Kane Cornes says it’s too early to tell if Taylor Walker will be welcomed back to Adelaide after the saga that rocked the Crows in the back half of the 2021 season.
Walker made a racist comment at a SANFL game that was heard by a passing Crows staffer, who reported the former captain to the club.
He was eventually banned for six games by the AFL in August and made a $20,000 donation to an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander program in South Australia.
The 31-year-old apologised in the days after the incident and spent time away from the club, however he did return to the fold for the best and fairest.
His captain Rory Sloane recently told The Advertiser that he was confident Walker would be able to reconnect with the playing group.
“He has been catching up with all our players. He has spent a lot of time with our group,” Sloane said.
“He will slot in seamlessly I reckon, it will be great to have him back. I know the boys have missed him.”
Cornes responded to those comments on SEN SA Breakfast on Friday, saying it would be dfficult to be sure of the situation.
“Rory would be probably the most optimistic person I’ve ever come across,” Cornes said.
“It’s a magnificent trait, Rory turns anything negative into a positive, I respect him enormously for that.
“It’s one of his great traits, but I don’t know if Taylor Walker is going to fit in seamlessly, I don’t know if we can make that call yet, can we?
“I don’t know how the Indigenous players at Adelaide are feeling, I don’t.
“Rory’s been away with Taylor Walker, they holidayed in the off-season to Noosa with their families, and you’ve seen those images on social media, so he’s got a better insight than me.
“I don’t know behind the scenes how Matthew Nicks is feeling, I saw a shattered Matthew Nicks only a few months ago, I saw shattered players, I saw a shattered Eddie Betts and Shaun Burgoyne.
“So I can’t confidently say Taylor Walker is going to fit in seamlessly.”
Despite going through a difficult few seasons previously, Walker rejuvenated his career in 2021 to kick 27 goals in the first seven games of the season.
He finished with 48 majors for the season and looked to be back to his best, but Cornes is concerned about the toll the incident may take on the forward’s form.
“The mental toll it’s taken on him would be significant, so how does that affect his form at the stage of career he’s at?” Cornes continued.
“It’s going to be his last year you think.
“Does it affect his form and then you have the pressure of that, is he going to go back and play SANFL, how will that be received?
“There’s a lot of work to be done still for Taylor Walker.”
Walker is currently set to return to training alongside other senior Crows on December 6.
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