A goalkicking milestone, the skipper's return and the players standing out on the stat sheet following Adelaide’s clash with Brisbane. Here are the key numbers and historical notes from Round Seven.
Walker joins elite company and sets new goalkicking mark
Taylor Walker is now one of only four current AFL players aged 36 or over. He joins former teammate Patrick Dangerfield (36), Dayne Zorko (37) and Collingwood’s Scott Pendlebury (38) in the club. In the AFL era, the oldest player has been Essendon defender Dustin Fletcher, who retired after his 40th birthday and 400th AFL game in 2015. The oldest Crow before Walker was Nigel Smart, who was 35 when he played his last AFL game in 2004. Walker’s long goal in the second term at the Gabba on Sunday lifted him to top spot for AFL goals kicked outside of Victoria, his 554th overtaking West Coast’s Josh Kennedy.
Skipper stands tall in return
Adelaide Captain Jordan Dawson was warmly welcomed back and worked hard to help his side in different roles across the field. He finished with 25 disposals, seven score involvements, a game-high 520 metres gained, eight marks, five intercepts and two goals, lifting his total to 50 goals in 97 games for the Crows.
Crows among League stat leaders
Adelaide has one competition-wide stats leader after seven rounds – defender Nick Murray, who has made 50 successful spoils. Sam Berry is ranked fifth for tackles with 45, five behind Geelong’s Tom Atkins. Josh Worrell is equal second for rebound 50s with 46, two behind Tom Stewart (Geelong). And ruck Lachlan McAndrew is ranked fourth for total hit-outs, with 230, and second for hits to advantage (67) behind Sydney’s Brodie Grundy (80).
Mixed history behind Adelaide’s 3–4 start to the season
It is the 13th time Adelaide has opened a season with three wins from the first seven rounds. These starts have led to a mix of overall season results but from a “glass half full” perspective, the 1997 and 1998 premiership years began the same way.
Gabba remains a tough hunting ground for the Crows
Adelaide’s AFL record at the Gabba against the Brisbane Bears and Brisbane Lions is now 13 wins and 16 losses from 29 contests. The Crows have lost their last five games at the venue since their five-point win in round 18, 2018.
High-scoring game for Brisbane against Adelaide
Brisbane’s score of 19.13 (127) was the highest against the Crows since Melbourne’s 23.8 (146) in round ten of the 2018 season. It was Adelaide’s biggest loss (52 points) since the last game of the 2024 season against Hawthorn (66 points).
