When Adelaide Senior Coach Matthew Nicks took over the reins at the Club ahead of the 2020 season, he knew the quality of player he was getting in Taylor Walker.

Walker had captained the Club for the past five years and proved to be one of the Crows’ most influential stars both on and off the field.

But during Nicks’ first campaign as Senior Coach, Walker, at the age of 30, struggled with form, and the rigors of AFL were taking a toll on the key forward’s body.

Fast forward to 2021, and Walker produced a stunning turnaround, kicking 17 goals in the first three rounds and finishing the season as the Club’s leading goalkicker with 48 majors.

Walker continued to defy the odds and has gone on to be part of Nicks’ team for his entire seven-season tenure.

Upon Walker announcing he would be retiring at the end of this season, Nicks reflected on the forward’s resilience and work ethic, as well as how the pair’s relationship had evolved across the past seven years.

“I'm extremely lucky and privileged to have been able to coach him for the time I have,” Nicks said.

“It’s well-known that in the early days, it didn’t look like it was going to be quite that long.

“I've learnt so much from this guy about resilience, about passion, about energy, and hard work, you don't get to the level that he's got to by accident.

“He's been an outstanding leader for our football Club, prior to when I arrived, obviously as a Captain. I saw him evolve unbelievably well, and I think he's grown as a person (and) he’s grown as a leader.”

Walker, who has played 316 games and kicked more than 700 goals, became Adelaide’s first AFL NSW Scholarship player in 2006.

He debuted in 2009 and quickly established himself as one of the competition’s premier key forwards, highlighted by seven Club leading goalkicker awards, All-Australian selection in 2023, and back-to-back AFL Players’ Association Best Captain honours in 2016 and 2017.

Nicks described Walker’s retirement as a defining moment for the football Club and its supporters.

He said Walker would leave a long-lasting legacy for both his on and off-field achievements.

“We sat down as a group when he spoke to the players, and we paused at the end and just said, ‘look, this is a really big moment for our football Club’,” Nicks said.

“There's superstars that decide that it's time to end it, and I strongly believe that Tex will go down as one of those (a superstar) for what he’s achieved in the game, but more so the way he holds himself as a person even away from the footy Club.

"He's had an outstanding career, a career he should be congratulated on, (and) one that we're all very lucky to be here right now, sitting and celebrating.”

Click here to send a message to Walker, following his retirement announcement.