Having fun with a few of the finest type of his AFL profession, former Adelaide captain Taylor Walker has confirmed he’ll play once more subsequent season.
The 33-year-old key ahead has signed one other one-year take care of the Crows, taking him right into a sixteenth AFL season and his Seventeenth on the membership.
Walker has been a key think about Adelaide’s resurgence this season and is second on the Coleman Medal behind Carlton’s Charlie Curnow with 54 objectives from 17 video games.
“I’ve cherished the journey to this point and this yr getting again to taking part in some actually thrilling footy as a crew,” Walker mentioned in a membership assertion.
“On a private stage I’m happy to have the ability to contribute to the crew and I take a variety of pleasure and satisfaction in serving to our youthful gamers who’re beginning out their very own careers.
Taylor Walker (Photograph by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Photos)
“You’ll be able to see from the footy we’ve performed this yr that we’re on target.”
Walker has performed 255 video games and kicked a club-record 590 objectives for the Crows.
After the Crows drafted him in 2007, Walker performed a season for SANFL aspect Norwood in 2008 earlier than he made his AFL debut in 2009.
He’s a six-time membership main goalkicker and captained Adelaide from 2015-19, together with their 2017 grand closing loss to Richmond – the final time they made the finals.
Walker additionally signed a one-year deal this time final yr, after a racism suspension had put his AFL profession doubtful.
He missed the primary three video games of final season as he served a six-game AFL ban for making a racist comment at a state league match in August, 2021.
However Walker kicked 47 objectives final season and his robust kind has continued because the Crows have pushed for the highest eight.
“The influence Taylor continues to have on our group is critical, not simply with the soccer he’s taking part in which is obvious, however the management and course he supplies on and off the sphere,” Crows record supervisor Justin Reid mentioned.
“That he stays top-of-the-line forwards within the competitors at his age is a credit score to his perspective and work ethic and requirements he units at coaching and on recreation day.”
Dockers shut down star duo
Fremantle have shut down Sean Darcy and Nat Fyfe for the season, the duo heading for surgical procedure because the Dockers’ disappointing marketing campaign continues to dwindle.
Gun ruckman Darcy harm his ankle towards Collingwood in spherical 18 and missed final weekend’s conflict with Sydney, the membership confirming on Monday he could have surgical procedure to restore ligament harm.
Fyfe could have surgical procedure on a pre-existing finger harm, having been dominated out for the yr with a stress fracture in his foot.
Fremantle mentioned Fyfe had initially supposed to get the finger surgical procedure on the finish of the season, however it was introduced ahead when confirmed he received’t function once more this yr.
The Dockers have been already lengthy odds to play finals however it definitely doesn’t assist their probabilities, 10 premiership factors and appreciable proportion outdoors the eight.
Elsewhere, Essendon’s bid to make finals has additionally suffered a setback with star defender Jordan Ridley more likely to miss the rest of the home-and-away season.
(Photograph by Daniel Carson/AFL Images by way of Getty Photos)
Bomber Ridley harm his quad over the last quarter of the Bombers’ 41-point defeat to the Western Bulldogs on Friday night time.
The Bombers on Monday confirmed the 24-year-old suffered a “high-grade” quad pressure.
“It’s disappointing for Rids who has been considered one of our most constant gamers this season,” Essendon efficiency supervisor Dan McPherson mentioned.
“We’ll get a extra correct sense of his potential return-to-play timeline within the subsequent week or so, however at this early stage we imagine he’s unlikely to play earlier than the final spherical of the home-and-away season.”
Essendon slumped to eleventh with the loss to the Bulldogs however have winnable video games towards Sydney, West Coast, North Melbourne and GWS, earlier than a closing spherical showdown with premiership favourites Collingwood.
And Adelaide have been dealt a double harm blow from their loss to Melbourne, with dependable defender Nick Murray and goalsneak Izak Rankine set for stints on the sideline.
Murray is out for the yr after rupturing his ACL, whereas Rankine is anticipated to overlook a month with a hamstring harm.
