'Back him in': Adelaide Crows confirm huge Taylor Walker move
The Adelaide Crows have confirmed former captain Taylor Walker will make his return from suspension this weekend after a lengthy ban following last year's racism saga.
Walker was handed a six-week ban by the AFL after a racist comment directed at a rival player while he spectated a SANFL match in August last year was reported to the Crows.
'I WAS SHOCKED': AFL legend left 'upset' over Cyril Rioli treatment
'DON'T LIKE IT': Nathan Buckley slams fans over 'unacceptable' drama
Lacking match fitness after the AFL forbid him from taking part in trial matches during pre-season, the 31-year-old's status as a team veteran aided his bid for selection.
The former captain is playing on this year after giving some consideration to hanging up the boots once the saga was dealt with.
Walker undertook service for Indigenous community while he served his ban.
According to assistant coach Nathan van Berlo, Walker was also rushed back into the side at the expense of Darcy Fogarty thanks to his status as the club's all-time leading goal-kicker.
"We will back him in, not having any match fitness to date," van Berlo told reporters on Wednesday.
"But obviously he has been in the system for a long time now and we back in that experience to help him.
"He brings a lot to our forward group - understanding he has missed a fair bit of footy, but the way that he has trained and his experience will help complement our mix."
Walker's return will be the first AFL game he has played in eight months, with the Crows forward rehabbing from injury when he made his racist comment at the SANFL.
The Crows earned a morale-boosting Showdown victory over cross-town rivals Port Adelaide last weekend, with some observers concerned the Crows were tinkering unneccesarily.
However Adelaide midfielder Rory Laird felt the time was right for Walker to return.
“I think ‘Texan’ should come back in, I don’t see why he wouldn’t, he’s done a stack of training and a stack of weights, and you know he’s completely fit, and his body is fresh, so I don’t see why he shouldn’t play,” Laird told SEN.
Adelaide back Tex Walker to make AFL return vs Essendon
Van Berlo said Walker's energy would be the most important thing he brings to the table against the Bombers this weekend.
"Tex, his nature is he is always up and about," van Berlo said.
"He's a fair barometer for the group in terms of our energy so he will certainly be excited to get back out there.
"I know he has been itching to play a game of footy at any level for the last probably few months and he hasn't been able to do so.
"He will be ready to go come Sunday. He may be a bit rusty and he may be blowing a fair bit.
"But we will back in his experience and the way that we manage him to hopefully help out the guys ahead of the ball."
Fogarty, who has been goal-less since booting two majors in round one, makes way.
"There's definitely elements of his role around impacting on games," van Berlo said of the 22-year-old.
After a flat-out disastrous 2021 campaign, Crows fans will be hoping last weekend's upset win over the Power could be a sign of things to come.
The Crows lost their first two games of the season before getting on the board against the Power thanks to a four-point victory last Friday.
With AAP
Click here to sign up to our newsletter for all the latest and breaking stories from Australia and around the world.