Tex Walker joins Ned McHenry as coach at Prince Alfred Old Collegians for next year
Adelaide star Taylor Walker is preparing for life after the Crows and one local footy club is set to reap the rewards as he joins their coaching panel.
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There will be an Adelaide Crows dream team at Prince Alfred Old Collegians next season with Taylor Walker set to join his former teammate Ned McHenry as a coach at the club.
Walker has signed on at the club as an assistant for 2025, joining McHenry who was last month announced as player/coach.
The Adelaide Crows’ greatest ever goalkicker will join a five-person coaching staff with Prince Alfred OC legends Tom Brinsley, Adam Perryman and Darren Thomas joining them.
Walker said it was the perfect opportunity to get into coaching and help out his good mate.
“Ned wanted some support as he is playing, so I jumped at the chance,” the 278-game AFL veteran said.
“This is an opportunity to dip the toe in the water and see if I like it.
“It’s a great club with a lot of history and I am looking forward to playing a role in the development of this young playing group.”
Walker’s role as coach will see him at training every Thursday night and leading the team during most of the season, whenever it doesn’t impact with his AFL commitments with the Crows.
“We’d like to think that he’ll be there for half the season,” Prince Alfred OC football director Jim Parkinson said.
“I think Tex’s main role will be standing alongside Ned where he can and helping him as much as he can.
“We know Tex will be a massive benefit to our young players.
“The most important thing is that he’s going to be at training one night a week, which is where he’s going to have the greatest influence over our blokes.”
Parkinson said it was important to add Prince Alfred OC people to the coaching setup to join Walker and McHenry.
Perryman and Brinsley are former captains at the club with Brinsley captaining the 2016 premiership team.
Both also coached the team last season with Brinsley coaching C-Grade and Perryman an assistant to the Division 1 team.
Thomas brings valuable experience and knowledge of the culture of the club to the setup.
“It’s all well and good having superstars being coaches and assistant coaches, but we need to remember who we are and where we come from and we haven’t lost sight of that with Adam, Tom, and of course, Darren,” Parkinson said.
“It’ll be fantastic what Ned and Tex will bring us but that will just blend perfectly with what Tom, Adam and Darren do to the combination.
“This isn’t about Tex, or even Ned, it’s about Prince Alfred Old Collegians being as good as we possibly could be and we’re absolutely delighted that we’ve got those two involved.
“But we’re equally as delighted that we’ve got the other three doing what they have committed to do.
“We couldn’t ask for anything better in our view.
Originally published as Tex Walker joins Ned McHenry as coach at Prince Alfred Old Collegians for next year
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