Sydney Roosters star halfback Sam Walker is officially set to hit the open market on November 1 after the club withdrew their contract offer for him.

The messy nature of the contract negotiations - which were apparently all but agreed to before Walker's management came back to the Roosters with new demands - makes the situation almost untenable at Bondi Junction for the Queensland and Australiand debutant.

So ordinary is the relationship now it has even been reported he would be clear for an early move if he can find an interested party for 2027.

That looks unlikely given how late into the preparations for next season it is, with clubs salary caps all close to full, and certainly not having a million-plus dollars lying around.

The Roosters will likely wind up stuck with him for 2027 unless they can orchestrate a player swap, but the halfback is almost certain to be elsewhere in 2028.

Plenty of clubs around the competition could find a pretty easy reason to make a play for the halfback, and here are the seven we have identified.

Here are the clubs most likely to make a play for Sam Walker.

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7. Canterbury Bulldogs

The Bulldogs have come under constant criticism, almost since the moment they let Toby Sexton depart and signed Lachlan Galvin, over the way they play their footy in attack.

A lot of that has come down to the fact they don't have a genuine halfback.

Sean O'Sullivan was there in 2026, but barely played, with Cameron Ciraldo instead putting all of the responsibility on five-eighth Lachlan Galvin.

Galvin was arguably Canterbury's best player, but that doesn't help all that much in a team who slumped from the top four to the bottom half of the ladder.

Walker being on the market presents an intriguing opportunity for the Bulldogs, although the salary cap is tight.

That said, if Matt Burton leaves at the end of 2027, they could well and truly make this work.

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