Adelaide's Walker an AFL key: Tigers coachSteve Larkin
AAP
Fri, 15 April 2022 Richmond coach Damien Hardwick says his side's ability to curtail Adelaide's attacking ace Taylor Walker will be pivotal to the outcome of Saturday's AFL clash.
Walker booted four goals last week on his return from a six-game suspension for a racist slur.
And Hardwick has no doubt about Walker's importance to the Crows ahead of their Adelaide Oval fixture.
"He's one of those guys who knows how to play the game," Hardwick said.
"He kicked four (goals) last week and won a lot of possessions inside 50, which is really damaging.
"We have got to make sure that we've got adequate defenders to take him out of the equation because he's such a dominant player when he's playing good footy."
Richmond sit in 10th place with two wins and two losses this year while Walker's Crows are 12th with just one win - but two of their defeats have been by one point to Fremantle and four points to Essendon last start.
"I'm really bullish about where they're at, they could quite easily be 3-1," Hardwick said of Adelaide.
"They had close losses to Essendon and Fremantle, they've got a really definable style of play that they're trying to implement and they're doing it well.
"They've got some great young players that have stepped in and are playing some good roles.
"It's going to be a really tough contest on their home deck.
"I like the way they're going about it and I think they're going to be a good side, not only this year but moving forward."
https://thewest.com.au/sport/afl/adelaides-walker-an-afl-key-tigers-coach-c-6456220
