Toe to Toe with Damo is a new series where AFL.com.au's chief football writer Damian Barrett conducts candid and in-depth interviews with seven AFL stars. Coming up on Thursday, Damian speaks to a gun Docker who almost gave it all away before he became one of the League's most exciting players. On Friday, watch Damo's interview with a Giant leader who was put through the wringer on Grand Final day in more ways than one.

TAYLOR Walker has revealed he spent last September giving deep consideration to leaving the Crows.

>> WATCH THE FULL TAYLOR WALKER INTERVIEW IN THE PLAYER BELOW

Overwhelmed by his club's failures as well as the public scrutiny attached to it in the two seasons which followed the 2017 Grand Final appearance, Walker, in an exclusive interview with AFL.com.au, said his personal reflection post-season had changed him.

Walker decided to stay but he relinquished the Crows' captaincy - which he had held outright in 2015-18 and shared with Rory Sloane in 2019 – and also chose to remove himself from the club's official leadership structure.

In the interview, a thoughtful Walker also conceded he was wrong to give former teammate Jake Lever an old-fashioned send-off as he exited for Melbourne in 2017, when he accused him of "choosing money over success".

"I thought we should have played finals, plain and simple, and obviously didn't," Walker said of the events which led to his post-2019 season reflection.

"Then your mind starts to think: is this the best place for me, how long have I got left in my career, do I step aside, do I stay on?"

Of the Lever spray, Walker said: "I've certainly been caught out in the industry wearing my heart on my sleeve probably too much."

With teammate and close friend Brad Crouch a free agent at the end of the 2020 season, Walker said he had learnt from the Lever period.

"Brad is one of my best mates, he knows how I feel, but in saying that, I've learnt … it is up to Brad," Walker said. "I'm not going to tell him what to do. It is up to Brad to decide where he thinks it is best for his future.

"Everything is on the table for him. The footy club is there to support him. If he stays, I'd love that. If he doesn’t stay, that's up to him. I won't give him a send-off. I've learnt."

In the interview, Walker also ...

• Revealed regrets in how the Crows failed to properly address the 2017 Grand Final loss
• Outlined his time remaining in the game
• Said the birth of his son late last year had instantly changed him as a person
• Reacted to footy fan predictions of a third consecutive season without finals for the Crows