Ahead of Crows all-time leading goal kicker Taylor Walker’s 300th AFL match this Thursday night, AFC Media looked back at some of his defining moments and chose 13 of the No.13’s best games.

2015, Round 1 v North Melbourne at Adelaide Oval

22 disposals, 15 marks, 6.5

Walker was new coach Phil Walsh’s choice as captain and he seized the leadership role with both hands in his first game as skipper. He took seven marks in the first quarter and had 12, plus three goals, by half-time. When North challenged with six unanswered goals, it was Walker who lifted and wrestled back control of the game. He finished with 6.5 and 15 marks, a game-high 14 score involvements and polled three Brownlow votes. Walsh said: (Taylor had) 11 shots, played team footy, (it was a) great captain’s game from ‘Tex’ first-up.”

2012, Semi-final v Fremantle at AAMI Stadium

13 disposals, six marks, 5.2

Fremantle dominated most of the first half but it was Walker who gave the Crows hope with a team-lifting goal from the pocket, after the half-time siren. Earlier, he had missed his first two shots on goal and then gave away a 50-metre penalty leading to a Dockers goal. But his inspirational goal was followed by two more early in the third quarter to reduce the margin to one point. Then, with the game in the balance deep into the last term, Walker booted the last two goals and Adelaide won by 16 points. He was also influential in the preliminary final against Hawthorn the following week, kicking four goals including three in the second term highlighted by another long goal after the half-time siren.

2015, Elimination Final, v Western Bulldogs at the MCG

16 disposals, 10 marks, 3.2

Walker’s late pass to Charlie Cameron is locked inside the club’s all-time highlights vault. The captain outpointed his opponent in a marking contest, took a long, two-bounce run down the wing and then cleverly passed the ball inside to Cameron, who goaled to give Adelaide a seven-point lead with 90 seconds to play. It was the last of a game-high 13 score involvements for Walker, who ten minutes earlier had kicked a 50-metre goal to reduce the margin to one point. “Tex’s last quarter was so huge,” Crows star Rory Sloane said post-game.

2023, R20 v Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval

20 disposals, six marks, 7.4

Walker won his first Showdown Medal after kicking seven goals in one of the best performances of his career, in the same week he signed a new deal to play on in 2024. Adelaide broke a run of three consecutive losses by upsetting second-placed Port, with Walker equalling the Showdown record shared by Tony Modra, Peter Vardy and Warren Tredrea. He kicked a goal in the first quarter, two in the second and then four consecutive Crows goals from midway through the third term to the opening minute of the last quarter. Walker also had a game-high 15 score involvements.

2021, R1 v Geelong at Adelaide Oval

18 disposals, seven marks, 5.2

After Adelaide finished bottom of the table in 2020, Walker played the lead role in the Crows’ shock opening round win over 2020 grand finalists Geelong. He kicked the club’s first goal of the season – a left foot snap straight out of winning a boundary throw-in – and three more in the second term as the Crows opened a 38-point lead at half-time. Walker, who booted his fifth goal during the third term and had 12 score involvements, polled three Brownlow votes and ten coaches’ votes.

2023, R13 v West Coast at Adelaide Oval

21 disposals, 11 marks, 10.2

Walker kicked a career-high ten goals in his unforgettable 250th AFL match in Adelaide’s 122-point demolition of West Coast. He booted the first in the opening minute, had three by the end of the quarter and an equal career-best seven by half-time. The career-best eighth came in the third quarter, followed by a ninth and a tenth in the final term as the crowd celebrated. Walker’s “match rating” of 40.6 was the highest of his career. Some may prefer his next game against the Eagles in round 23, when he kicked nine goals in Perth against a far more competitive opposition. Walker kicked six goals in the second half when Adelaide regained the lead against the home side and then kicked away.

2021, R3 v Gold Coast at Adelaide Oval

24 disposals, nine marks, 6.3

Walker’s hot start to the 2021 season continued with a six-goal haul that lifted Adelaide to a ten-point win over the rising Suns. Gold Coast raced to an early 23-point lead but by the end of the first quarter Walker had three goals and Adelaide was back in the contest. The Suns kicked two quick goals in the last quarter to hit the front only for Walker to slot his sixth goal with about seven minutes left.

2012 Round 22 v Melbourne at the MCG

25 disposals, 16 marks, 4.2

In a sign of what was to come in September, Walker put on a talent show at the MCG. He took six contested marks among his 16 grabs, finished with a career-high 25 disposals and had a game-high 15 score involvements. The coaches and umpires agreed, awarding him maximum votes. It was the first time Walker received three Brownlow votes.

2017 R16 v Western Bulldogs at Adelaide Oval

18 disposals, seven marks, 3.1

Adelaide overcame tough conditions to thrash the 2016 premiers by 59 points, with Walker defying the wet weather in a powerful best-on-ground performance. He kicked the first goal of the game and then two more in Adelaide’s remarkable seven-goal chain in the third quarter. The Crows led by only three points at half-time in wet and cold conditions but Walker started the run after taking a contested mark in the first minute of the third term. He had nine score involvements and polled three Brownlow votes.

2012, R5 v Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium

17 disposals, nine marks, 6.1

Walker celebrated his 50th AFL game with a match-winning Showdown performance. Three goals in the first three minutes of the second term sparked the Crows and then he kicked the last two goals of the match to help secure the 19-point win. Walker was beaten for the Showdown Medal by Patrick Dangerfield but he was in great form and the following week kicked five goals against Sydney at the SCG.

2014, R11 v Gold Coast at Adelaide Oval

16 disposals, 10 marks, 5.1

In Walker’s third AFL game after returning from a year sidelined by a knee reconstruction, he booted five goals and most importantly moved freely to be Adelaide’s best against Gold Coast. The Suns were only nine points behind at three-quarter-time but Walker kicked his fourth goal at the start of the last term and then the game’s last goal as the Crows won by 33 points. He had 15 score involvements and the umpires also admired his efforts, awarding him three Brownlow votes.

2017 Round 4 v Essendon at Adelaide Oval

18 disposals, ten marks, 5.0

Walker was unstoppable in the first quarter, kicking four of Adelaide’s nine goals as it built a six-goal lead. He added his fifth at the start of the second term and also shared the opportunities, finishing with ten score involvements, four assists and three contested marks. He recorded his highest ‘player rating’ for the season.

2009, R10 v Hawthorn at AAMI Stadium

10 disposals, seven marks, 5.0

It was only Walker’s tenth AFL game in his debut season but his first five-goal haul gave Adelaide a sample of how he could impact a game. The 19-year-old booted two goals late in the first quarter and then three in six minutes approaching half-time as Adelaide sprinted to an eight-goal lead against the Hawks. Walker did not kick any more goals in the second half but had done enough to secure the round’s AFL Rising Star nomination and receive his first Brownlow vote.

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