Former Adelaide captain Taylor Walker sees a very bright future for stand-in captain Tom Doedee.

The Crows defender led the side last night in Rory Sloane’s absence just six games after returning from an ACL rupture.

Walker, who booted three goals against the Saints, said the best was still to come from the 23-year-old.

“He’s a great leader who will just get better and better,” Walker told Triple M’s Roo & Ditts.

“It was awesome for him to come out and perform like that with a C next to his name.

“He’s a professional, it doesn’t surprise me he’s come back (from injury) and really hit the ground running.”

Despite the loss, Doedee finished with 18 disposals, a game-high 10 marks and seven intercepts.

Walker said the side was continuing to improve, but still needed to perform across the four quarters.

“We’re certainly building and starting to play some really good footy,” he said.

“For us, it’s now about being able to do it for a longer period of time.

“The challenge is doing it for the whole game… we need to win.”

Adelaide’s players have taken Tuesday to recover given the shorter six-day turnaround until Round Eight.

“I’ll go for a stroll, get in the water, have a swim,” Walker said.

“We’re on a six-day break, it’s best to bank recovery early in the week.”