Departing Parramatta Eels lock forward Dylan Walker has revealed his disappointment over not being able to stay in the NRL beyond the end of 2026.
Walker, who still believes he has plenty left in the tank, signed a three-year deal with the Leeds Rhinos in the English Super League, with the move made official on Monday.
The lock forward, who will be 32 by the time he arrives in England, will have spent two years at the Eels, and takes plenty of experience across the world with him, having played 268 NRL games across his time with the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Manly Sea Eagles, New Zealand Warriors and Eels.
He also has four Tests for Australia and two Origins for NSW under his belt.
Speaking to AAP, he revealed he wanted to stay at the Eels, and also had talks with the Perth Bears before agreeing to make the move to England.
“It's disappointing to not get one here, but I've got to make a grown-up decision and they (the Eels) have got to make a decision, it's a business,” Walker told the AAP newswire.
“I had conversations (with Perth), but they weren't keen, and a lot of people weren't keen, to be fair.
“It's a young man's game now. I think everyone's waiting for the next best young thing, which I get, and you get a few nos and you know you're meant to be where you're meant to be and I'm excited.”
Walker's move comes with the Bears still needing ten players for their inaugural season, and while internally confident, their roster poses plenty of questions.
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As it stands, Josh Curran is the most likely starting lock for the Bears as he prepares to move from the Canterbury Bulldogs, while the Eels will move away from Walker and potentially Jack de Belin who has a club option for 2027 in a bid to hand more minutes to emerging forwards.
Leeds coach Brad Arthur was thrilled with the signing of Walker.
“Dylan is a great professional and will be a good addition to our current group,” Arthur said.
“We are obviously losing some experience from our pack next season with Cameron, Mik and James moving on but I am pleased we have been able to add Dylan to our group as well as Morgan Gannon returning to the club too.”
The contract with Leeds will see him turning 35 at the end of his third season in the Super League, and likely bring the curtain down on a career which, by that stage, should have amounted to more than 300 professional games.
