Adelaide forward Taylor Walker didn’t have a traditional path to the AFL.

Born and raised in Broken Hill, Walker was scouted by Mark Ross and James Fantasia at a football carnival in Griffith, New South Wales.

At just 16, Walker was awarded a football scholarship and officially began his involvement with the Adelaide Football Club.

“I didn’t believe it at the time,” Walker told Triple M’s The Crows Show.

“(After the carnival) I had broken my pelvis and they’d called home - Mum answered and hung up on them, thinking it was a joke.

“(But) they rang back and I was on a scholarship for two years.”

Away from the Club and still in Broken Hill, Walker would visit Adelaide during school holidays to spend time with the team.

“They sent me a program with weights, running, extra skills that I would do in and around football training,” he said.

“Over the school holiday periods, I’d try and join in with the footy program at the Crows.”

Walker was eventually selected by Adelaide with Pick 75 in the 2007 National Draft - with the Crows retaining exclusive rights to the player.

For young Broken Hill footballers looking to break into the AFL, Walker had several methods to explore.

“There’s a few different ways now… there’s the Giants academy in Broken Hill, which is the NSW way,” he said.

“You can go down to Victoria through the (Bendigo) Pioneers .

“Or you can come down to the SANFL and play through here.”

Walker has played 237 games for the Crows and kicked 535 goals.