Sam Walker has taken another significant step in his recovery by returning to the NRL field less than 12 days after undergoing a syndesmosis tightrope surgery.
Walker underwent surgery in late August after his ankle became trapped underneath the Dolphins back-rower Kulikefu Finefuieaki in round 26.
His ankle being trapped forced the playmaker from the field and initially left him to fear his season was over.
According to NRL Physio, the Roosters halfback is hoping to return in time for a preliminary final should the Roosters advance that deep in the campaign, which would put his comeback at just four weeks post-surgery.
A return that quick following syndesmosis surgery has only been achieved once before, underlining how impressive Walker's recovery timeline would be.
While early reports from NewsCorp suggested the injury had ended Walker's year, the Roosters have fully closed the door on their star playmaker's return.
The club released a statement following Walker's surgery.
"Walker underwent surgery on Sunday and will work closely with the Club's medical and rehabilitation staff towards a return to play as his recovery allows," a Roosters statement said.
His rapid rehabilitation adds to the incredible comebacks after recent injuries, with Panthers captain Isaah Yeo continuing to play through a ruptured pec.
Yeo returned in round 27 against the Wests Tigers, playing 55 minutes in the Panthers' dominant win to conclude the regular season.
Walker's push to get back onto an NRL field with a month of surgery now looks set to join Yeo in quick returns after injury.
Any sighting of the 24-year-old before the year is done would be a timely boost as Sydney aspire to their first premiership win in seven years, when the tri-colours claimed back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019.
The Queensland halfback's injury comes at an intriguing time, as although his contract talks with the Roosters were paused by the star himself to focus on the finals, his value could fluctuate depending on the Roosters' results in the finals.
Walker is allowed to start negotiating with rivals on November 1 for a deal to take place in 2028, as he is off-contract at the end of the 2027 season.
This is the second finals campaign Walker could potentially miss, after being absent from the 2023 campaign when he sustained a partially-torn left ACL-injury.
Daly Cherry-Evans and Hugo Savala have been named in the halves for the Sydney Roosters when they play the Penrith Panthers on Sunday afternoon.
