Veteran Adelaide forward Taylor Walker has given a brief insight into what his role could look like in 2026, after signing on for a 19th season at West Lakes.
The Crows’ all-time leading goalkicker confirmed the news of his one-year contract extension at Saturday night’s Club Champion event, after he featured in all but two games and kicked 39 goals in 2025.
Speaking to Loz and Thomo on Triple M Adelaide Breakfast on Tuesday morning, Walker said he expected to feature less in 2026, but was excited to play a critical role in the Crows’ quest for improvement next season.
“I don’t think I’ll be playing as many (games) as I did the year just been, so I’ll sit down with Ian McKeown (Adelaide’s incoming High Performance Manager) when he comes over and we’ll have a good discussion about how it looks,” Walker said.
“At the end of day I’ll continue to play as long as I’m performing and playing my role within the team.
“It’s very exciting to go again, obviously we were so close this year, finishing minor premiers and playing two finals we weren’t overly happy with.
“So I just thought I’ve got a little bit left in the tank and a role to play in the footy Club, so I’m looking forward to season number 19.”
Since joining the Club at the end of 2007, the 35-year-old has played 301 AFL matches across 18 seasons, and has always been a key cog in Adelaide’s set up forward of the ball.
He explained how he has managed to stay so durable across the journey, and continue to perform well into his 30s.
“It certainly gets harder and harder the older you get, so you just need to keep finding ways of staying fit without pounding the body,” Walker said.
“That has certainly been my recipe over the past few years, finding fitness methods that haven’t involved me running all the time.
“The elliptical has been my friend, the pool has been my friend, Pilates has been a big one as well, stuff like that has been critical in me keeping my body sound and being able to go on for as long as I have.”
Adelaide’s playing group is on its off-season break and will return to pre-season training on December 1.
