Adelaide forward Taylor Walker says he still has the “fire in the belly”, after recommitting to the Crows for another year.
The one-year contract extension comes after a strong 2023 campaign, which has seen him kick 54 goals from 17 games to be sitting second on the Coleman Medal leaderboard.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, the 33-year-old said he always intended to play on, provided he could still perform.
“It’s always been on the cards to play on, it was just a matter of getting it done at the right time and we’ve been able to do that,” Walker said.
“To be able to come and perform, that was my biggest worry but I’ve been able to do that so it tells you I can continue to play at the highest level.
“I’ve still got the fire in the belly and the passion to play so to be able to continue to play at the highest level and perform has been a massive tick for me.”
The forward credited Adelaide’s high-performance staff and the improvement of younger players for his strong performances this season.
“You need to find out what your body can and can’t do and I’ve been able to learn a fair bit about my body in the last four or five years,” Walker said.
“The program that Burgo (Darren Burgess) has been able to implement and Josh Manuel who is our weights coach has been amazing for me.
“The growth of our young kids has made it easier too, as a forward you are a product of the work up the ground.”
Turning to Adelaide’s clash with Port Adelaide for the Variety Showdown Shield, Walker said he was looking forward to playing in front of a passionate home crowd.
“I love Showdowns, they are the closest game in a home and away season to a final so I love playing in them,” Walker said.
“It’s always good to beat the Power, I love everything about Showdown week.
“You can’t beat our home game Showdown with our supporters, I think it's sold out this weekend, so it's going to be good fun.”
Adelaide hosts Port Adelaide in its home Showdown at Adelaide Oval on Saturday, with the first bounce at 7.10pm.
Guarantee your access to the Variety Showdown Shield - 3 Game Western Stand Unreserved Memberships available here.
