New Crows skipper Taylor Walker says the captaincy won’t change him.

On Wednesday, Adelaide announced Walker as the Club’s seventh captain. The 24-year-old forward follows in the footsteps of Chris McDermott, Tony McGuinness, Mark Bickley, Mark Ricciuto, Simon Goodwin and predecessor Nathan van Berlo.

Coach Phil Walsh, who made the decision to instil Walker as skipper, said the two-time Crows leading goalkicker had impressed him from the beginning, describing him as the “most influential” player at West Lakes.

“From my first conversation with Taylor and every day that I’ve come into the Club since, he’s all about making the team better. Taylor is genuine and passionate about getting this Club back to where it should be,” Walsh said on Wednesday.

“Early days, I identified that Taylor had great influence on the group. When we came back after Christmas and got more into the match simulation and organisational-type work, Taylor’s attributes shone even further along with some other players.

“Tex influences others to follow him in the direction I want this Club to go. He’s a competitor, who desperately chases success. They are qualities I want every Crows player when they put the jumper on this year to have.

“All six members of the leadership have qualities that could make them the captain of this Club, but I believe Taylor Walker is the best candidate to lead the Club.”

By his own admission, Walker isn’t the clean-cut, polished media performer often associated with the captaincy position. The Broken Hill-product’s laidback and larrikin nature is what has endeared him to not only Crows supporters but AFL fans across the country.

He admits there are elements of the role he’ll need to improve on, but says he’ll remain the same person at heart.

“I’m not going to change who I am,” Walker said.

“I know that over time I’ll have to adapt to certain things that come up. I’m not a real fan of the media, but things like that I’ll have to school myself up on and learn how to get a bit better.

“I’ll embrace those challenges with open arms.”

Walker is not dissimilar to Walsh in this regard.

A career assistant coach and respected tactician, Walsh is regarded as one of the best football brains in the country but until now has shied away from the spotlight and off-field demands associated with being a senior coach.

Like Walker, Walsh is committed to upskilling himself in these areas but said footy would always come first.

"I want to be an authentic footy club - simple as that,” Walsh said.

“I don't want to be about spin. Actions speak louder than words, and that's what the Adelaide Footy Club will be about this year."

Walsh’s hard line has been embraced by the playing group, including the senior leaders who met to discuss Walker’s appointment as skipper on Tuesday.

Walsh said the group, including potential candidates and 2014 acting co-captains Rory Sloane and Patrick Dangerfield, were in full support of the new captain.

“We have what I call ‘man’ conversations. I spoke with all the members of the leadership group over the weekend about my decision and they all had a view. Yesterday, we actually met as a senior leadership group with Darren Glass and the CEO (Andrew Fagan) and put it all out on the table. We had a conversation and we got on with it – that’s how we do business here,” Walsh said.

“There was some strong views expressed, and I’m up for that – I like that, but they all though understand my decision and there is 100 per cent support for Taylor Walker as captain of this footy club.

“This footy club is not about blokes feeling sorry for themselves. We don’t operate like that. It’s ‘yeah, that’s the decision, say what you’ve got to say, we’ll hear it, but get on with it’.

"[Sloane and Dangerfield are] important leaders of this footy club, like the other 43 guys we've got sitting in the room," he said.

Walker paid tribute to van Berlo, who captained the Club in 68 games across four seasons, saying he would continue to look to the former skipper for support.

“The leadership group we’ve got at the moment, they’ve all got the ability to lead from the front. I think you’re born a leader,” he said

“I’ve learned from a lot of great captains of this footy club and I’ve got great support around me in the senior leadership group. ‘VB' has been outstanding for me and I’ll continue to learn from him.

“There are five other blokes in the leadership group I have the upmost respect for and their ability to get the job done game day, and influence the playing group.

“Over time, I’ll evolve into my own style of captain. But just because I’ve been named captain … that doesn’t mean I’m going to be able to do everything. It takes 22 blokes on a Saturday to get the job done.”