Adelaide great Taylor Walker has admitted he wasn’t ready to walk away from the game he loves but did so after a strong conversation with club bosses.
Walker has revealed to 7NEWS that the decision to retire came after an honest chat over a beer with Crows CEO Tim Silvers and coach Matthew Nicks.
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“Got a lot of respect for both of those guys to be able to look me in the eye and tell me the honest truth,” Walker told 7NEWS.
“I sit here knowing that I’ve made the right decision for both myself and the footy club.”
Walker also revealed that stepping straight into a coaching role was never a consideration as he closes the book on his 19-season AFL career.
But the club’s all-time leading goalkicker is certain his understudies in Riley Thilthorpe and Darcy Fogarty are ready to step up and fill the void left by the long-time father of the Adelaide forward line.
“Coaching was not really for me, being in the footy regime I was really keen to get out of it after 20 years,” Walker told 7NEWS.
The Crows’ spiritual leader also opened up about his one and only grand final appearance, revealing he wasn’t ready for the pressure of the biggest week in football.
“It was a real challenging week, not much sleep, lots of anxiety around it,” Walker told 7NEWS.
“We were the best team from rounds 1 to 23 but, you know, in our game it doesn’t mean much.
“It means whatever you do in the last day in September and unfortunately we started a bit of a dynasty for Richmond.”
Apart from the lifelong relationships he’s created, Walker says he’ll miss the Showdowns with crosstown rival Port Adelaide the most.
“I’ve played in so many,” he said.
“I love them, I’ll forever miss them. I’ll always be envious of the Crows players that play in them,” he said.
Walker will now play a role in the media, with his family at the forefront of his next chapter.
“(My wife) Ellie and I are ready for our next stage of our life to let our kids chase their dreams,” he said.
“I cannot wait to watch those boys get to work and I’ll be the first one there to watch them.”
