Sydney Roosters star half Sam Walker has confirmed he has no intentions of leaving the Sydney Roosters early despite his surprise axing by coach Trent Robinson a fortnight ago.
Walker has spent the last two weeks playing reserve grade in the NSW Cup, with Joseph Manu taking over the number six jersey at the tri-colours, while Luke Keary is playing in the halfback role at first grade.
The Roosters will go into this Sunday's test during magic round against the North Queensland Cowboys with the same formation, while Walker will line up at North Sydney Oval against the South Sydney Rabbitohs in reserve grade on Saturday morning before travelling north to be part of the match day wider squad for the first-grade outfit.
Robinson has spoken bluntly since Walker's axing about the need for the half to continue developing by taking a step back from first-grade - and given he spent the entire 2020 season on the sidelines while COVID forced reserve grade and junior competitions to be cancelled, before playing just three NSW Cup games in 2021 ahead of his NRL debut, it's not hard to see why.
Reports in recent days have suggested a number of clubs, most notably those in Queensland, have bee keeping a keen eye on Walker's status and the situation surrounding his tenure at the Roosters.
That is ultimately unlikely to come to anything though.
Robinson has confirmed Walker is still a big part of the Roosters' plans moving forward, and, contracted until at least the end of 2025, the 20-year-old who already has 51 NRL games under his belt told News Corp that he has no intentions of moving on.
โI'm not giving up,โ Walker said.
โI will be back.โ
โI definitely want to stay at the Roosters. The club has done a lot for me and I have been here for a few years.
โThe Roosters is where I want to be and the talk about me leaving โฆ there's no chance.
โThe Roosters gave me a great opportunity coming here and I am extremely grateful for that. I've played 50-odd NRL games now and it's all thanks to the Roosters and the time and effort they have put into developing me as a player.
โI love it at this club. I'm contracted here, and my first goal is to be playing NRL for the Roosters again. I've never thought about leaving.โ
Walker confirmed his axing came as something of a shock, but his work in the NSW Cup, and, according to Robinson, his attitude at training, has been first-class since his demotion.
The Leeds-born Queensland-raised future Origin star has long been rated as one of the best young halves in the game, but at just 20 years of age, receives the attention and pressure of an established first-grade weapon, such is the expectation that comes with playing at the Roosters.
It's an expectation and pressure Robinson has been keen to de-escalate as Walker has continued to grow and learn as a first-grade footballer, spending time during his first two seasons flipping between the six and seven, as well as coming off the bench for a brief period.
Improving on both ends of the park though across the course of his career to date, his work at the start of 2023 in first-grade clearly left it as time for a spell in reserve grade, but Robinson has suggested it's a week-to-week proposition over whether he remains there.
