Arabic version: تايلور ووكر يعتزل بعد مسيرة حافلة مع كروز

According to ABC News, Taylor Walker will retire from the AFL at the end of the season, concluding a career that has made him Adelaide’s all-time leading goalkicker and a major figure in South Australian football.

Walker arrived at the Crows 19 years ago as a 75-kilogram prospect from Broken Hill. Adelaide selected the injured forward with the final pick in the 2007 draft after Melbourne and Fremantle passed on their final selections. His injury had been sustained in a motocross-bike accident after he made the NSW Under-16 squad.

His career included more than 300 games and 700 goals, with a club-record 706 goals and counting. Walker kicked 63 goals in 2012 to finish runner-up in the Coleman Medal, then returned early from an ACL injury suffered in 2013. A refreshed strength and conditioning program later helped him reach a career-high 76 goals in 2023 and earn his first All-Australian blazer.

Walker became Adelaide captain in 2015 and led the club through the death of senior coach Phil Walsh. The Crows subsequently reached three consecutive finals series, including the 2017 grand final, and Walker won back-to-back AFLPA best captain awards. Coach Matthew Nicks said Walker’s impact at West Lakes was the greatest of any Crow in club history.

Walker said the decision to retire came at 3am last Tuesday as injuries increased and weekly recovery became harder. Adelaide faces ladder-leading Fremantle on Friday night while pursuing a top-four finish. Walker said he hoped to finish with a premiership medallion and remained grateful that “the kid from Broken Hill” had the chance to play for the Crows.