'Stick to the process:' Walker rapt as Suns test awaits
The veteran Adelaide forward is in no mood to revisit the Crows' last AFL finals campaign as their long-awaited return to September looms large.
Adelaide are third with a healthy percentage. They are riding a three-game winning streak and captain Jordan Dawson re-signed this week.
So life is good at West Lakes ahead of Sunday's massive home game against Gold Coast, who are sixth and also have won their last three games.
Suns coach Damien Hardwick once called July "Big Boy Month" in the grind of an AFL season and Sunday is a another big test for the combatants.
Walker has no time for history, with the Crows writing some special new chapters with coach Matthew Nicks.
"It's unfair to compare. We're building something really special at this footy club and it's been going for a long time under Nicksy," he told AAP.
In a three-minute interview, Walker repeatedly uses the word "process". It is put to him that just as any interview with a Collingwood player will feature "The System", Adelaide have "The Process".
"There you go," the Adelaide big man smiles.
"That's what keeps getting it done. It will all take care of itself - in life, if you stick to the process, results take care of themselves.
"We just have to keep batting up and backing up in the big month ahead, against some really, really good sides."
Walker also notes that below top sides Collingwood and Brisbane, there is a log jam. And while Adelaide's last five games are not the worst draw, it's not an easy run either.
After the Suns they have the Showdown - and Port Adelaide would love nothing more than send off coach Ken Hinkley with one last win over their fiercest rivals. Then comes West Coast, another blockbuster against Collingwood and North Melbourne.
Apart from Walker, Matt Crouch, Rory Laird, Wayne Milera, Reilly O'Brien and Brodie Smith were also at the Crows when the club was derailed by the disastrous 2017 grand-final loss to Richmond.
Now the man known as "Tex" is the old man of the powerful Crows attack, with Riley Thilthorpe kicking a career-best six goals in last week's statement win over the Western Bulldogs.
A feature of Sunday will be Thilthorpe v Suns defender Mac Andrew, who got in the face of the Crows star immediately after Gold Coast had a controversial one-point win at home in round four.
What Walker loves about the Adelaide attack is everyone is playing their part.
"They're going really well - not just the key forwards, but across the board in our forward line," Walker said.
"If someone's having a quiet day someone else pops up and we're able to share the load.
"We just keep emphasising our ability to bring each other into the game - it's just so infectious."
Comparison is the thief of joy - and for Taylor Walker, it also gets in the way of The Process.
The veteran Adelaide forward is in no mood to revisit the Crows' last AFL finals campaign as their long-awaited return to September looms large.
Adelaide are third with a healthy percentage. They are riding a three-game winning streak and captain Jordan Dawson re-signed this week.
So life is good at West Lakes ahead of Sunday's massive home game against Gold Coast, who are sixth and also have won their last three games.
Suns coach Damien Hardwick once called July "Big Boy Month" in the grind of an AFL season and Sunday is a another big test for the combatants.
Walker has no time for history, with the Crows writing some special new chapters with coach Matthew Nicks.
"It's unfair to compare. We're building something really special at this footy club and it's been going for a long time under Nicksy," he told AAP.
In a three-minute interview, Walker repeatedly uses the word "process". It is put to him that just as any interview with a Collingwood player will feature "The System", Adelaide have "The Process".
"There you go," the Adelaide big man smiles.
"That's what keeps getting it done. It will all take care of itself - in life, if you stick to the process, results take care of themselves.
"We just have to keep batting up and backing up in the big month ahead, against some really, really good sides."
Walker also notes that below top sides Collingwood and Brisbane, there is a log jam. And while Adelaide's last five games are not the worst draw, it's not an easy run either.
After the Suns they have the Showdown - and Port Adelaide would love nothing more than send off coach Ken Hinkley with one last win over their fiercest rivals. Then comes West Coast, another blockbuster against Collingwood and North Melbourne.
Apart from Walker, Matt Crouch, Rory Laird, Wayne Milera, Reilly O'Brien and Brodie Smith were also at the Crows when the club was derailed by the disastrous 2017 grand-final loss to Richmond.
