Why Bickley believes Tex Walker should retire

Will Taylor Walker play on in 2026?

The Crows’ key forward has been a warrior for his side since his debut in 2009, playing 301 games and kicking 680 goals, well exceeding Tony Modra to claim the title for most goals in Adelaide history.

A one-time All-Australian, five-time club leading goalkicker, club captain and one-time AFLPA best captain, Tex Walker has endured a decorated career with the Crows, however without a contract entering ’26, both the 35-year-old and the club have a major decision to make surrounding his playing future.

Playing 23 games in 2025, Tex Walker booted 39 goals including multiple majores in 13 games across the season – a top return from a player clearly capable at the top level.

That said, since his incredible 76-goal haul in 2023, Tex has booted just 68 goals across two seasons, as key forward pair Riley Thilthorpe and Darcy Fogarty graduated from understudies to first-team locks.

And as seen within the Crows’ disappointing finals campaign, the three-key-forward set up may not be entirely beneficial nor feasible for the side going forward.

Ahead of his side’s exit meetings, Adelaide’s head of football Adam Kelly revealed that despite Walker’s contract coming to an end, he and the side refused to communicate on the veteran’s future throughout the season.

“This has been very different to previous years with Taylor,” Kelly told SEN SA Breakfast.

“We legitimately haven’t had conversations about 2026, and they will be happening in the coming days.

“There’s a decision that was made much earlier in the year where we decided we would park everything until season’s end, and Taylor was certainly focused on the team’s performance and wanting to get through a finals campaign before we sat down and thought through that.

“In the coming days, we’ll have those conversations, and we will arrive somewhere. But we haven’t had any discussions with Taylor about his future up to this point.”

Speaking with Triple M on Tuesday morning, Tex himself revealed that he remains unsure as to whether or not he will continue to play on.

“I’m not sure to be honest, I’m still quite emotional about Friday night,” Walker said.

“I will sit on it for a little bit, I’ve got my exit review today, so I’ll have a good chat with ‘Nicksy’ (Matthew Nicks) and the coaches and Burgo (Darren Burgess) and we’ll make that decision in due time.

“Hopefully time will allow me to make that decision, time with Ellie (wife), with the guys I really trust and once I withdraw myself from the emotion of everything it will become really clear to me.”

And following his exit meeting, Tex was approached by reporters questioning the ongoings of the discussions.

“I don’t really have a timeline on it to be honest so we will see how it goes,” he told Herald Sun.

“We will make that decision in due time.”

Despite having offered so much to the side over an extensive career, Adelaide premiership captain Mark Bickley believes that now is the time for Tex to call it quits.

“Taylor Walker is an interesting one,” Bickley said.

“If I’m going to be consistent, what I said last year around Travis Boak - he didn’t play all that well in the Prelim Final against Sydney, and if Port Adelaide are to get better… I don’t think Travis Boak was getting better.

“I’m going to be consistent again and say, Taylor Walker is not getting better, but Adelaide needs to get better.

“I think the timing is probably about right for Taylor. He has been an unbelievable player and figure for the Adelaide footy club and there’s no one that I love more throughout the last two decades that he has been playing.

“But I think the time is right for him.”

With exit meetings occurring over the coming days, the Crows will commence a range of departures as they look to back up their minor premiership with another September charge.