When it comes to slotting goals in front of more than 50,000 fans at Adelaide Oval, Crows forward Taylor Walker is as composed as they come.
But when he saw New South Wales Rugby League star Payne Haas at Sydney Airport, the Crows’ all-time leading goalkicker said he turned into a nervous wreck, and was completely starstruck.
Chatting to Roo, Ditts and Loz on Triple M Adelaide Breakfast, Walker said his heart was racing as he approached Haas for a quick selfie.
“I saw the big centre for New South Wales (state of origin team) Payne Haas in Sydney airport and I was a bit starstruck to be honest,” Walker said.
“I went up to ask him for a photo and I was absolutely *** myself, I was sweating and so nervous, because sometimes it can be a little bit annoying and I didn’t want to be that person to annoy him.
“He was very, very good, I just said I loved your game on Wednesday night, I thought you were awesome, can I please have a photo.
“But I was sweating, getting really hot and it was Mick Godden in the end who just told me to go up and do it. After I got the photo I sent it straight to Murray Davis, who is a Queenslander, and it was nice to show off the bragging rights.”
Meeting one of his rugby idols proved to be a prelude for a successful trip to the Harbour City.
Walker and his teammates put in a stellar performance against the Swans, kicking an incredibly accurate 21.5, which led to a commanding 90-point victory.
The 35-year-old revealed one key stat that proved how balanced the squad was.
“It was a very good win on Saturday night, we were incredibly balanced and I didn’t realise this until the review, but every player had at least one tackle,” Walker said.
“I thought our contest work was outstanding, the mids played their roles, the defenders were awesome and when it came into attack we were able to kick accurately, which is the best pressure in footy.
“We had 14 different goal kickers on the weekend too, we like to play a forward half game and had 38 front half turnovers - so those are just some stats to back up the fact we had a very balanced win on the weekend.”
Adelaide will be out to make it three wins on the trot when it hosts reigning premier Brisbane in a Friday night blockbuster.
Walker said he expected a tough contest in wet-weather conditions.
“We look forward to a massive challenge against Brisbane this Friday night,” Walker said.
“We’re happy with where our game is at, every team would have some things they want to get better at and we’re no different, and we can’t wait to test ourselves against the best this week.
“Expecting to be pretty wet on Friday night, which will make for a good contest, last time we played in the wet we were very good against the Giants so hopefully we can replicate that against this week.”
Adelaide faces Brisbane at Adelaide Oval on Friday, June 6, at 7.10pm.
The Crows will host an SA Freeze event at the game, as part of the fight against MND.
Fans are encouraged to help raise vital funds for MND research and care initiatives by purchasing a Big Freeze 11 beanie.
They can be purchased when buying a ticket to the match against the Lions and will also be available to buy from the South, East and North gates at Adelaide Oval on the night.
To see the Crows trio be dunked and to snap up a beanie, get your tickets to the game here.