Now the man known as "Tex" is the old man of the powerful Crows attack, with Riley Thilthorpe kicking a career-best six goals in last week's statement win over the Western Bulldogs.
A feature of Sunday will be Thilthorpe v Suns defender Mac Andrew, who got in the face of the Crows star immediately after Gold Coast had a controversial one-point win at home in round four.
What Walker loves about the Adelaide attack is everyone is playing their part.
"They're going really well - not just the key forwards, but across the board in our forward line," Walker said.
"If someone's having a quiet day someone else pops up and we're able to share the load.
"We just keep emphasising our ability to bring each other into the game - it's just so infectious."
Comparison is the thief of joy - and for Taylor Walker, it also gets in the way of The Process.
The veteran Adelaide forward is in no mood to revisit the Crows' last AFL finals campaign as their long-awaited return to September looms large.
Adelaide are third with a healthy percentage. They are riding a three-game winning streak and captain Jordan Dawson re-signed this week.
So life is good at West Lakes ahead of Sunday's massive home game against Gold Coast, who are sixth and also have won their last three games.
Suns coach Damien Hardwick once called July "Big Boy Month" in the grind of an AFL season and Sunday is a another big test for the combatants.
Walker has no time for history, with the Crows writing some special new chapters with coach Matthew Nicks.
"It's unfair to compare. We're building something really special at this footy club and it's been going for a long time under Nicksy," he told AAP.
In a three-minute interview, Walker repeatedly uses the word "process". It is put to him that just as any interview with a Collingwood player will feature "The System", Adelaide have "The Process".
"There you go," the Adelaide big man smiles.
"That's what keeps getting it done. It will all take care of itself - in life, if you stick to the process, results take care of themselves.
"We just have to keep batting up and backing up in the big month ahead, against some really, really good sides."
Walker also notes that below top sides Collingwood and Brisbane, there is a log jam. And while Adelaide's last five games are not the worst draw, it's not an easy run either.
After the Suns they have the Showdown - and Port Adelaide would love nothing more than send off coach Ken Hinkley with one last win over their fiercest rivals. Then comes West Coast, another blockbuster against Collingwood and North Melbourne.
Apart from Walker, Matt Crouch, Rory Laird, Wayne Milera, Reilly O'Brien and Brodie Smith were also at the Crows when the club was derailed by the disastrous 2017 grand-final loss to Richmond.
Now the man known as "Tex" is the old man of the powerful Crows attack, with Riley Thilthorpe kicking a career-best six goals in last week's statement win over the Western Bulldogs.
A feature of Sunday will be Thilthorpe v Suns defender Mac Andrew, who got in the face of the Crows star immediately after Gold Coast had a controversial one-point win at home in round four.
What Walker loves about the Adelaide attack is everyone is playing their part.
"They're going really well - not just the key forwards, but across the board in our forward line," Walker said.
"If someone's having a quiet day someone else pops up and we're able to share the load.
"We just keep emphasising our ability to bring each other into the game - it's just so infectious."
