George is away today, but he’s left us with a Finlayson Feature™️ - an interview with outgoing Adelaide Crow Tex Walker!

Scroll down to read what the Crows legend told George about his life lessons, on and off the oval.

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Australian golfer Minjee Lee’s position in the LPGA’s season-long standings after finishing last at the Japan Classic on the weekend. Lee has won three majors in her career, most recently the Women’s PGA Championship in 2025.

“When I mentioned that it was all of us, that’s implying that whether we like it or not, we are all responsible for what happened. Together, as a team, we need to take that collectively… Am I gonna deny that everyone knew? No, I won’t deny that either.”
Former Australian international cricketer Usman Khawaja in a post to Instagram, after telling The Sydney Morning Herald that the entire Australian cricket team knew about the plan to rub the ball with sandpaper during the 2018 tour of South Africa. The full story takes up a chapter in his forthcoming memoir. Khawaja said Steve Smith talked him out of publicly taking responsibility back in 2018, and that he again wanted to come clean in 2021 but was deterred by a statement from Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon denying knowledge. Khawaja also said he had delayed his memoir’s release until after Australia’s latest tour of South Africa wrapped up.

The oldest known photo of someone surfing in Australia was taken circa 1911 and shows a man named Tommy Walker doing a handstand on a board at Yamba, NSW. Walker bought his surfboard in Hawaii while working as a sailor. Two years later, HawaiianDuke Kahanamoku, considered the father of modern surfing, visited Australia and held a surfing demonstration at Manly Beach. Kahanamoku’s visit is credited with popularising the sport in Australia.

🏉 Australia is heading to the Rugby League World Cup final once again, after the men’s team smashed Samoa 44-12 in the semi-final. Fullback Reece Walsh scored a hat-trick, contributing to Australia’s eight-try haul. The Kangaroos haven’t lost a World Cup final since 2008, when New Zealand won their first title. The Aussies will face the Kiwis once again on Sunday night in Brisbane, after NZ brushed Tonga aside in the other semi-final. Fans will be seeing double at the finals, with the women’s comp resulting in the same matchup of Aus vs NZ. The Jillaroos made the final after facing a challenge from Fiji, with scores drawn at half-time. A mighty effort from Abbi Church and Jocelyn Kelleher pulled the Aussies over the line. Meanwhile, Australia’s Wheelaroos copped a drubbing from France in round 3 of the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup on Friday, losing 69-34.

🏉 Melbourne edged out Geelong 56-52 in a nail-biting AFLW qualifying final on Saturday, sending the Cats to a semi-final this weekend and the Dees to the preliminary finals in two weeks. The result saw Melbourne prevail over the side now led by their former coach Mick Stinear by just four points. All three other matches held over the weekend were more decisive, with defending champions North Melbourne crushing Carlton 49-13, the Sydney Swans knocking out the Western Bulldogs 46-17, and Hawthorn sending the GC Suns out of the comp 57-39. This Saturday, the Cats will face the Swans and Carlton will face the Hawks in the semi-finals. 

🏉 Wallabies captain Harry Wilson has called the team’s performance in their 45-22 loss to England on Monday morning (AEDT) “not good enough”. It was the most points Australia has ever conceded to England. The loss is the third in a row for Australia’s men’s rugby union team, coming hot on the heels of back to back lashings from the All Blacks. “"I am really disappointed because I expected better from us,” Wilson said. On the sidelines, new coach Les Kiss was visibly frustrated with the team’s performance in his eighth match at the helm. Kiss has 11 months to turn the Wallabies’ fortunes around before the home World Cup kicks off, and only a week before the next game against Scotland. 

🏏 Ash Gardner struck the equal second fastest half-century in WBBL history before Caoimhe Bray took a catch for the ages as the Sydney Sixers pulled off a nine-run win over cross-town rivals the Sydney Thunder. Gardner (64no off 25 balls) and Ellyse Perry (59no off 41) combined for an unbeaten 107-run partnership to power the Sixers to 2-162 off 16 overs in their rain-reduced encounter against the Thunder. Late in the match, 17-year-old Bray pulled off a catch that must be seen to be believed. In the second match of Sunday's double header at North Sydney Oval, the Perth Scorchers improved their record to 4-0 with a six-wicket win over the Melbourne Stars.

🏀 The NBL season is in full swing, and no season would be complete without complaints about the refs. Illawarra coach Justin Tatum has taken a swipe at NBL referee Chris Reid, suggesting he has a habit of breaking the Hawks’ momentum. Tatum made the comments after the Adelaide 36ers beat the Hawks 106-78 on Saturday night, with Illawarra centre Makur Maker ejected in the fourth quarter for an on-court fight. On Sunday, veteran player Matthew Dellavedova led the Sydney Kings to a comeback win over the South East Melbourne Phoenix. After the Phoenix jumped out to a 30-9 lead midway through the first quarter, Dellavedova came off the bench to light the Kings’ fire with a key three-pointer. Stars Kendric Davis (28 points, nine assists) and Xavier Cooks (15 points, 14 rebounds) lifted the Kings to a 110-99 victory. 

