Roosters recruit becomes Australian sport’s richest 16-year-old
Peter Badel, The Courier-Mail
June 11, 2019 6:14pm
Queensland under-18s young gun Sam Walker has quit the Broncos to sign a $300,000 contract with the Roosters in one of the richest deals for a 16-year-old in Australian sport.
The Courier-Mail can reveal the Roosters have won the battle for the most sought-after playmaker in the country with star pivot Luke Keary a key figure in the poaching raid on one of Brisbane’s best talents.
The son of former Broncos halfback Ben Walker, Sam is such a prodigious talent he had interest from 12 NRL clubs and also fielded a cross-code offer from Rugby Australia.
But the Ipswich Grammar wonder boy has opted for the Roosters.
Teen sensation Sam Walker has signed with the Sydney Roosters. Picture: Adam Head
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Walker informed the Roosters of his decision on Tuesday with the halfback sensation agreeing to a two-year deal worth at least $150,000-a-season as the Bondi glamour club prepares for life after Cooper Cronk.
All three Queensland NRL clubs - the Broncos, Cowboys and Titans - were keen on Walker but a recent meeting with NSW Origin aspirant Keary helped seal the deal for the Roosters.
Walker’s father, Ipswich Jets premiership coach Ben, on Tuesday confirmed the junior Maroons ace will leave the Broncos at season’s end.
“It’s very much been driven by Sam, he made his own decision,” Ben Walker said.
“There was no pressure from me, I’m really proud of the process he went through and he made a measured decision on where he wanted to go.
Walker is one of rugby league’s brightest young talents. Picture: Adam Head
“There were a number of factors in him choosing the Roosters.
“They are a very stable club with a stable coach. Trent Robinson has very similar beliefs to how Sam plays, which is very important for his development.
“He had a great chat with Luke Keary recently and is very excited by the squad they have there.
“The Roosters ticked all the boxes.”
Good judges believe Walker, who turns 17 this Sunday, will be an NRL superstar in the coming seasons. He fielded offers in excess of $200,000 a season and was classy in the Queensland under-18s’ 34-12 disposal of their NSW counterparts in the Origin I curtain raiser last Wednesday night.
Ben Walker said his son, a Roosters fan since his youngest days, is staying level-headed.
“You always have high hopes for your kids but Sam had a long way to go and a lot of work to do,” he said.
“I remember he had a Roosters poster on his wall.
“I only ever saw him lose his cool once and that was when the Rabbitohs beat the Roosters on the bell one night and he stormed off to bed and wouldn’t talk to anyone.
“So it’s ironic he is going to the Roosters now.”
Walker’s uncle Shane, who played 150 first-grade games with Brisbane and Souths, said the promising halfback has a huge future in the code.
The Roosters are preparing for life after Cooper Cronk. Picture: Joel Carrett
“People have compared him to Kalyn Ponga but he plays differently to Ponga, Sam is pretty unique in his style,” Walker said.
“He reads play really well, he has a high football IQ for a kid so young and it comes back to his environment, he’s been around football since his earliest years.
“Sam can identify weaknesses in the opposition very quickly, even his kicking style and the way he moves is different to any young halfback I’ve seen.
“There’s no reason that Sam can’t have a long career in the NRL, but he needs to put the hard work in and keep on improving.”
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...s/news-story/4b0331cbea35e400e23d09e4362ee78d
