![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Full name | Samuel Walker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Leeds, West Yorkshire, England | 16 June 2002||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 78 kg (12 st 4 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Halfback, Five-eighth | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source: [1] As of 27 July 2024 |
Samuel Walker (born 16 June 2002) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a halfback for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League (NRL).
He has played for the Prime Minister's XIII at representative level.
Walker was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, while his Australian father Ben, a professional rugby league player, was playing for the Leeds Rhinos in the Super League. [2] Walker and his family moved back to Australia in 2003.
Walker played his first junior rugby league for the Burleigh Bears before moving to Ipswich with his family, where he played for the North Ipswich Tigers [3] and attended Ipswich Grammar School, where he was signed by the Brisbane Broncos. [4] [5] [6]
Walker's uncles Shane and Chris are also former professional rugby league players. [7]
In 2019, Walker played for the Ipswich Jets in the Mal Meninga Cup. [8] On 5 June 2019, he started at halfback for Queensland under-18 in their 34–12 win over New South Wales. [9] On 11 June 2019, he signed with the Sydney Roosters on a two-year deal. [10]
On 29 September 2019, Walker represented the Australian Schoolboys, scoring a try in their 36–20 win over the Junior Kiwis. [11]
In 2020, Walker joined the Roosters' NRL squad but did not play a single game that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the cancellation of the NSW Cup and Jersey Flegg Cup competitions. In round 15 of the 2020 NRL season, he was included in the Roosters 21-man squad to play the Wests Tigers but was omitted from the side before the game. [12] [13]
On 27 February, Walker played in the Sydney Roosters’ pre-season trial win over the Canberra Raiders, scoring a try. [14] [15] He began the 2021 season playing for North Sydney, the Roosters' NSW Cup feeder team. [16]
In round 4 of the 2021 NRL season, Walker made his first-grade debut for the Sydney Roosters against the New Zealand Warriors at the Sydney Cricket Ground, assisting a try and scoring a conversion as his side won 32–12. [17] [18] The following week, he scored his first try in the NRL and set up three others in a pivotal performance as the Roosters went from being 4–18 down to the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, to mounting a comeback to win 26–18. [19]
In round 14, Walker kicked the winning field goal as the Sydney Roosters defeated the Gold Coast Titans 35–34. [20]
In round 17, with just under 20 seconds left to play, Walker bizarrely ran 90 metres in the opposite direction before running over the sideline as the Sydney Roosters defeated Canterbury-Bankstown 22–16. [21]
In week 1 of the finals, against the Gold Coast Titans, Walker kicked the winning field goal in the 77th minute of the game, as the Roosters went on to win the match 25–24. [22] On 27 September, Walker was named Dally M Rookie of the year. [23]
In round 18 of the 2022 NRL season, Walker scored one try and kicked nine goals in the Sydney Roosters 54–26 victory over St. George Illawarra. [24] In round 23, Walker kicked twelve goals from twelve attempts in the club's 72–6 victory over the Wests Tigers. [25] Walker played a total of 25 games for the club in the 2022 season and finished as their top point scorer with 211 points. Walker played for the Sydney Roosters in their elimination final loss to South Sydney. [26] On 7 December 2022, Walker signed a two-year contract extension to remain at the Sydney Roosters until the end of the 2025 season. [27]
Following the Sydney Roosters loss against Cronulla in round 7 of the 2023 NRL season, Walker was demoted to reserve grade. Walker spoke to the media after being demoted saying "I never wanted to get dropped, but I will work as hard as I possibly can to get a spot back in the team". In July, Walker suffered an ACL sprain whilst playing in the NSW Cup and was ruled out for an indefinite period. [28] [29] In round 26 of the 2023 NRL season, Walker returned to the Sydney Roosters side in their victory over the Wests Tigers. In the first week of the 2023 finals series, Walker kicked a field goal with three minutes remaining to win the match 13-12 against Cronulla. [30]
In round 3 of the 2024 NRL season, Walker scored two tries for the Sydney Roosters in their 48-6 victory over arch-rivals South Sydney. [31] In round 22, Walker scored two tries and kicked eight goals in the Sydney Roosters 40-34 victory over the Dolphins. [32]
James Maloney is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and current assistant coach for the North Queensland Cowboys.
Daniel Mortimer is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who last played as a hooker, scrum-half or stand-off for the Leigh Centurions in the Betfred Championship. He previously played for the Parramatta Eels, Gold Coast Titans, Sydney Roosters and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. Mortimer was a Prime Minister's XIII representative and won the 2013 NRL Grand Final with the Roosters.
This is a list of rivalries in the National Rugby League.
Shaun Johnson is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a halfback for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Chad Townsend is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a halfback for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Luke Keary is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a five-eighth or halfback for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League (NRL) and Australia and Ireland at international level.
Valentine Holmes is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a centre for the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL and Australia at international level.
Latrell Mitchell is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a fullback for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the National Rugby League (NRL), and has represented both New South Wales in the State of Origin series and Australia at international level as a centre.
Cody Walker is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a five-eighth and halfback for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the NRL.
Taane Milne is a Fiji international rugby league footballer who plays as a winger for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the NRL.
Siosifa Talakai is a Tonga international rugby league footballer who plays as a centre or second-row for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NRL.
Joseph Manu is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a centre, fullback, winger or five-eighth for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League (NRL), and New Zealand at international level. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest centres in the game.
Matt Ikuvalu is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a winger or centre for the Catalans Dragons in the Super League.
Kyle Flanagan is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a five-eighth for the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Reuben Garrick is an Australian rugby league footballer who plays as a centre, winger, or fullback for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Ronaldo Mulitalo is a professional rugby league footballer from New Zealand who plays as a winger for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the National Rugby League (NRL). He has played for both Samoa and New Zealand at international level.
Matt "Burto" Burton is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a five-eighth or halfback for the Canterbury Bulldogs in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Nicholas Michael Hynes is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a halfback for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Braydon Trindall is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a five-eighth or halfback for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Fetalaiga Junior Pauga is a professional rugby league footballer who plays for the Sydney Roosters as a winger.