‘Misleading’: Manager of Saints star refutes claims that racism incident involving Taylor Walker influences trade discussions.

The manager for St Kilda defender Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera has quickly refuted allegations that the young talent has dismissed the possibility of a trade to Adelaide due to veteran forward Taylor Walker’s notorious racism incident.

In 2021, Walker’s season was cut short after he received a six-match suspension for racially abusing Indigenous SANFL player Robbie Young during a game.

The racial remarks were directed towards a Crows teammate and were overheard by an Adelaide official who subsequently reported them to the AFL.

In addition to the suspension, Walker was fined $20,000 and required to take part in an education program and conciliation.

The South Australian-born Wanganeen-Milera is now at the focus of a bidding contest between the Crows, the Power, and his current team.

However, veteran journalist Caroline Wilson stated on Seven’s The Agenda Setters on Monday night that Wanganeen-Milera is not inclined towards a move to the Crows, with Walker’s past incident highlighted as a concern.

“One of the reasons he won’t be heading to the Adelaide Football Club is that he has reservations about the incident that occurred in 2021, a well-known incident involving Taylor Walker and Robbie Young,” she remarked.

“Wanganeen-Milera has expressed that Matthew Nicks was the coach during that time and has made it clear that he does not wish to join the Adelaide Football Club.

“While there are several reasons for this, Wanganeen-Milera specifically has issues with Taylor Walker and what transpired back then. The word from Port Adelaide and others in the football community is that if he does move, it will likely be to Port Adelaide.”

However, shortly after Wilson’s comments were shared across Seven’s social media channels, Wanganeen-Milera’s manager, Ben Williams, promptly dismissed the claims through a statement made to 9News Adelaide reporter Corey Norris.

In the statement, Williams clarified that no decisions have been finalised regarding Wanganeen-Milera’s future, labelling any speculation as incorrect.

“Media reports suggesting that Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera has ruled out joining the Adelaide Crows due to Walker’s comments in 2021 are inaccurate,” Norris reported on X, quoting Williams.

“Nasiah is currently contemplating his future, and at this point, no decisions have been made. Any speculations to the contrary are not true.”