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He was due to meet with league umpires late on Monday. Bouncing the ball can be difficult for umpires with back issues. 'We will do some work on it. In the next little bit, I will get around to all clubs and get their views,' he said. 'I have had some clubs already ring and give me their views. I would say the majority are in favour of throwing the ball up. Obviously, that's not going to happen until next year, but we will have a look at that as well.' Asked if there was the possibility of having a ceremonial bounce to start games, Swann replied: 'At the grand final last year, the first bounce went sideways, and they had to recall it. You would want to do the ceremonial bounce if it goes straight.' Keep fans in the loop Swann said he wanted the football operations department, including match review officer decisions, to have greater transparency. 'Maybe explaining some of the decisions we make, maybe we can be a bit more forthcoming with that. 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The Age
5 hours ago
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The AFL's ticking time bomb: The damning numbers forcing the league's new footy boss to act
Swann said that before he took the job the length of games and the umpires bouncing the ball were the two issues other people raised the most. 'It's just around the set-ups and waiting for ruckmen to get to contests and even the boundary throw-ins or if you are waiting for them to get there and there is a chance to actually speed that up a bit,' Swann said. 'There is good vision and video of ruckman taking 20 seconds to come from one end of the ground to the other and everyone stands there and waits,' Swann said. 'That's something that hopefully we can have a look at and maybe address even before the [end of the] season.' The AFL had to revise the starting time of Sunday games this season pushing them forward five minutes to 3.15pm as they were creeping into the 6pm news. The first quarter of Sunday's Cats-Saints game went for four seconds beyond the 35-minute mark and had most scenarios requiring the clock to be stopped other than a 6-6-6 infringement. 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The Advertiser
6 hours ago
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The Crows have been in our position ... and it has been vice versa, so we're really looking forward to this weekend. "It's always a competitive battle and anyone can win it. "There is no lack of motivation when it comes to these games ... the fact is, the intensity is much higher than alot of other games, which makes it very exciting to play in." Rozee sidestepped suggestions the looming Showdown had become the Power's biggest game of the season. "Every week is our biggest game from here on out," he said. "As I said, there's no lack of motivation for these types of games. "We aren't playing finals and it's extremely disappointing because that is what you come in to every year wanting to do, and what we have done pretty consistently for the last few years." Port Adelaide captain Connor Rozee wants to carry a broken hand into battle and land a proverbial blow on arch rival Adelaide's finals ambitions. Rozee plans to return for Saturday night's Showdown of the South Australian rivals, pending how his left hand copes with midweek training. "It will be a pain threshold sort of injury, it's a broken bone so there is always going to be a little bit there," Rozee told reporters on Monday. "We'll reassess after we finish training on Wednesday ... at the moment, the plan is to play." The 11th-placed Power are out of finals contention but the Crows will return to the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Adelaide hold third spot but are far from settled - they're one win from top spot but also one win from seventh - with Port hoping to dent their run to the finals. "That will be the plan pretty much every week from now on," Rozee said. "Any scalp that we can take will be a building block for the future. "There's always emotion in Showdowns. The Crows have been in our position ... and it has been vice versa, so we're really looking forward to this weekend. "It's always a competitive battle and anyone can win it. "There is no lack of motivation when it comes to these games ... the fact is, the intensity is much higher than alot of other games, which makes it very exciting to play in." Rozee sidestepped suggestions the looming Showdown had become the Power's biggest game of the season. "Every week is our biggest game from here on out," he said. "As I said, there's no lack of motivation for these types of games. "We aren't playing finals and it's extremely disappointing because that is what you come in to every year wanting to do, and what we have done pretty consistently for the last few years." Port Adelaide captain Connor Rozee wants to carry a broken hand into battle and land a proverbial blow on arch rival Adelaide's finals ambitions. Rozee plans to return for Saturday night's Showdown of the South Australian rivals, pending how his left hand copes with midweek training. "It will be a pain threshold sort of injury, it's a broken bone so there is always going to be a little bit there," Rozee told reporters on Monday. "We'll reassess after we finish training on Wednesday ... at the moment, the plan is to play." The 11th-placed Power are out of finals contention but the Crows will return to the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Adelaide hold third spot but are far from settled - they're one win from top spot but also one win from seventh - with Port hoping to dent their run to the finals. "That will be the plan pretty much every week from now on," Rozee said. "Any scalp that we can take will be a building block for the future. "There's always emotion in Showdowns. The Crows have been in our position ... and it has been vice versa, so we're really looking forward to this weekend. "It's always a competitive battle and anyone can win it. "There is no lack of motivation when it comes to these games ... the fact is, the intensity is much higher than alot of other games, which makes it very exciting to play in." Rozee sidestepped suggestions the looming Showdown had become the Power's biggest game of the season. "Every week is our biggest game from here on out," he said. "As I said, there's no lack of motivation for these types of games. "We aren't playing finals and it's extremely disappointing because that is what you come in to every year wanting to do, and what we have done pretty consistently for the last few years."
