Adelaide forward Taylor Walker is set to play his 300th game next Thursday as the club prepares for its first finals battle since the 2017 AFL Grand Final.
The Crows will host Collingwood at the Adelaide Oval to open the 2025 finals series, but will also salute one of their club greats.
Remarkably, Walker was the last selection (Pick 75) in the 2007 National Draft and is one of two players still standing from that draft, with former teammate and Geelong superstar Patrick Dangerfield also being a significant contributor.
The Giants' Callan Ward was also included in that intake, but he announced his retirement recently.
"I never feel comfortable because I think the moment you feel comfortable is probably the time where you need to hang them up, and I'm not ready for that yet," Walker said on 104.7 Triple M.
The Crows spearhead has stated his intentions to continue beyond this year, which puts him within reach of another major milestone: 700 goals.
Walker is fifth on the club's all-time games record, but a deal for 2026 could see him leapfrog Adelaide icons Ben Hart (311) and Mark Ricciuto (312).
But the former captain would only have one achievement on his mind, and after getting so close in 2017, that is his driving factor.
Walker thanked the club for going "out on a limb" on the Broken Hill product.
"I sit here with a lot of gratitude… the football club went out on a limb and gave me an opportunity back in 2007, 2008," he said.
"Here I am, 18 years later, about to play my 300th game. It's been a fair journey. There's been some ups and downs. I think the best thing about playing 300 games… is the friendships you make and the memories you make as well."
