Jimmy Bartel Hits Back At Taylor Walker's Comments

'You haven't had success either.'


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Former Geelong champ Jimmy Bartel has hit back at Taylor Walker's comments suggesting Jake Lever chose "money over success", saying Walker hasn't had any success either.

Walker hit out at Lever on Roo and Ditts this morning, saying he was "blunt" with the star defender about his decision to leave the Crows.

"He said that he’s decided to leave the footy club and I said ‘mate, if that’s the decision you want to make’ - we’re two days out from losing a Grand Final and I think our footy club’s going in the right direction," he told Triple M.

"I think it’s pretty much him choosing money over success."

Bartel noted that Walker hasn't had any success either.

"I have no problem with him saying he was honest and blunt, because you want your skipper having that strong front and wanting everyone to play for the Crows...but there's a couple of things about it, choosing success over money," he told AFL Trade Radio.

"You haven't had success either. You've made a grand final, that's it. Individually, you've been All-Australian captain and you've had some good years, but you haven't had success.

"So there's no guarantee that you will. There's no guarantees in this game that just because you played in a grand final, doesn't mean you're going back and winning it next year.

"We even have premiers that can't even get back into the finals. So where's the guarantee there?"

Bartel didn't mind Walker being upset about Lever leaving, but disagreed with the argument about loyalty.

"(Walker) wants loyalty in a one-way street. He's very happy that (Tom) Lynch and these sort of guys arrive at the Crows, but no one's allowed to leave," he said.

"I still liked what he first said, and I'm fine with it that it upset him that Lever's leaving. I completely understand where he's coming from there."

Ethan Meldrum

10 October 2017

Article by:

Ethan Meldrum




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