Adelaide forward Taylor Walker has joined the likes of Mark Ricciuto and Jonathan Brown in becoming a two-time winner of the Best Captain Award.
For the second straight season, Walker was recognised by his peers as the outstanding skipper in the AFL.
The 27-year-old polled 140 votes to finish narrowly ahead of Josh Kennedy, who received 125 votes after helping guide the Sydney Swans back from a 0 – 6 start in his first season in the job.
Former winner Joel Selwood of Geelong was third on 100 votes.
Walker flew from the Adelaide’s camp on the Gold Coast to receive the honour at the AFL Players’ Association MVP Awards in Melbourne on Tuesday night.
“It’s very humbling and a great honour for my peers to recognise me as the best captain,” Walker said.
“There are so many great leaders across the competition who I have a lot of respect for, so it’s a real privilege to accept this award again.”
Walker is one of only five players to have earned the honour in more than one season.
Brisbane champion Michael Voss holds the record with four Best Captain crowns ahead of influential forward Wayne Carey (three). Ricciuto and Brown are both dual winners.
Walker’s leadership has grown since he assumed the captaincy ahead of the 2015 season.
He endured an incredibly difficult first year as skipper following the passing of the man who appointed him in the role, Phil Walsh.
Since then, Walker has led a resilient team that has overcome a number of challenges to be in premiership contention.
A loveable larrikin with genuine care, the two-time Crows Leading Goalkicker is also demanding and driven.
Walker enjoyed a strong season on the field, kicking 49 goals from 20 games to finish equal-sixth in the Coleman Medal.
The All Australian nominee ranked second in the League for total scoreboard impact behind only Lance Franklin and was equal-first for goal assists (29) in the home and away season.
Walker is the second Crows captain to receive the Best Captain Award behind Ricciuto (2005 and 2006).
All 18 club captains were automatically nominated for the award. The entire playing body was then asked to vote for the Best Captain. Players were unable to vote for their own captain.
2017 BEST CAPTAIN VOTING
1. Taylor Walker (Adelaide) – 140 votes
2. Josh P Kennedy – 125 votes
3. Joel Selwood – 100 votes
4. Jarryd Roughead – 87 votes
5. Bob Murphy – 46 votes
PREVIOUS BEST CAPTAIN WINNERS
Michael Tuck (1986)
Stephen Kernahan (1987)
Ross Glendinning (1988)
Tony Shaw (1990)
Paul Roos (1992)
Stephen Kernahan (1994)
Wayne Carey (1995, 1998, 2000)
Paul Kelly (1999)
Michael Voss (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)
Mark Ricciuto (2005, 2006)
Jonathan Brown (2007, 2009)
Tom Harley (2008)
Brett Kirk (2010)
Chris Judd (2011)
Jobe Watson (2012)
Joel Selwood (2013
Luke Hodge (2014)
Bob Murphy (2015)
Taylor Walker (2016)
