Rory Sloane will be acting captain of the Crows in Sunday’s twilight clash with Essendon.

Sloane, 26, assumes the responsibility in the absence of forward Taylor Walker, who has been ruled out with an ankle injury. It will be the first match Walker has missed since returning from a knee reconstruction in May 2014, ending his streak of 55 consecutive games.

A member of Adelaide’s seven-person leadership group, Sloane led the team in the Club’s NAB Challenge clash with Fremantle earlier this year. The influential midfielder also shared the acting captaincy duties in 2014 following a season-ending injury to then-skipper Nathan van Berlo.

The Crows take on the Bombers from 4:10pm (local time) at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.

Tickets are still available for the game.