Adelaide veterans Taylor Walker and Brodie Smith are weighing their AFL futures in the aftermath of a disappointing straight-sets finals exit.
The off-contract pair's bid for a maiden premiership came to a grinding halt on Friday night at Adelaide Oval when the Crows crumbled to a 14.17 (101) to 10.7 (67) semi-final loss to a red-hot Hawthorn outfit.
The Crows are the first VFL/AFL minor premiers to exit the finals in straight-set losses since 1983.
Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks couldn't say for certain if Walker, 35, and Smith, 33, would continue for another crack.
Former Crows captain Walker, drafted with pick No.75 in 2007, had signed a one-year deal at the end of the 2024 season to extend his career into an 18th season.
Smith, in his 15th season, hits the end of his contract after last year triggering a one-season extension to a three-year deal signed in 2021.
"We'll sit down with Tex (Walker) and a few others and just talk through what it looks like," Nicks said post-match.
"I love the Texan. There's different things that Tex brings to our group on a footy field that aren't necessarily just kicks and marks and handballs.
"There's a leadership component to it.
I guess we'll lick our wounds at the moment, and then we'll sit down. Similar (with Smith), it will be a conversation."
After kicking two goals in last week's 24-point qualifying final loss to Collingwood to mark his 300th AFL game, Walker could only manage two behinds from seven touches against the Hawks.
Smith finished with 15 disposals and fellow Adelaide defender Wayne Milera, who collected 23 disposals, admitted "time is running out" for the pair.
"It is quite disappointing on our part for them because we don't know what their plans are for the future," Milera told AAP.
"That's the way footy is. They haven't called time on whatever their careers look like.
"All we can focus on now is moving forward and sticking together as a group."
