Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson made a major decision on Tuesday deciding to axe young halfback Sam Walker for the club's ANZAC Day clash against the Dragons.
While Walker will spend the weekend at the NSW Cup level, Daniel Tupou and Matt Lodge have backed the youngster to bounce back and insist he will benefit from a stint in reserve grade.
Touted as one of the best young players in the game and a future Queensland No.7, Walker made his 50th NRL appearance just three weeks ago.
"I am sure he will cop it on the chin, take a lot of lessons from it and work on his craft," winger teammate Daniel Tupou said, via NRL.com.
"He will probably get a bit of time to reflect and work on his game."
"He is a confident player and he is going to be a superstar."
Another teammate, Matt Lodge, also believed the stint in the NSW Cup would ease the pressure off Walker.ย
"Personally, I have played with a lot of halves, but Sam Walker can do things that pretty much no one else can because he is a special player," Lodge said.
"I think the game, in general, puts a lot of pressure on these young guys to nail every part of their game.
"(Halfback) is probably the hardest position on the field, and I think history shows that takes time so he is doing an unreal job.
"He is a 10-to15 year first grader, easily. He has got the world at his feet and all the time to do it, but no-one can be in top form for 15 years in a career."
Walker's axing means New Zealand international Joseph Manu will move into the halves while Luke Keary will fulfil the halfback jumper.
The current IRL Golden Boot winner, Robinson, hopes that moving him into the halves will allow him more time with the ball in his hand and make an immediate impact.
Moving from the centres into five-eighth has allowed Paul Momirovski to re-enter the team. Since joining from Penrith, Momirovski has failed to solidify his spot in the starting team.
