Kangaroos debutant Sam Walker says he has put all thoughts of his club future on hold until after he makes his Test debut for Australia.
The premiership-winning Roosters halfback is set to line up in the green and gold for the first time on Sunday as part of a new-look halves pairing with Tom Dearden, with Cameron Munster named on the bench and Mitchell Moses’ World Cup campaign over due to a leg injury.
Walker will become one of the hottest properties on the open market if he hasn’t inked an extension with the Tricolours come the November 1 free agency deadline.
The 24-year-old has said he hopes to sign a new Roosters deal before then, with his camp reportedly seeking close to $1.7 million a season over four years from 2028. The Roosters are reportedly prepared to offer Walker around $1.5 million a season.
Now with an NRL premiership and three Maroons caps on his resume, Walker is poised to become one of the highest-paid players in the game. But he’s determined not to let his contract situation distract him from his looming Kangaroos debut.
“There’s no looking at that at the moment,” walker said on Tuesday. “My goal is completely on Sunday, and once that all happens I’ll be able to sit down and have a good look about it.
“But at the moment, my goal is to represent Australia and get that jersey done first.”
Walker and Dearden came up through the Broncos’ academy together, but have not played alongside each other at the scrum base. Walker replaced an injured Dearden (syndesmosis) for this year’s State of Origin series, in which he starred in game one and claimed man of the match honours in game two.
Munster is expected to come straight back into the No.6 jumper after being given a rest against Fiji at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday, but Walker was not viewing the battle in Brisbane as a shootout between him and Dearden for the right to join the Melbourne Storm champion in the halves.
“We’ve almost grown up with each other, our families have known each other for a very long time, and Tommy and I have been mates for a long time,” Walker said.
“There’s no talk about that [a shootout]. Whatever is best for the Australian side – we’re really clear on that. Our focus at the moment is Sunday, and putting our best foot forward for our country.”
In another world, Walker could have been wearing England colours at the World Cup, having been born in Leeds, but he joked that his family “would’ve killed me if I represented anyone other than Australia”.
Walker has had to overcome plenty of obstacles to don the green and gold, most recently a syndesmosis injury suffered in round 26 that could easily have ended his season.
Incredibly, he was cleared to return for the Roosters’ preliminary final against the Dolphins barely a month later, putting himself firmly in the frame to succeed the injured Nathan Cleary and Moses.
“I had to work really hard there for about a month and sacrificed a lot. I had to work really hard at my rehab and make sure I could put myself back in the best position for the Roosters,” Walker said.
“I’m really proud of the team at the Roosters for getting into a position where I could allow myself to come back because we had a coupe of weeks there where it was knockout footy.
“I was really confident [I would come back], once they gave me the timeline of when I could possibly get back on the field I had a really clear goal and set my targets on that.”
Walker will feature in a new-look spine against Fiji, with he and Dearden joined by fullback James Tedesco (replacing Reece Walsh) and hooker Blayke Brailey, who makes his own Test debut with Harry Grant rested.
Brailey established himself as one of the more creative dummy-halves in the NRL this season, earning his maiden NSW call-up in the process and managing 15 try assists and 14 linebreak assists in Cronulla’s run to the semi-finals.
The 28-year-old was adamant that his style would not clash with Walker’s, with both players eager to attack when they sensed an opportunity.
“I know he plays ad-lib, he likes to be off the cuff, he likes to be all-out attack – so hopefully that complements my game well,” Brailey said.
“I think the way he moves and the way he plays [suits me]. I was a half myself, and I kind of know where he’s going to be and how he’s going to play, so hopefully we do link up and really connect.
“In this team, what you see you back yourself. I know Kevvie will give us full rein where whatever you see, you take … it’s a luxury we have in our team where we have so much strike.”