Sam Walker is meeting with his management team on Monday in the hope of finally brokering a new deal that will keep him at the Sydney Roosters.
Walker achieved a childhood dream of playing for Australia against Fiji on Sunday night in a 36-22 win that included him scoring a try.
Time will tell if Kangaroos’ coach Kevin Walters backs Walker or Tom Dearden to partner Cameron Munster in the halves for the remainder of the World Cup following the injury suffered by Mitchell Moses in Australia’s first opening cup match against New Zealand.
As he celebrated the win and his first Test in the sheds with family, Walker gave a quick update on his playing future with the Roosters, with the Bondi club eager to know by Monday if he was ready to accept their three-year extension, worth around $1.4m a season, which would keep him at Bondi until at least the end of 2030.
The 24-year-old was happy to park all talks in the back half of the regular NRL season, then made it clear last week he wanted all the focus on his Kangaroos’ debut.
“I’ve spent this week not worrying about [the contract] and letting my manager do his job in the background,” Walker said.
“My job was to go out and play football. I’m sure on Monday I’ll have a conversation with him, and we’ll sit down and hopefully get something sorted.
“I’m sure I’ll have time over the next couple of days to [go through it].
“It’s nice to be wanted. I’m going to make a decision soon on my future. But right now, my focus was completely on making sure I got the win for Australia.”
Walker has made it clear he has little appetite for going to the open market, with all players off contract at the end of 2027 open to fielding offers from rival clubs from November 1.
The Roosters won the premiership but lost Daly Cherry-Evans (Hull FC), Mark Nawaqanitawase and Angus Crichton to rugby, Spencer Leniu to Parramatta, Connor Watson to St George Illawarra, while Daniel Tupou retired.
Locking down Walker has become a priority. The club has also been linked to Dolphins’ centre Herbie Farnworth and Melbourne prop Stefano Utoikamanu, who family is eager for a return home to Sydney.
Walker, Hugo Savala and Toby Rodwell are viewed as the Roosters’ future halves players.
The on-field chemistry Walker has with James Tedesco, who has indicated he is eager to play on for one final year in 2028, was one of the few positives for the Roos on Sunday night. The team will need to improve quickly if they are to defend their World Cup, starting with Saturday’s trip to Townsville to face the Cook Islands.
Sunday’s win was clunky, with the forwards out-enthused and Walker and Dearden both solid without being dominant.
“I’m sure once we get the job done, I’ll have a bit of time to sit back and reflect on the whole year,” Walker said of a year that also included him making his Origin debut for Queensland.
“We’re all here to make sure we put Australia first and do a job for them; whatever role I’ve got – whether it’s starting, coming off the bench, or helping out at training – it doesn’t matter. I’ll make sure I do my best and help out where I can.
“It’s special to play with [Tedesco], and I’m very lucky to be captained by him. The way he leads, it’s not just with his voice but also his actions, which is really cool, and I’m able to follow off the back of him.
“You just have to keep pushing around him because you know something’s going to happen.”
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