Sydney Roosters chairman Nick Politis is confident the club will re-sign Sam Walker before he heads to the open agency in November this year.
Walker is expected to earn the Roosters' richest contract of all time, with News Corp reporting he could earn $1.5 million a season if he can bring the club its first title in seven years.
The Roosters' playmaking general is preparing for one of the biggest games of his life, and if he proves to be a premiership-winning half, his stocks will rise rapidly.
The 24-year-old is free to negotiate with rival NRL clubs for a 2028 contract from November 1, but it's looking more likely it won't reach that point as the Roosters prepare to strike.
Reports indicate Walker is keen on inking a new contract with the Roosters, with Politis confident of having him locked up on a rich deal until 2031.
“We will keep him at the Roosters,” chairman Politis told News Corp.
“We love Sam, and it would break the kid's heart if he had to leave.
“I believe he wants to stay, and we will work it out.
“This is the perfect club for him. He loves the eastern suburbs area; this is his second home.
“I don't know where else he would go. I guess Western Australia and Papua New Guinea might be options, but I believe we will keep him here.
“I'm confident we will have it (Walker's extension) done after the grand final.”
Walker's quick recovery from syndesmosis surgery, where he made a rapid return to the NRL in just 27 days, blew Politis away.
“I thought his season was over, but he said he would make it back and he did it. I love him for it,” he said.
“We have looked after him since he was a kid.
“We got him as an Ipswich Grammar boy, and we took him to Europe when he was 17 to give him a cultural experience.
“When the grand final is over, we will get together with his manager and work out a deal.”
Walker turned plenty of heads when earlier reports revealed he knocked back a long-term deal with the club in August, and instead turned all his focus to the tri-colours premiership assault.
But now it's looking likely Walker will recommence contract talks following Sunday's blockbuster and will remain in Bondi as one of the highest Roosters earners.
Walker was impressive on return from his ankle injury against the Dolphins last Friday, scoring a try and engineering a win alongside Daly Cherry-Evans.
The Roosters will face the Newcastle Knights in the Grand Final on Sunday night at Sydney's Accor Stadium.
