Adelaide co-captain Rory Sloane expects under-fire co-captain Taylor Walker to take out his frustrations on Carlton at the MCG on Saturday.

Walker has come under the pump for his recent performances having kicked just six goals in the past four weeks, with three of those coming against Gold Coast in Round 17.

But Sloane said Walker was an essential part of the side, as much for his leadership as what he brings out on the ground.

"He's one of the co-captains of our footy club for a reason," Sloane told reporters on Tuesday.

"It's not just his performance on game day, it's everything else he brings.

"I need him out there and we all need him out there performing and I reckon he's going to perform (this weekend)."

Walker re-aggravated an elbow injury in last Friday night's 21-point loss to Essendon, but is on track to face the Blues.

Sloane said he wasn't concerned with the constant chatter about Walker's form.

"The footy media need to talk about someone and it's just the industry we're in," Sloane said.

"It probably comes down to how much you listen to it.

"Inside our four walls, he's doing everything right."

The eighth-placed Crows (9-8) held a 30-point lead against the Bombers in the second quarter before conceding 12 of the final 15 goals in a dreadful second half.

It follows a similar trend in losses to Port Adelaide, Geelong and West Coast when the Crows were overrun.

"We've been in really winnable positions against Geelong, Port and Essendon, but the frustrating thing is we seem to go away from our brand," Sloane said.

"It's fair criticism from the outside and people who are watching because they've seen what we dish up in the second halves.

"The belief in our game plan hasn't changed, we still believe we can beat any side."

But 18 rounds into the season, the results tell a different story.

The Crows are 2-5 against top-eight teams this season.

"That's not a great record and we want to absolutely rectify that, but again, our belief's never changed," Sloane said.

"It just means we've got to tighten up a few little things to make sure we finish games off properly."

The Crows are likely to avoid making mass changes and keep faith the side can turn it around. 

"We're playing guys who are in the best form at the moment," Sloane said.

"Some guys didn't perform well at the weekend, but does that mean you throw them straight into the twos?

"Probably not, I'd say.

"I'd like to back our team in for a good response."