Before leaving the house to play in his 25th Showdown, Adelaide forward Taylor Walker could not believe the sound that was coming from his living room.
In an effort to stir up the Crows’ all-time leading goal-kicker, his sons Hugo and Louis were singing the Port Adelaide theme song.
Speaking to Roo, Ditts and Loz on Triple M Breakfast, Walker explained how rattled he was by the boys’ prank on their dad.
“I couldn’t believe that this was occurring in my household, and I made it known to them that if they continued this behaviour they could live elsewhere,” Walker said.
“But they (the boys) were singing the Port song trying to stir me up, saying that they barrack for Port.”
The stunt did not end up affecting Walker come game time, as he booted three goals to help lift the Crows to a record-breaking 98-point win against their crosstown rivals.
On a night that yielded plenty of positives, Walker highlighted the work of Adelaide’s defence, which conceded just five goals and sits number two in the competition in points against.
“About six weeks in we had a little chat about how we can make our defence a little bit better, and since then the boys have just gone from strength-to-strength,” Walker said.
“Led by Keaney and Muz and Joshy Worrell, who is sneaking under the radar a little bit, I’m really enjoying what he’s doing at the moment.
“Then you’ve got the experience of Lairdy, I think Wayne Milera is playing some great footy, Hingey as well has been great.
“We’re in a good spot at the moment, we’ve just got to keep our head down and continue doing what’s allowing us to play good football.”
Mirroring its on field success, Adelaide had a big win off the field last week as ruckman Reilly O’Brien signed on for another three seasons.
Walker spoke about the incredible impact the 2020 Best and Fairest winner had on the group.
“I could talk for hours about ROB (Reilly O’Brien), he’s a beautiful human,” Walker said.
“He’s got a touchpoint on every single player, no matter if you are the youngest or the oldest, and he makes you feel like the most special person in the world.
“He sets amazing standards around the footy Club, and I don’t think there’d be anyone that would say a bad word about ROB.
“I think his football has been his best since his BnF year, we just love him and were absolutely thrilled to have him re-sign for another three years.”
Adelaide takes on Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval this Friday night, with the first bounce at 7.10pm (ACST).
Get your tickets here
