Taylor Walker is on track to make his AFL return against Collingwood on May 15.

Walker, 24, was close to AFL selection this week after an impressive comeback game against Glenelg in the SANFL. But the Club decided to stick to its original plan and give the two-time Crows leading goalkicker a second game in the State League, against Port Magpies in Clare on Sunday.

“I had a conversation with ‘Tex’ on Monday. We were both very keen for him to play (AFL). He thought he was ready … and he is. He’s fit and strong and his form was really good on Friday night. We probably didn’t expect him to play so well in his first game back,” said coach Brenton Sanderson.

“After a couple of days, we decided the best decision was to stick to the original plan, which was for him to play two games of State League footy. That will give him the best preparation to play well in the AFL.”

If Walker gets through Adelaide’s ‘home’ game in Clare unscathed, his next hit-out will be against the Pies in a Thursday night blockbuster at Adelaide Oval.

Sanderson said the key forward wouldn’t play in the SANFL during Adelaide’s AFL bye next weekend.

“If Tex plays well and gets through against the Port Magpies up in Clare, we’d be foolish not play him against Collingwood,” he said.

“Tex will have the 10-day break with the AFL squad leading into the Collingwood game. The State League team plays against West Adelaide on Saturday night (next weekend), so that would only give him five days to recover.

“We’ll replicate some match-intensity drills for all of our players after this round leading into the Collingwood game.”

Walker’s impending return will provide a welcome headache for the Crows coaches.

Talls targets James Podsiadly and Josh Jenkins, and lead-up forward Tom Lynch are all in good form. Sanderson said there was no reason why Walker couldn’t play alongside the key trio.

“It’ll be great Tex to get back and he’s certainly in our best line-up. A little bit depends upon the opposition … but we can play four talls. At the moment, the talls are all in form,” he said.

“We can also play only two talls, so we can show the opposition a variety of structures and still get the best outcome for us. Tex is sort of like a small forward at times anyway. He’s great at ground level and a fantastic agile player. Lynch can play through the midfield and also on the wing.

“Andy Otten is also a bit of a forgotten man. His form as a forward was fantastic towards the end of last season. Even through the pre-season before his injury, it looked like he would be a really damaging forward for us as well.

“There’s a great, healthy competition for spots in our team. You need to play well to hold your spot.”

The Club’s decision not to recall Walker to the AFL side denies the spearhead the opportunity to play against best mate, Bernie Vince, who will return to Adelaide for the first time since being traded.

Sanderson said the Crows couldn’t afford to let the skilful midfielder get his hands on the ball too much on Sunday.

“We certainly have to put some time into Bernie. We know how damaging he can be. He’s one of the best skilled players in the competition and if you give him time and space he’s going to really hurt you,” he said.

“It’s great to see him getting a kick and enjoying his footy. He’s one of the much-loved former players of our footy club, but we also don’t want him to play well against us tomorrow.

“Bernie will be hoping to play well. There’ll be a bit of emotion for him coming back and playing against his old club, but once the ball is bounced I don’t think it’ll be an issue.”

The forecast for the twilight match at Adelaide Oval on Saturday is for possible showers.

The Crows trained in the rain on Friday morning and have practiced handling the slippery ball.

The conditions will add to what Sanderson tipped to be a ‘hard grind’ against the defensively-minded Demons, who have conceded fewer goals than Adelaide having only one win on the board.

“We’re coming up against a young side with a brilliant coach. They’ve really improved defensively, ranked in the top eight for defence. We’ve prepared to play against almost a ‘Sydney’ model, which Roosy was famous for,” Sanderson said.

“We’re expecting a hard grind, with lots of contested ball – a defensive game. Our attack is good. We’re ranked No.3 for attack in the competition, so we’re a good offensive team. There will still be times we can take the ball inside fast with confidence. Other times, if numbers are back and Melbourne has a bit of a flood happening, we have to be more systematic with how we move the ball forward. We’ve practiced that this week.

“It’s important we get away to a good start tomorrow. We can’t give an interstate side … any sort of look in. We have to be ruthless right from the start. I still think we’ve got some areas to improve on, so hopefully we keep doing that tomorrow.”

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