‘Raring to go’: Crows set for knockout clash with Bulldogs
All eyes will be on club legend Taylor Walker as he takes to Adelaide Oval for the last time in the Crows Elimination Final battle with the Western Bulldogs.
General tickets are sold out, fans are pumped, and one change has been announced in the Adelaide Crows side as it prepares to take on the Western Bulldogs in the Elimination Final on Saturday night.
It will be the last time Taylor Walker lines up in front of goals in his final game at Adelaide Oval, with the 36-year-old and venue’s all-time leading goal-kicker keen to end his playing career with a flag.
The Adelaide Crows have announced that forward Callum Ah Chee returns to the line-up after being managed for the Crows’ Round 24 game against Greater Western Sydney.
In a game that will test the mettle of coach Mathew Nicks, with talk circling around his future if the team loses its clash, he used his last pre-game press conference to ignore questions over his future and instead talk about what the Crows were building.
“I can to talk to what it is we’re developing and why I’m really confident in where we sit as a footy club,” the under-fire Crows coach who took the job in 2019 said on Wednesday.
“We’re about to go into our second finals series and there’s a lot of belief in what we’ve built over a period of time.
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“I think what’s come out of this (week) is maybe a little bit more research on where we sit as a footy club, which has been quite pleasing that some of you have dug a little deeper and looked at the last two years and where we sit from an overall performance.
“It’s been one we’ve spoken about internally – the players have incredible confidence in what they’re building.
“I use that word deliberately – we’re still building.
“But maybe that will give a little bit more confidence to some outside of what we’re doing together.”
Forward Zac Taylor will miss the game with a hamstring injury after being part of the team that beat the Giants a fortnight ago.
“It’s not about me and where I’m at, it’s about how can our boys perform at our best this weekend to get the job done for us,” Nicks said.
Executive General Manager Football Adam Kelly said Ah Chee, a two-time premiership player would provide plenty of experience, and the team was embracing the challenge of finals footy.
“Cal is raring to go, he is our most experienced player when it comes to finals and is a proven performer in September,” Kelly said.
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“His ability to play his role and do what the team needs highlights his importance and it provides a great example to those who take the field with him.
“We have been building to this moment throughout the year and it has culminated in us being in a position to select a really strong team from a squad that is healthy and in form.
“The competition for spots is most likely the hottest it has been all season and that is a great position for us to be in.”
Star midfielder Izak Rankine will also make his first-ever finals appearance on Saturday night after missing both finals matches in 2025 through suspension.
Rankine has been in career best form in the back half of the season, with the midfielder booting four goals from his 35 disposals in his last outing at Adelaide Oval.
Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell has hailed his side’s relentless pressure and toughness to ambush Fremantle and secure a home AFL preliminary final.
Faced with a hostile sellout crowd at Perth’s Optus Stadium, the Hawks showed no signs of intimidation as they smashed their way to a 32-point qualifying final victory built on ferocious tackling and contested work.
The visitors’ pressure rating was through the roof, forcing repeat turnovers and stripping the Dockers of any opportunity to maintain their undefeated record at home this season.
“We know it would take every minute of the game to be able to put them away because of how quickly they can score,” Mitchell said.
Billy Dowling, Reilly O’Brien and Nick Murray have been named on the emergencies list.
Adelaide earned a week’s rest and the right to host an Elimination Final after ending the 2026 minor round in sixth spot on the ladder.
The Bulldogs face the Crows after finishing as the highest-ranked team from last weekend’s Wildcard Finals.
Adelaide takes on the Western Bulldogs at Adelaide Oval on Saturday at 7.05pm.
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