Nearly a year to the day since seriously injuring his knee, forward Taylor Walker will make his return in Adelaide’s SANFL clash with Glenelg on Friday night.

On Friday, it will be 363 days since Walker ruptured his ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) and LCL (Lateral Collateral Ligament) in his right knee in an awkward landing at the MCG against Carlton in Round Five.

Walker said he was excited to be making his long-awaited comeback with Adelaide’s State League team on ANZAC Day, which also marks his 24th Birthday.

“It’ll be a great birthday present. It’s been a long time since I’ve played. I’m really looking forward to getting back out there and having a run around,” Walker told afc.com.au.

“It’s exciting we’ve got our own team in the State League now, so I’m looking forward to playing with those young blokes and just getting out there and having a kick again.

“Hopefully, the boys can kick it to me early and get a couple on the board.”

Walker required reconstructive surgery to repair the damaged ligaments and was confined to a knee brace for two months. The two-time Crows leading goalkicker started running in late-August and gradually increased his training load over the next six months, culminating in his return to full training. He recently received clearance from his surgeon to resume playing.

“I’ve done a lot of training over the past 12 months and worked very closely with (Physio and Rehabilitation Coach) Duncan Kellaway. He’s been great for me,” Walker said.

“I’m as confident as I can be in the strength and power in my leg.”

After such a long injury lay-off, Walker isn’t putting any expectations on himself.

The Crows spearhead said he would continue to play in the SANFL for as long as necessary.

“I just want to go out there and play my role. I know what works for me when I play my best footy,” he said.

“I’m not going to say I’ll be back (in the AFL) in one week. I won’t say I’ll be back in 10 weeks. I’ll just play it by ear and do the things that help the State League team win rather than trying to be a good player to get back into the AFL side

“I’ll see what Sando says and let him make that decision (as to when I return to the AFL).”

Crows State League coach Heath Younie said there was no pre-determined amount of game time that Walker would play in his first match back.

“We’ll manage Tex’s workload across the four quarters. He’ll rotate as per any player in our rotation system,” Younie said.

“There’s no real specific time. We’ll just manage him throughout the course of the night. We’re just excited to have him back and for him, personally, it’ll be great just to play footy again.”

Walker will bolster the forward line of the SANFL Crows, who secured their first-ever win against Central District at Elizabeth last weekend.

Younie said Walker, a member of Adelaide’s senior leadership group, would also be a significant asset to the team’s younger players.

“Tex will play through the forward half of the ground as he’s done in previous years at AFL level. He provides us a real good avenue to goal, but more importantly he’ll provide leadership in the way we structure up. I know Tex will be all about the team and he’ll help the young guys wherever he can. He’ll get our young kids into the right positions, which will be fantastic for them,” Younie said.

“They’ll get enormous joy out of playing alongside Tex. One, because of who he is but, two, because he’s coming back from a 12-month injury. I just hope they don’t pull out a pen and a bit of paper and ask for an autograph on the day.”

The game at Gliderol Stadium (Glenelg) on Friday starts at 7:10pm.

Ticketed Crows members get free entry to all the Club’s SANFL games when they show their membership pass. Find out more about becoming a member and joining the Club in 2014. Follow our official Twitter account @Adelaide_FC for updates of the game and log onto afc.com.au for a full match report after the game.

Adelaide’s AFL and SANFL squads will be named on afc.com.au at 5:55pm on Thursday.