Reporting by Lucy Tassell with AAP.

A good day usually starts the night before.

That's the idea behind Live Well Slept, the philosophy that shapes everything Ecosa makes. Since 2015, the Australian brand has built a range spanning mattresses, pillows, bedding and bed frames, earning more than 100,000 five-star reviews globally. Right now, it's all 30% off in the Sleep Frenzy Sale until 15 November.

Taylor "Tex" Walker is an AFL star who played 319 games for the Adelaide Crows and captained the club to the 2017 Grand Final, amongst many other achievements. After retiring at the end of the 2026 season, he’s telling his story in a new book, Tex: A Taylor Made Footy Story, out 10 November. 

Speaking to TDA Sport ahead of its release, Walker opened up about why he finally agreed to write it, how his career ended, the remark that led to his 2021 suspension, and what the late Phil Walsh taught him about leadership.

Why he wrote the book

Walker grew up in Broken Hill, the outback NSW mining town, before moving to Adelaide and becoming the Crows' all-time leading goalkicker. He says it was his wife, Ellie, who changed his mind about writing the book.

TDA Sport: How did the idea to write the book come about?

Tex: Maybe six and a half years ago, I got asked to write my book, and I was a bit like, nah, there's no way. No one would want to listen to my story… And then Ellie's like, why don't you actually just think about it?… So to be able to sort of reflect on 36 years of my life, half of it being in Broken Hill growing up, and just over half of it being in an elite sporting environment, it was pretty cool to reflect and tell the story that a little kid dreamt of, and was able to live out.

The decision to retire

Walker debuted for Adelaide in 2009. In August this year, he announced the 2026 AFL season would be his last. He played his final game in the Crows' semi-final against eventual premiers Brisbane.

TDA Sport: You write about retiring in the book. Can you run us through the decision, and when you knew it was time?

Tex: Oh, 3am on a Wednesday in bed is the simple answer… I thought, I'll just go and have a chat with the CEO, go and have a chat with the coach. And pretty much, we were all in agreement that it was the best decision for the club and for myself, so it was a bit of a mutual decision. The club didn't really have a contract there for me to go on next year if I wanted to… I was pretty keen to go again, but it wasn't fully mutual… I think it was Tuesday night, Wednesday morning, I told Ellie that I was done.

The 2021 suspension

In July 2021, while watching a SANFL reserves match, Walker made a racist remark about North Adelaide player Robbie Young, a Narungga and Ngarrindjeri man. A Crows official overheard it and reported it. The AFL suspended Walker for six matches, and he apologised publicly.

TDA Sport: In 2021 you were suspended for a racist remark about Robbie Young, which you describe in the book as your biggest regret. What did you reflect on, and how did writing about it help?

Tex: Oh, mate, there's lots of branches to this. I f***ed up. So, number one, honesty: put your hand up and own your mistakes… I've got great relationships with First Nations people, and that hurt me more than probably anything out of the whole situation… I didn't just hurt them; I hurt the whole community. To be able to earn their trust and respect back, it takes time, so I just had to shut up and go and do the work, and not tell them what I was gonna do, just go and do it… I don't know whether I'll ever earn all of it back, but I feel like I'm in a better position from it, and I can now sit here from my mistake and educate other people to be better. There's no place for it.

TDA Sport: In the past couple of years, several AFL and VFL players have been suspended for homophobic slurs. As someone who's been through a similar process, what's the best way for the AFL and clubs to stamp it out?

Tex: It's a big question, mate, big question. I don't know whether I've got the answer, but… every case needs to be heard. I don't think every situation is exactly the same… However, I'll always stand in the corner of – it just doesn't fit in our game, in our society. Racist remarks, homophobes, it just doesn't fit. Everyone's entitled to be who they are, they're entitled to love who they want… Just because you have a different view on that, it doesn't mean you can bully them or make remarks that put other people down.

What Phil Walsh taught him

Phil Walsh was appointed to coach the Crows ahead of the 2015 season, and made Walker captain in January 2015, his first season in the job. That July, Walsh’s son Cy killed him at his family home in Adelaide. Cy was later found not guilty of murder by reason of mental incompetence.

TDA Sport: You also write about 2015, the year Phil Walsh was killed. How did that year shape you, as a person and as a footballer?

Tex: When Walshy told me that he wanted me to be skipper, [I] probably grew in a little bit of belief and understanding of belonging, that I belonged in that position. He saw good traits in me to be a leader, and that's probably what I've been able to hold on to for my whole career… I've said to people that want to go into leadership, if you get into that position, it's because of what you've done, not what you need to do… Continue to be authentic and be yourself, but have an open mind to get better and grow, but you don't need to change. That's something that Walshy taught me.

Tex: A Taylor Made Footy Story (HarperCollins) is out 10 November.

Reporting by George Finlayson

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