[citation needed] He played centre-half forward for the Calder Cannons and in defence for Victoria Metro in the 2009 AFL Under-18 Championships, for which he was selected in the U18 All-Australian team.

[6] He achieved this despite carrying an Achilles injury throughout the season, and was rewarded with the Mark Bickley award for the Crows' best first or second year player.

With the departure of Nathan Bock and Phil Davis in the last two seasons, and with Ben Rutten ageing, he regularly played on the opposition's best forward with great success, contributing to the club's unexpected run to the preliminary finals.

He was rewarded with the Malcolm Blight Medal for the club's best and fairest player, and was also named at full-back in the All-Australian team for 2014.

He continued to perform reliably in 2015, finishing in the top 10 of the club champion count and becoming the youngest member of Adelaide's leadership group.

[13] In the Crows’ round five match against Gold Coast Talia limped from the ground with a hamstring injury barely a minute into the game.