Adelaide all-time leading goalkicker Taylor Walker joined Triple M Breakfast crew Roo, Ditts and Loz for an extended one hour chat, following his retirement announcement on Monday.
Walker and the Triple M team re-lived his memorable 19-year career, delving into the highs and lows of 316 games of AFL footy.
Here is a snapshot of what the 36-year-old had to say.
Arriving at the decision to retire
Walker admitted seeing players in the past go on one year too long had been a factor behind his decision to hang up the boots at the end of the 2026 season.
He said a sleepless night early last week, and a late night conversation with his wife Ellie, had confirmed his decision to retire.
“It was about 3am last Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, I didn’t want my dream to end, but as we all know all good things have to come to an end at some stage,” Walker said.
“I’d had some really good conversations with the footy Club early last week, and got to a point where for myself and Ellie and the footy Club as well, we knew that the time was right.
“I thought it was the right decision to make, and I always grew up watching that player who went that extra year and thought oh the poor bugger is falling over and should have retired the year before - that forever just stuck in my mind.
“On the other side of it though, I feel like I’ve still been able to perform at a high level this year, so that really teased me to go again, so the last month I’ve been sleeping like a baby that isn’t a great sleeper and last Tuesday I woke up and couldn’t stop crying.
“I woke Ellie up and we had a conversation from 3-5am and ended up coming to that conclusion.”
Walker kids’ emotional response to Dad’s retirement
The impact of Walker’s three children on the twilight of his football journey was immense, as the 36-year-old admitted they added “five or six years” onto his career.
The Walker family were by his side at the Club on Monday as he informed his teammates and public of his decision to retire, with the whole family showcasing their emotions.
He went in-depth on how Hugo, Louis and Hattie reacted to the news, and their influence on his career.
“Hugo did (understand) last night when I put him to bed, it’s hard we told all three of them on Sunday,” Walker said.
“It always gets me when I talk about my kids, they mean everything to me and have been able to give me perspective over the back end of my career and are probably the reason why I was able to go that extra five or six years, I was cooked in 2020 that’s for sure.
“So we told them and Louis got really upset, he just hugged me and told me he loved me, and then last night putting Hugo to bed he got really, really upset because he asked me when we got home ‘Daddy why were you so upset telling the players.’
“I was trying to explain to him that it was a happy sad, and I was putting him to bed and he just wouldn’t stop crying, and he just said ‘I don’t want you to retire daddy.’
“I’m just so grateful that I’ve got three beautiful kids I’ve been able to share the journey with.”
Reflecting on the day Phil Walsh made him captain
A defining moment in Walker’s career came in the lead-up to the 2015 season, when newly appointed Senior Coach Phil Walsh told the star forward he wanted him to captain the Adelaide Football Club.
Just 24 years of age at the time, Walker remembered being shocked and taken aback by the offer.
“I still remember it, when he mentioned it (captaining the Club) to me and I think we had seven of us in the leadership group at the time,” Walker said.
“We went for coffee off-site near West Lakes, and he said who do you think should be captain, I went through the other six and then was like ‘oh ***, he thinks me.’
“I straight away said no, he caught me off guard so much, but I remember driving home and rang my brother and Ellie and thought about it a bit more.
“I sat on the conversation a bit more, and then made the decision to lead the footy Club and I was so lucky and glad I was able to lead the footy Club for five years.”
The impact of Jacob ‘Legend’ Milbank
A constant presence throughout Walker’s 19 years at the Adelaide Football Club has been Football Services Assistant Jacob Milbank.
Known around the Club as “Legend”, Walker said he was quickly drawn to him and explained the bond they had formed across 19 seasons.
“Jacob’s a ripper, he’s got Down Syndrome and has been at the Club ever since I got there, Neil Craig was the coach at the time and he was the ambassador for Bakuma, a foundation that allows kids with disabilities to get employment,” Walker said.
