Adelaide captain Taylor Walker remains focused on a Round One return as he commences rehabilitation from a plantar fascia strain.

Walker will spend the next two weeks in a moon boot before ramping up training in a bid to be declared fit for the Crows’ season opener against Essendon on Friday 23 March.

Given the nature of the injury, Walker’s timeline will be dictated by how his left foot responds to treatment over the next six weeks. 

“They’re tough ones, feet, and obviously being a plantar fascia as well. They’re not like a quad, or a hamstring, where you say it’s a four-week injury,” Walker said.

“It’s two weeks to rest and get it pain-free and then obviously I’ll build from there with my running and conditioning.” 

Despite the minor setback, Walker remains upbeat and is using his time within the rehab group to further develop his leadership skills.

“It is disappointing to a degree, but it’s also rewarding because I get to learn how to lead in different ways,” he said.

“Being in rehab can be a bit lonely and frustrating at times, so you get a sense of understanding of how other guys are going through rehab for a period of time as well. 

“You never stop learning, you learn new things every day. So that’s my challenge over the next period of time is to rest this and get it into a state where once I come back to training, I continue to train.

“So looking forward to the next six weeks to hopefully, fingers crossed, be right for Round One.”