Taylor Walker

Biography

AFC Debut Number: 165           AFC Debut Game:  Round 1 v Collingwood, 2009

AFC Career Guernsey Number: 13

Taylor Walker built one of the most significant careers in Crows history after starting as Adelaide’s first AFL NSW Scholarship signing and finishing 20 years later as the Club’s all-time leading goalkicker.

Born in Broken Hill, New South Wales, Walker emerged from North Broken Hill Football Club as a two-sided young forward with a natural eye for goals. Adelaide moved early to secure the Crows supporter, signing the 16-year-old as a NSW Scholarship player in 2006 before formally recruiting him in the 2007 AFL National Draft.

Before Walker arrived at West Lakes, he had already starred in senior football. As a 17-year-old, he kicked seven goals and was named best-on-ground for North Broken Hill in its A-grade premiership.

Walker spent 2008 developing with Norwood in the SANFL, kicking 56 goals and winning the Club’s leading goalkicker award. He made his AFL debut for Adelaide in Round One, 2009, against Collingwood at the MCG, kicking a goal with his first kick as the Crows won by four points.

A five-goal first half burst against Hawthorn in his tenth game earned Walker an AFL Rising Star nomination but he spent time back with Norwood later that season, as he did in 2010. It was a similar story for parts of 2011 but he kicked 35 goals in 13 AFL games to be Adelaide’s leading goalkicker for the first time. In 2012, Walker kicked three goals in Adelaide’s pre-season Cup premiership win and then delivered a breakout campaign. He kicked 63 goals from 19 matches and played a major role in Adelaide’s rise to a preliminary final.

Walker’s momentum was halted in April 2013 when he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee against Carlton at the MCG. He returned on his 24th birthday the next year through Adelaide’s SANFL side, then resumed his AFL career less than a month later in a win over Collingwood at Adelaide Oval.

In January 2015, first-year coach Phil Walsh appointed Walker as Adelaide captain. It became a defining season for both player and Club. Walker kicked six goals in his first game as skipper, played his 100th AFL match later that year, and led the Crows through an emotional second half of the season including a memorable elimination final win over the Western Bulldogs at the MCG.

Walker’s leadership was recognised across the competition when he was voted the AFL Players’ Association Best Captain in 2016 and again in 2017. He captained Adelaide in the 2017 AFL Grand Final loss and completed that season with 54 goals.

Walker continued to be Adelaide’s focal point in attack, topping the Club’s goalkicking again in 2019 and passing 400 AFL goals. In 2020 he stepped down from the co-captaincy but added two major milestones in a challenging season when he kicked only 15 goals in 14 games. He played his 200th AFL game and broke Adelaide’s all-time goalkicking record, overtaking Tony Modra with his 441st goal.

His late-career resurgence began with 17 goals in the first three games of the 2021 season. Walker won further Club leading goalkicker awards in 2021 and 2022, then produced a career-best 2023 season. He booted 76 goals to earn his first All-Australian selection, won a seventh Adelaide Leading Goalkicker award, and a Showdown Medal after a seven-goal performance against Port Adelaide. That same year he celebrated his 250th AFL match in style, kicking a career-high 10 goals against West Coast.

Injuries tested him in 2024 but Walker remained a central figure in Adelaide’s forward line and dressing room. He played his 300th AFL game in the 2025 qualifying final against Collingwood, joining Ben Hart, Mark Ricciuto, Andrew McLeod and Tyson Edwards as the fifth Crow to reach the milestone.

Iin 2026 became the 28th player in VFL/AFL history to kick 700 goals. Walker announced in August 2026 that he would retire at the end of the season, closing a 19-season AFL career spent entirely with Adelaide. His final match was in Adelaide’s 2026 semi-final against Brisbane at the Gabba. Walker kicked two goals to finish with 715 goals from 319 games, retiring as Adelaide’s greatest goalkicker and one of the Club’s most popular figures.

Walker, who wore the No 13 throughout his Crows career, is the oldest player to have represented the Crows (36 years and 140 days) and holds the record for the most AFL goals at Adelaide Oval with 319.

13 of Walker’s best games