Walsh told Adelaide officials that "Tex" was one of those guys who would stand up "in a clutch moment" and make it his own. Walsh felt that Walker would deliver when his team needed it most on the field.

Up until his ascension to the captaincy, Walker had been known for his mullet (discarded a while ago), for swilling beers in the grandstand when he wasn't playing, and for his blatant talent. He certainly didn't strike as the meticulous Sam Mitchell type or someone who would chair copious meetings. But Walsh saw "Tex" as someone whom teammates would follow.

In subsequently explaining the surprise appointment, Walsh cited the "follow me" factor that Tex exuded.

Mark Bickley, the former Crows premiership skipper who had been Walker's forward line coach until last year, reckoned Walsh's appointment of Walker was based on his view that "Tex" would be the premier on-field leader.

Walsh, according to Bickley, wasn't so concerned about whether Walker was the best man to convene meetings or represent the club externally. "We'll teach him that," Bickley reports Walsh saying. "The hardest one to teach is the on-field thing."

On Saturday night, in key moments in the game – when the Bulldogs seemed to have the game within their grasp – Tex was the player, more than any other, who produced timely interventions. He booted a goal from almost 60 metres in the third quarter and slotted the momentum-shifting goal that swung the Crows back to within a point in the final term.

Ultimately, in the match's signature moment deep in time-on, Walker used that ample posterior to edge out an opponent and mark, took a couple of bounces and – rather than bomb mindlessly towards goal from 60-65 metres – located Charlie Cameron in the corridor. Game over.

On the first weekend of finals, there was a striking contrast between what Walker, Patrick Dangerfield and Rory Sloane summoned when the game was in the balance and the output of Richmond's leaders and particularly the subjugation of Trent Cotchin. September truly is the cruelest month.

Watching Walker slay the Bulldogs, a comparison with Wayne Carey readily sprang to mind. Like "the Duck", Walker has a low centre of gravity and a commanding presence. He also has the ability to roost a goal from long distances – courtesy of that superb kicking technique – and he can drift up the field and find the ball, as Carey would, when his team require it.

Walker's leadership style is described as inclusive. He's one of those skippers who spends plenty of time talking to player 42 on the list. When a club official bumped into Tex recently at the local shops, he found him preparing to host four youngsters, including a rookie, at his home. The abiding feature of Tex's leadership is that he cares for others.

If the footballing style is redolent of Carey – without quite the explosive burst of the Duck in his pomp – Bickley felt that Walker's captaincy was more akin to that of another South Australian, Carlton's Stephen "Sticks" Kernahan, who was noted for being approachable, socially adept and considerate of teammates.

Walsh, who knew far more about the game than anyone – including coaches – ever needed to know, would have been aware of Walker's record of performing in big games. In 2012, Tex was the decisive influence when the Crows overcame Fremantle in the second week of the finals, and seven days later, he booted four and gave Hawthorn a terrible fright in the preliminary final, when Adelaide fell five points short.

In a season marred by inexplicable tragedy, in which the Crows have sought to honour the legacy of their deceased coach, there is no greater evidence of Phil Walsh's legacy than the man – once seen as an untamed larrikin – who has led this team further than anyone thought possible, possibly excepting Walsh himself.