THE SPORTING world is mourning the shock death of Max Walker – the last man to play AFL/VFL football and Test cricket in the same calendar year.

Tasmanian-born Walker, who played 85 games for Melbourne as a ruckman and key defender from 1967-72 before taking 138 Test wickets in 34 Tests, has died at 68 after a two-year battle with cancer.

His was nicknamed 'Tangles' for his distinctive bowling action.

Post his cricket career, Walker became a cricket commentator on television and radio as well as a popular author, and also hosted Channel Nine's Sunday Footy Show from 1993-98.

In an interview with the AFL Record in April, almost 50 years since he signed with the Demons, Walker doubted he'd have played as much League football or Test cricket, much less become a larger-than-life personality, had it not been for the influence of Melbourne's legendary coach Norm Smith.

"Norm Smith was the greatest man I've ever met," Walker declared, citing Smith's influence on his education, working life and professionalism as a sportsman.

A typically animated Walker also recalled his frightful initiation to League football as a flyweight 18-year-old when, in his first five games he opposed ruck stars in North Melbourne's Noel Teasdale, Geelong's Graham 'Polly' Farmer and Carlton's John Nicholls, before being given the job on Footscray legend Ted Whitten at centre half-back.

"I had the best seat in the house underneath the great Polly Farmer," Walker said of a duel in which Farmer had 28 touches and 32 hitouts to his own 12 and 12.

Walker jested that that he acted as a motivator for ruck partner Peter 'Crackers' Keenan: "My job was to smack Crackers behind the ear in the first five minutes and when he asked who belted him, I'd tell him 'That bloke over there', just to fire him up."

A member of Melbourne's 1971 night premiership (then contested among the also-rans in September), Walker played his last League game against Fitzroy on September 2, 1972, and the first of his 34 Tests against Pakistan on December 29 – and never went back to footy.

He was one of only four men to have played AFL/VFL and Test cricket in the same year – the others being Keith Miller, Laurie Nash and George Tribe.