Ahead of the announcement of the All Australian team on September 22, afc.com.au will present a (somewhat biased) argument for Adelaide’s nominees: Eddie Betts, Rory Laird, Patrick Dangerfield and Taylor Walker.

In this instalment, we’ll tell you why Taylor Walker deserves a place in the final 22.

Please note these statistics don’t include finals

Because he does more than kick goals …

Only Coleman Medallist Josh Kennedy (75), Giants forward Jeremy Cameron (63) and teammate Eddie Betts (58) kicked more goals than Walker (55) in the home and away season. The Crows spearhead kicked at least one goal in all bar one game this season, including bags of seven and six. As well as slotting goals himself, Walker set up scores for his teammates. He assisted in 18 goals - more than both Kennedy (17) and Cameron (10) - and ranked third in the competition in scoreboard impact (485) according to Champion Data. Only Kennedy (607) and Betts (500) collected more scoreboard impact points than Walker in the minor round. 

Walker’s work rate is also a feature of his game. Not only was he Adelaide’s most targeted player inside 50m (ranked third in the AFL), the skipper also ranked third at the Club in forward 50m entries generated. He was sixth in the League for total marks (155) despite playing one fewer game than most of the other top-ranked players.

Because his influence transcends the stats sheet …

There were few tougher assignments than the one Walker was handed in Season 2015. In his first year as Crows captain, the 25-year-old was tasked with the difficult role of helping to hold his playing group together following the tragic passing of Senior Coach, Phil Walsh. Amidst his own grief, Walker stood tall and helped guide Adelaide towards its first finals campaign since 2012. The laidback lad from Broken Hill led through his actions, imposing himself on games and inspiring his teammates.