Adelaide veteran Taylor Walker says he was working on a compromise with Collingwood supporter son Louis ahead of the Crows’ qualifying final against the Magpies.
Louis Walker’s love for Nick Daicos and Collingwood has been well documented across the past fortnight, as he posed for a photo with his Magpies hero and was seen donning black and white merchandise when the teams last played in Round 23.
On Thursday night, the teams will face off again in what will also be Walker’s 300th AFL match, and Louis will be required to run out with the Crows’ to help celebrate his Dad’s milestone.
Speaking to Roo, Ditts and Loz on Triple M Adelaide Breakfast, Walker revealed Louis’ outfit for the night had been a point of contention in his household.
“He thinks he’s running out with the Crows guernsey, Crows shorts and Collingwood socks,” Walker said.
“So we’ve still got a bit of work to do between now and Thursday night, we’re still working on a compromise.
“I think it might end up being for the run out he’ll wear all his Crows gear and then once he’s in the stands I think his Collingwood hat or beanie might be coming on.
“The one thing I’m looking forward to this most is sharing this special milestone with my beautiful family.”
Walker is not the only Crow set to celebrate a milestone on Thursday night, with forward Alex Neal-Bullen set to notch his 200th game, and Irishman Mark Keane playing his 50th match for the Club.
Keane made sure to remind Walker and Neal-Bullen of his accomplishment at Monday night’s main training session.
“He came up to Johnny (Alex) Neal-Bullen and I last night and said oh it’s 550 games between us and I was like ‘what?’ Walker said.
“He said it was my 50th game for the Club so we’re sharing it, so who’s chairing me off the ground?”
Adelaide will be looking to ensure Walker and Neal-Bullen cap their milestones with a victory, as it embarks on its first finals series since 2017.
Walker said the group was excited for the challenge of taking on the Magpies.
“We’re really looking forward to it, it’s our first time in eight years being back in finals so we’re super excited and our fans are as well,” Walker said.
“It’s going to be an absolute cracker of a game, there is so much talent across all lines on both teams, it’s going to be hot and we’re really excited about the opportunity we’ve got.
“We’ll expect them to play a little bit more like that (attacking) as well, they are very good across all areas of the ground.
“They like to intercept the ball across half back and try to go back through the corridor and attack you that way, so we’ll be on high alert with that to try and stop it.”
Adelaide takes on Collingwood in a qualifying final at Adelaide Oval this Thursday night, with the first bounce at 7.10pm ACST.
For more information on the Crows’ 2025 Toyota AFL Finals Series, head to the Club’s finals hub here.