“Clearly it’s shattering information for Nick and the crew,” Adelaide excessive efficiency supervisor Darren Burgess mentioned after scans on Monday confirmed Murray would wish a knee reconstruction.
“He’s been in nice kind and brought important steps in his improvement previously three years.
“Realizing the participant he’s, he’ll assault his rehab with the proper perspective and be again larger and higher.”
The Crows might want to discover one other livewire up ahead to maintain their season alive, with Rankine having booted 35 objectives this yr.
Rising star Jaspa Fletcher locked in at Lions
Jaspa Fletcher has locked in a two-year extension on the Brisbane Lions after a rising star nomination franked his spectacular kind since a mid-season AFL debut.
The rookie and son of former Lions participant Adrian Fletcher has rapidly turn into considered one of coach Chris Fagan’s first-picked, taking part in each recreation since his round-14 debut.
He received a rising star nod on Saturday towards Geelong and on Tuesday confirmed a contract extension till 2026.
“Attributable to stress fractures in my again, I missed a variety of the pre-season and had a reasonably sluggish begin, which isn’t how I wished to start my AFL profession,” he mentioned.
“However I feel that has set me as much as be the place I’m now and confirmed me how arduous I do should work to earn something within the AFL.”
Fletcher’s kind offsets the lack of fellow rookie and father-son choose Will Ashcroft, who was the rising star favorite earlier than struggling a season-ending knee harm on Saturday.
Lyon over Marvel roof criticism after AFL clarification
Ross Lyon says the AFL’s appearing soccer boss eased his considerations concerning the Marvel Stadium floor after he had earlier prompt St Kilda have been “handled with contempt” by the bottom’s roof being left open earlier than the sport.
Laura Kane referred to as the Saints coach on Monday and defined the league’s coverage on closing the roof, which sees it shut 2-1/2 hours earlier than a match, and even earlier when moist climate is anticipated.
In his post-match press convention, Lyon mentioned the choice to depart the roof open in a single day on Saturday whereas mist rolled in and created a slippery taking part in surroundings, wouldn’t have occurred to greater AFL golf equipment.
He was compelled to disclaim he was merely deflecting consideration away from what he admitted was a lacklustre show from his aspect, having been given an almighty scare by Seventeenth-ranked North Melbourne earlier than scraping over the road by two factors.
Lyon identified Melbourne Storm captain Christian Welch had introduced up the identical points after his crew misplaced an NRL recreation at Marvel Stadium final month, Welch having questioned why the roof wasn’t shut earlier on a day when it was raining.
“I make no apologies for combating for our membership, however I’ve definitely been placated by the method,” Lyon instructed Fox Footy.
“I had an incredible dialog with Laura Kane. To Laura’s credit score, she obtained on the cellphone, and she or he defined the state of affairs.
Mattaes Phillipou is tackled by Luke McDonald. (Photograph by Dylan Burns/AFL Images by way of Getty Photos)
“They’ve a course of that’s imperfect as a result of it’s based mostly on (predictions), they usually shut at two-and-a-half hours out if there’s no prediction of rain (and) by some means they realised the mist was coming in at 11 in order that they shut it.
“I might say eradicate the chance, simply preserve the roof shut Friday night time, Saturday night time, Sunday night time. We put together like each week’s a grand closing, we attempt to mitigate all threat.”
His complaints didn’t distract from one other unimpressive Saints show, having to overturn a three-quarter-time deficit to beat a aspect that’s now misplaced 16 straight video games. Lyon admitted there have been loads of nerves on the closing break, and didn’t begrudge his personal followers delivering some qualitative suggestions as they trailed by 16 factors.
“It was tense at three-quarter-time, the abuse coming down was red-hot. I believed ‘welcome again’ … however I believed it was truthful sufficient,” he mentioned.
“(The coaches) seemed across the whiteboard, we thought to get (Mitch) Owens into the ruck and the magic potion of (Jack) Sinclair into the midfield, which we do so much, that’s no secret. It grew to become a little bit of a weight of numbers, it was fairly easy, they drove it ahead and obtained a-hold of them.
“We kicked 5.3 in 1 / 4, I want we performed like that on a regular basis.”
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