough conversations in SA about the fifth-year spearhead.
“He understands he’s still a really important aspect for us moving forward and he’s showed some really positive signs this year,” he said.
“I’m sure he’ll be back at senior level sooner rather than later.”
Captain Rory Sloane (adductor) completed training on Wednesday to put his hand up for a return, while defender Andrew McPherson was expected to be available after recovering from a hamstring strain.
Small forward Lachlan Murphy remained sore from Friday night, when he won a free kick for headhigh contact and landed heavily, in his first game back from neck surgery.
Murphy took part in some of Wednesday’s training session and the club was hopeful he would be able to face the Bombers.
DUNSTALL: I EXPECT CROWS FANS TO EMBRACE TEX AGAIN
AFL great Jason Dunstall believes Taylor Walker will be “embraced” if he is picked to return against Essendon this weekend after his suspension for racial vilification ended.
Crows coach Matthew Nicks has indicated that Walker could make a return to AFL action against the Bombers this Sunday after he served his six-game ban for making a racial slur towards North Adelaide’s Robbie Young last year.
“I think Tex is in really good nick … and he brings a little more experience to that forward line, so we’ll look at that,” Nicks said following the Showdown.
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At Fox Footy’s season launch last month Dunstall said he expected the wider footy community to welcome Walker back.
“I think we are very good at giving people a second opportunity in the game and I think he will be embraced when he comes back,” Dunstall said.
“He has served his time, he has done his penance.
“Hopefully he has learnt. I’m sure he has and he will be ready to go back.”
If Walker doesn’t go back straight into the AFL side for Sunday’s clash against Essendon – he wasn’t allowed to play in any pre-season games by the league – he could ironically be in line to play in the Crows’ SANFL match against North Adelaide at Prospect Oval.
Walker himself said on his contracted spot with Channel 7 that he was starting to get a little bit nervous of the reception he will get when he returns to the field.
“I’m a better person for it, learnt a little bit about myself, learnt a little bit more about other people’s cultures and the impact it does have on a lot of people,” he said.
“And that is never going to go away.”
Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said just how successful Walker’s return was going to be would come down to him himself.
“It is really how Tex handles it more than anything else, he has stepped away and done a lot of soul searching and challenged himself in areas,” he said.
“Not just as a footballer but as a person and that is pretty confronting.
“Can you take the lesson and move on and then throw yourself wholeheartedly into the preparation for next year, if he can do that then his teammates and clubs can handle it.
“But the big lesson in it is the systemic racism issue and that they treat each other with respect which I’m pretty sure is going to be at the front of Tex’s mind for the rest of his football career at the very least.
“If you look at someone who is going to set a path forward with that it will be Tex.”
St Kilda legend Nick Riewoldt said while there might be a reaction from some opposition fans, he said Walker might be unaware of it.
“I wouldn’t have thought so, when you are out there you aren’t really conscious of it,” he said.
“He made a mistake, he apologised and I hope for all parties involved they can move on.”
Elliott Himmelberg and Lachlan Gollant kicked four goals each against the Power but Darcy Fogarty only had five disposals.
Along with Walker the Crows could have captain Rory Sloane back for the match against the Bombers after he missed the Showdown with an adductor injury.
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Originally published as AFL 2022: All the Adelaide Crows news ahead of Round 4
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