Taylor Walker... how's he going?

[xazos79]

The last two weeks it looks like he's realised that he can impact a contested pack situation positively even if he isn't clunking them. So bloody important having him flying for the ball in a pack situation rather than Eddie. Confidence looks to be back, let's hope this is a turning point for him for the rest of his career. This is exactly how he should be playing.

 

[Betts are off]

The last two weeks it looks like he's realised that he can impact a contested pack situation positively even if he isn't clunking them. So bloody important having him flying for the ball in a pack situation rather than Eddie. Confidence looks to be back, let's hope this is a turning point for him for the rest of his career. This is exactly how he should be playing.

I just feel like he's rediscovering a part of his game that he (and pretty much everyone who watches Crows games) felt was gone from him. It seemed like from the very first inside 50 this week that he was going to jump and put that big body of his in the path of everything coming his direction. And realistically, he got his hands to at least 4 inside 50 marks that in years gone by he wouldn't have even been close too. If he marks those, he could have easily had a 6+ goal game!

But the fact that they started to stick in the second half will be so important for his confidence in the games coming up. I think Pykey and Hart need to be in his ear about keeping this element of his game the #1 goal for the remainder of the season. Cause its the 1 thing that's been missing from his game since the knee reco. And if he can add it back in, then he jumps right to the top part of the list when discussing most dangerous key forwards!

 

[Bazz_27]

I think tex played his best game since 2017 last night. Was good to see

 

[Tex200]

Cracking game from the Captain:
18 possessions
8 marks
3.3
10 score involvements
1 assist
398m gained

He was huge.

 

[the universal]

I still hold out hope that he'll be able to maintain a greater consistency in his performances. There's still a bit too much of a gap between his good games and poor games, to the point where I'm never sure which Tex will turn up week to week.

 

[Scorpus]

Every time he clunks a pack mark like he's done the last two weeks, I'm confident we'll win.

We have an excellent record when Tex is on

 

[Slippery Pete]

The captains have been unbelievably good the last two weeks. Especially Rory, but Tex too.

Both have stood up in clutch moments.

 

[SuperBashBros]

Best exponent of the handball in the game right now. Seriously skilled player on both hands and feet.

 

[Southerntakeover]

The captains have been unbelievably good the last two weeks. Especially Rory, but Tex too.

Both have stood up in clutch moments.

Rory was really really quiet against GWS, though the two goals were huge.

 

[Southerntakeover]

People who were calling for his immediate retirement should probably be a bit embarrassed.

 

[subaru]

Best exponent of the handball in the game right now. Seriously skilled player on both hands and feet.

There was one handball last night he got out so quickly I’m still not sure how he did it

Followed it up with one as good as a kick not to mention another super one in traffic

 

[Southerntakeover]

I sometimes think the coaches need to gee him up a bit more, make sure he remembers how good he is. It's almost like we've coached the natural cockiness out of him sometimes. He does the team first thing now like a Pavlovian reaction, when often we're best off with him knowing he can do the remarkable.

That he was looking around to pass off the first goal he kicked in the third was concerning- him kicking the goal was massive in terms of getting his confidence up and going after the early yips.

 

[Tex200]

People who were calling for his immediate retirement should probably be a bit embarrassed.

It was always an embarrassing thread.

Even at the point he had a quiet one v WCE he was still top 20 in the comp for goals and goal assists.

 

[hey shorty]

And not one one-handed marking attempt.

The swagger is back and we are much better for it.

 

[Mike Smyth]

Cracking game from the Captain:
18 possessions
8 marks
3.3
10 score involvements
1 assist
398m gained

He was huge.

He could have easily have had 14 to 15 marks and 7 goals. Great game.

 

[jo172]

I sometimes think the coaches need to gee him up a bit more, make sure he remembers how good he is. It's almost like we've coached the natural cockiness out of him sometimes. He does the team first thing now like a Pavlovian reaction, when often we're best off with him knowing he can do the remarkable.

That he was looking around to pass off the first goal he kicked in the third was concerning- him kicking the goal was massive in terms of getting his confidence up and going after the early yips.

This is an interesting take which I quite like.

When Walsh first made him captain, he started as a very Careyesque lead by being the dominant best player as KPF captain.

This has undoubtedly changed to what you describe, as trying to be the huge teammate, which ironically has been to the detriment of the team at times.

 

[Bicks]

It was always an embarrassing thread.

Even at the point he had a quiet one v WCE he was still top 20 in the comp for goals and goal assists.

 

[WetCrow1991]

Walker to go one better against Geelong and lead us to our first win down there since Ayers.

 

[WetCrow1991]

Rory was really really quiet against GWS, though the two goals were huge.

Hard tag imo

 

[Grenville]

Walker to go one better against Geelong and lead us to our first win down there since Ayers.

Big ask, but I do expect us to be pumped up for it - win down there gives us 2019 legitimacy.

 

[budget]

Best exponent of the handball in the game right now. Seriously skilled player on both hands and feet.

totally agree,i think he is one of the best handballs that the game has seen ,his vision is second to none.

 

[WetCrow1991]

Big ask, but I do expect us to be pumped up for it - win down there gives us 2019 legitimacy.

Win that and we win the flag lol.

 

[Grenville]

Win that and we win the flag lol.

Easy mate. If i remember rightly North beat port at Alberton convincingly for the first time in a few years, then went on to kick 1.8 in a grand final.

 

[John Who]

I think a lot of us have underestimated the impacts of injuries, luck, and media harassments on Tex, and particularly in 2018.

Injuries 2018: not withstanding the knee injury he had awhile back, last year he had some recurring foot injury (plantar fasciitis) and some gluteal/back strain. There was also an element of mismanagement, and Tex was playing in some games where he was probably best rested. These injuries surely would have impacted his running ability as well as jumping ability, and this was clearly different than the Tex we’re starting to see now.

Luck 2018 (or the lack of): 2 suspensions from seemingly fair and in-the-spirit-of-the-game bump and tackle. Already we’re seeing Tex landing a hard bump on Ellis with no subsequent concussion in the recent match. So...hard attack on the man gave Tex penalties, whereas hard attack on the man is giving Tex a team win!

Media harassments 2018: media refusing (particularly from Victoria) to focus on our injury toll and instead chose to pick on all the intricacies of “what really happened in the preseason camp?”. This of course was an asinine attempt to derail us, whilst attempting to appear credible. Then when Tex was playing out of form and along with the 2 suspensions, the media attacked Tex on his suitability of being the captain and questioned his leadership. The entire year was a media orgy of attack on Tex and why the Crows went backwards (compared with 2017)? Maybe it was just the injury toll after all.

Interesting side note, the Tigers appear to have a similar run of injuries to their stars like us in 2018. Yet, the media harassment seems to be zilch but full of empathy for their injury toll. A bit of a double standard much, AFL media?

 

[Its not the coach]

I was just on the ( will Adelaide make the top 4 thread ) and must say i was a bit dissapointed to be branded biased and brain dead by a so called Adelaide supporter because i wrote that I think Adelaide would make top 4. When I replied by stating that the supporter was a weak happy clapper. Some of my replys got taken down and now I can't post in the thread. If the so called supporter reads this post I hope they remember what i wrote because it's the truth.