Adelaide Crows coach Don Pyke says he is confident Taylor Walker will turn around his on-field form after limited preparation coming back from injury.
“He has turned the corner a little bit,” Pyke said on Thursday. “It is fair to say he came back after not much pre-season and played really well in the first game against Richmond — and as is normal with guys who have not done a lot of pre-season.”
“Maybe his load and his build-up was a bit quicker than his body was ready to cope with.
“He has turned the corner a bit this week, trained well the other day. So we are really confident with Tex this week.”
But Pyke conceded that vice-captain Rory Sloane was “still a bit sore” and hadn’t been playing at his usual standard in recent weeks.
“He is one we have to look at as to what is best for Rory — and best for the team — to give him a chance to perform and play at the level we know he is capable of.
“Clearly in the last couple of weeks, as much as he has been really willing, his body is not in the space it needs to be to perform the way we know Rory Sloane plays.”
Crows coach Don Pyke faces tough decisions on @Adelaide_FC line-up to play Sydney @TheTiserSport #AFL https://t.co/EPhnVE7379
— michelangelo rucci (@michelangeloruc) April 18, 2018