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.

6. New Zealand Warriors

The Warriors would appear to be unlikely to many any sort of serious play for Sam Walker, although, the theory of it does make sense.

The Warriors lose Luke Metcalf, Jett Cleary and Luke Hanson at the end of 2026, leaving Chanel Harris-Tavita or Te Maire Martin to join Tanah Boyd in the key playmaking roles.

Boyd has, granted, been re-signed by the Warriors, but the jury is still out on whether he can string a second strong season together.

If he does, this probably becomes a point not worth talking about, but the Warriors could be an intriguing option if Walker is looking for a new challenge.

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