Taylor Walker tackles next step

TAYLOR Walker is a changed man. Cold hard statistics prove what most people believe they are seeing - that the Crow has come of age as an AFL player.

Taylor Walker

TAYLOR Walker is a changed man. Cold hard statistics obtained from Champion Data prove what most people believe they are seeing - that the super-talented Crow has come of age as an AFL player.

While the strong-marking, long-kicking Walker has improved his offensive output under new coach Brenton Sanderson, his defensive numbers have gone through the roof.

Dumped to the SANFL last year by previous Adelaide coach Neil Craig for a lack of pressure acts, which include tackling, chasing and blocking for team-mates, Walker has turned his game on its head in just one off-season.

Back in the side to play Fremantle in Perth tomorrow after serving a two-match suspension for rough conduct (due to a sling tackle), the key forward's average pressure acts have risen by two a game this year - from nine to 11.

Significantly, he is getting at his opponents. Walker is applying 3.7 physical pressure acts a week - up from 1.6 last season.

Physical pressure is where a player has laid a hand on an opponent who is trying to dispose of the ball, affecting his kick or handball.

Implied pressure includes corralling an opponent and chasing from behind, which puts the player under more heat to get his disposal away.

The stats expose players who do the hard team things and those who don't.

They tell a good story for Walker, who was seen as a defensive liability under Craig.

"Taylor has added that (defensive) string to his bow," said Sanderson. "He has found the ability to provide defensive pressure. And the footy gods have smiled on him at times because when he's provided that defensive pressure it's actually resulted in a goal from it.

"I think once players are aware of that and they can feel that they are contributing defensively, they somehow end up getting rewards offensively."

Until he was suspended after round seven, Walker was leading the race for the Coleman Medal with 23 goals, having kicked a bag of six and two hauls of five.

Despite missing two matches, Walker is still ranked equal-second for goals - one behind Geelong's Tom Hawkins.

He is averaging more disposals, contested possessions, marks and goals than last season, resulting in a significant rise of 32 Champion Data rankings points a game.

Sanderson said Walker, 22, had been asked to work extremely hard on his defensive pressure, along with the entire Adelaide squad in order to become a more complete team.

"All the coaches have worked on our entire squad, with having the balance of attack and defence," Sanderson said.

"Some players, we saw (Daniel) Talia, who has been in great form defensively, we're still trying to work on ways for him to stay in the game offensively.

"Other players, like Walker, were all attack and not much defence.

"We feel he's getting that better balance now. He's getting the rewards from it, scoring goals but also providing pressure and it helps our defence up the field when forwards chase and put pressure on."

The Crows have put the opposition under physical pressure when they have the ball 28 per cent of the time this year - ranked sixth in the AFL.

Last year they ranked fourth-last at 24 per cent.

To highlight just how much tougher Adelaide is under Sanderson, last season it won the contested footy and pressure factor in just 13 quarters from 88.

This season it has won both counts in 15 of 36 quarters - ranked second in the league.

Sanderson, however, said his team's new-found hardness was very much a work in progress. "We've all got a way to go, not just Taylor," he said.

"There are other players who still have to improve the balance in their games.

"We emphasised that on the track (on Wednesday), the ability to stay in the game defensively to provide us with attacking/midfield turnovers which can create goals straight away."

Sanderson said Walker was super important to the Adelaide forward line structure.

"Because while he's a marking forward he's great at ground level too," he said.

Brenton Sanderson says talented Crows key forward Taylor Walker has displayed a new, HARDER edge in 2012.

The stats prove it.

RAISING THE DEFENSIVE STAKES

Taylor Walker has averaged two more pressure acts a game while laying 11 more tackles.

	2011	2012
Pressure acts	9.9	11.1
Physical pressure acts	1.6	3.7
Implied pressure acts	8.3	7.4
Total tackles	2	13

The big lift 

Taylor Walker's overall statistics have risen sharply this season, highlighted by his 32-point jump in Champion Data ranking points.

	2011	2012
Ranking points	62	94
Disposals	11.2	14.0
Contested possessions	4.3	7.7
Marks	4.7	6.1
Marks inside 50	1.8	3.0
Goals	2.5	3.3