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Taylor Walker has enjoyed a rollercoaster career with Adelaide since making his debut against Collingwood at the MCG in round one of the 2009 season. Tonight at Adelaide Oval, Walker will run out to face the same opponent in his 300th AFL match.
A key forward with sublime kicking skills on both sides of his body, and one of the most reliable set shots in the game, Walker has booted 678 goals in his 17 seasons. He had a breakout year in 2011 with 63 majors, though hit career-best form just two years ago with 76 goals that helped him earn a first All-Australian blazer. A lowlight is a six-match suspension for making a racist comment about North Adelaide player Robbie Young at a SANFL game in 2021.
Walker led Adelaide from 2015 to 2019, including in the 2017 grand final defeat to Richmond, and like his club returns to the pointy end of the season for the first time since that decider in what is his 11th final. Another 37 goals this season has been a valuable return from the 35-year-old as he is a key part of a formidable Crows attack alongside Riley Thilthorpe and Darcy Fogarty.
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Last time they met: Adelaide finally snapped an 11-match winless streak against Collingwood that began with a draw in 2017 and included 10 defeats since then. The Magpies were well on the way to extending their dominance over the Crows as they jumped out to a 25-point lead at the first change. But the Crows turned the tables in the second term and had edged in front by the main break. The ball was largely camped in the Pies’ forward half from there, but the Crows made the most of their opportunities on a soggy night to hold a narrow lead heading into time-on in the final term. A Nick Daicos goal pulled the Pies back to within three points but that was the end of the scoring as the Crows hung on to seal a top-two finish.
The cliff-hanger was soon overshadowed by news that Crows star Izak Rankine was being investigated for directing a homophobic slur at a Magpies player. Rankine was suspended for four matches, meaning his only route to this year’s grand final will be if the Crows lose tonight, but then bounce back with a couple of finals victories. The 25-year-old stepped out of the spotlight and spent time overseas in the aftermath of the ban being handed down, before returning to the country on Tuesday and speaking publicly about the incident for the first time.
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Adelaide and Collingwood have had a rivalry brewing for years. With a recent history of tight and contentious finishes, and extra spice added to the pot over the past few weeks, it will be no surprise if the tension spills over from the first bounce.
Here is a reminder of how the rivalry has evolved, and what to expect from a clash of styles that somehow brings the sides closer together:
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The winner of this clash between Adelaide and Collingwood, and the qualifying final between Geelong and Brisbane tomorrow night, will be in the driver’s seat to clinch a spot in the grand final. But little has separated these four sides – as well as the teams that finished in the lower half of the top eight – this year.
Only three wins separated minor premiers Adelaide from Hawthorn in eighth place – just the second time the gap has been so narrow since the top eight was introduced 31 years ago. With nine games still to play this year, here is why every finalist can – and can’t – win the 2025 premiership:
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Here are the two lineups.
ADELAIDE
B: Josh Worrell, Mark Keane, Rory Laird
HB: Wayne Milera, Nick Murray, Max Michalanney
C: Isaac Cumming, Jordan Dawson, Daniel Curtin
HF: Ben Keays, Riley Thilthorpe, Alex Neal-Bullen
F: Zac Taylor, Taylor Walker, Darcy Fogarty
FOLL: Reilly O’Brien, Sam Berry, Jake Soligo
I/C: Luke Pedlar, James Peatling, Mitchell Hinge, Hugh Bond; Sub: Brodie Smith
COLLINGWOOD
B: Billy Frampton, Darcy Moore, Brayden Maynard
HB: Harry Perryman, Josh Daicos, Wil Parker
C: Jack Crisp, Ned Long, Steele Sidebottom
HF: Jordan De Goey, Tim Membrey, Beau McCreery
F: Jamie Elliott, Brody Mihocek, Lachie Schultz
FOLL: Darcy Cameron, Scott Pendlebury, Nick Daicos
I/C: Patrick Lipinski, Isaac Quaynor, Dan Houston, Mason Cox; Sub: Roan Steele
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Final teams are in with no late changes as Beau McCreery is cleared to play for Collingwood. The speedy forward made the most of the pre-finals bye to recover from a foot issue that he picked up when it was stepped on during the final round.
Adelaide name veteran Brodie Smith as sub in their first final since 2017. Mid-season draftee Roan Steele is Collingwood’s 23rd player.
The Crows are boosted by the return of young defender Max Michalanney as he recovers from a hamstring strain, while Luke Pedlar had the same issue but will slot straight back into the forward line. Sid Draper and Billy Dowling are dropped from the side that edged North Melbourne in round 24, though the most notable absence is of course the suspended forward Izak Rankine.
The Magpies are backing youngster Wil Parker to play just his ninth game in place of the injured Jeremy Howe. Mason Cox has been recalled for his ninth game this season at the expense of the out-of-sorts Dan McStay, as the Pies shake up their options in an attack that could only find eight goals from 71 inside 50s when these sides met a few weeks ago.
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Preamble
Martin Pegan
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the qualifying final between Adelaide and Collingwood at Adelaide Oval. It is fewer than three weeks since these same sides played out a thriller that the Crows won by three points to lock in a top-two finish as they return to finals for the first time in eight years.
The Magpies were the early pacesetters this season as they opened up a 14-2 record and sat on top of the ladder for 13 weeks before the Crows surged past them on the run home to claim the minor premiership. The Crows’ round 23 victory was their first over the Pies since 2017 and snapped an 11-game winless streak, though that horror run hides the recent history between these evenly-matched sides. While the Pies built up a dominant record over the Crows across seven seasons, the last six matches have been decided by a combined 25 points.
The Crows head into the final in red-hot form after winning their past nine matches, while the Magpies will have appreciated the week off with the pre-finals bye after losing five of their past seven. The Pies can at least turn to wealth of experience, especially in finals, while only seven of the Crows’ named 23 have been to this stage before.
The winner tonight will head straight to a preliminary final along with hosting rights, while the loser will need to bounce back in a semi-final against GWS Giants or Hawthorn.
First bounce will be at 7.10pm local time in Adelaide / 7.40pm AEST. I’ll drop in the team news shortly. Meanwhile, let us know your thoughts and predictions – shoot me an email or find me @martinpegan on Bluesky or X. Let’s get into it!
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