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| Born | 13 August 1996  Sydney, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 101 kg (15 st 13 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Second-row, Lock | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| As of 18 May 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Father | Shane Walker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jayden Walker (born 13 August 1996) is an Italian international rugby league footballer who is contracted to the Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League. He primarily plays as a second-row.
The son of former professional rugby league footballer Shane Walker, [3] Walker played his junior rugby league for De La Salle Caringbah. He is of Italian descent.
Walker was signed by the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks to play for their S. G. Ball Cup side, before moving into their National Youth Competition side in 2014. [4] On Australia Day in 2015, he was arrested for verbally abusing police and resisting arrest, having been initially approached by authorities for possessing alcohol in an alcohol-free zone. [5] In May 2016, he admitted to using recreational drugs and was banned from playing by the Sharks for 12 weeks. [6] Walker played 14 NYC games for the Sharks between 2014 and 2016. [7]
Walker was selected to represent Italy at the 2017 World Cup qualifying tournament in late 2016. He played in all 3 of Italy's matches, scoring a try against Russia. [8] In 2017, Walker played for the Sharks' feeder team, the Newtown Jets, in the New South Wales Cup. Walker scored a try for Italy in their 24–24 draw against Malta on 8 October, [9] and was a member of Italy's squad for the 2017 World Cup. [10]
In November 2017, Walker signed a one-year contract with the Penrith Panthers for 2018. [11]
| Cap | Date | Venue | Opponent | Competition | T | G | FG | Points | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 October 2016 | Makiš Stadium, Belgrade |  Serbia | 2017 World Cup qualifying | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 
| 2 | 29 October 2016 | Stadio Brianteo, Monza |  Wales | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | 4 November 2016 | Leigh Sports Village, Leigh |  Russia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 4 | 8 October 2017 | Marconi Stadium, Sydney |  Malta | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 5 | 29 October 2017 | Barlow Park, Cairns |  Ireland | 2017 World Cup | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 
| 6 | 5 November 2017 | Willows Sports Complex, Townsville |  United States | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | 10 November 2017 | Canberra Stadium, Canberra |  Fiji | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 
Newtown Jets second rower Jayden Walker, a product of the Cronulla Sharks junior system, has been in consistently good form this year. Jayden is the son of Shane Walker, the tough front-rower who played with St George, Eastern Suburbs, Balmain, Wests Tigers and Melbourne Storm between 1990 and 2002.