“So Jacob came in and we just hit it off straight away, I remember one session I used to train with my hat backwards and Jacob thought he’d do it because I was doing it, and Neil Craig tapped him on the shoulder and told him never do that again.
“I found about it and every time I saw him I turned his hat backwards, he always had his challenges with being able to regulate his emotions - sometimes he’d be grumpy, sometimes he’d be happy.
“Just to be able to see his growth has been amazing, he is the absolute king and I’m so grateful we’ve been able to build a relationship, we stir him up, we have with him, but everyone at the footy club loves him to death.”
Why playing for the Crows was a “dream come true”
Growing up in the regional New South Wales town of Broken Hill, Walker adored football and the Crows throughout his childhood.
So to get the opportunity to join the Club through its NSW scholarship program in 2007, and don the tri-colours on over 300 occasions, was an honour he said was hard to put into words.
“I couldn’t ask for more (from my career), it’s been a dream come true for a kid from Broken Hill who used to sleep with his footy and have Crows posters of the bloke sitting next to me (Mark Ricciuto),” Walker said.
“I grew up barracking for the Crows and I used to have a little whiteboard in my room that I would pick my team each week - I just loved the Crows so much.
“I love football as much as I love my friends and family and it’s been such a big journey, I’ve made decisions throughout it that might have been the wrong ones, but I feel like I’ve learned so much from them.
“I wouldn’t change my journey for anything, because I came in as a 17-year-old kid that had no idea what I was about to walk into and walk out with experience, maturity, a beautiful wife, three beautiful kids and memories I will carry with me for the rest of my life.”
Walker’s latest prank victim
Throughout his 19-year career, Walker has been well-known for his ability to prank his teammates, a skill which he continues to showcase to this day.
He revealed that fellow forward Luke Pedlar was the latest to fall victim, after he got one back on Walker last week.
“Luke Pedlar last week got me, we came off the track and I went to have a swig out of my water bottle and nearly choked,” Walker said.
“He’d gotten my body wash and pumped it all through my water bottle, so I had to get him back.
“There’s this stuff called fart spray and Josh Worrell and I got into Peds’ car and ‘accidentally’ sprayed it in his car - he reckons he was driving home windows down and his head was hanging out of the window - so he’s certainly on my list.”
Walker’s love for the Adelaide Football Club
The toughest part of retirement according to Walker would be saying goodbye to all the people that made the Adelaide Football Club his home for the past 19 years.
He said he was incredibly lucky to share his journey with so many great players, coaches and staff - and expressed his gratitude for the impact they had on his career.
“There is a sense of relief, purely because I didn’t want to make that decision because I just love the game so much and love my football club,” Walker said.
“I expressed yesterday quite a bit, just how incredibly lucky I am to have met so many great people, whether it be the players I’ve got to play with or coaches that have had an impact on my career.
“Then there is the support staff, who never, ever seek recognition, they are the ones that quietly go about their business, and do all these little things that allow us players to be the elite athletes we are.
“It just takes so many people to make the wheel turn, I’ve seen it for 19 years and hopefully I’ll be able to see it for eight more great weeks.”
What’s next?
As the sun sets on Walker’s illustrious AFL career, his mind is now firmly set on what’s next for him and his family.
He said the prospect of playing at local level in Broken Hill excited him, and he wanted to stay involved in the game in some capacity.
“My two best mates are still playing back there (in Broken Hill), and it’d be 20 years since our premiership in 2007 so that’d be pretty cool to go back and have a kick there - so I’ll try and do that,” Walker said.
“I still want to have a kick, I love footy, so if I can sit in the square, take a few marks and kick a few goals I’ll be happy.
“I’d also love to call some footy as well, I think that would scratch my itch of staying in footy, I’m not ruling out coaching as well but I think I want to have a bit of a spell as I’ve been in it for almost 20 years.
“Ellie and I want to do a bit of travelling and take the kids, plus be more involved in the kids' sport and help them follow their dreams.”
