Roosters sign Walker

[Willow]

<table align=center border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td align=left colspan=2 width="70%">Walker joins the Roosters</td> <td align=right width="30%"><u>Talk about this article</u></td></tr> <tr> <td align=left colspan=3 width="100%">Written by:Matt Starkey</td></tr> <tr> <td align=left colspan=3 width="100%">19/5/03</td></tr></tbody></table>

Former Queensland centre Chris Walker will play the rest of the National Rugby League season with the Sydney Roosters after agreeing to terms with the premiers.
Walker, who walked out on South Sydney last week, will begin training with the Roosters tomorrow. Roosters coach Ricky Stuart says Walker will provide depth for the club during the Origin series.

League Unlimited

 

[Bomber]

Yet another example of a contract not being worth the paper it is written on.

If he had a shred of integrity and backbone in his spine, Walker would not even be playing for the Walgett Wombats this season. Why, one wonders, would he even leave the most professional and successful team in the NRL to join Souths in the first place?

Several reasons pop to mind:

1. The concept of 'Chris Walker' is bigger than the concept of the 'team'
2. $$$$$$$$

In my view, if you commit to something, then by goddammit you commit until the bitter end. He is 23 (?) years, not 23 months old!

Seems as though the personal reasons were resolved quite quickly ($$$$$$$)

 

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[Bomber]

Do you reckon Bennett would want him back?

I'd imagine the Wests Tigers would take him, he seems to suit their style of play perfectly.

 

[roostergirl]

I can't believe that we have taken him.There is obviously more to this than we know &amp; it is a well documented fact that he has discipline facts. Bennett has his reasons for not wanting him at Brisbane &amp; he has done absolutely nothing in his 5 games at Souths. I hope he is made to pay the money back to them. I am really pissed off. Someone who has earned their spot in 1st grade is eventually going to be dropped for this tosser and it's not fair. It';s not like we are struggling for for players in the positions that Walker plays. I hope he spends the year in the Reserves. Brings back the whole salary cap &amp; transit lounge issues.

 

[imported_Roopy4246]

I truely wish him the best in gaining a spot in firstgrade. I am especially keen for him to be playing firstgrade if Newcastle meet the Roosters in the semi's. Watching Walker's face as Matt Gidley does everything but run between his legs is one of the funniest things in RL. His 11 missed tackles against Newcastle last week should go on his career highlights reel. I know it will be what I remember him for as his career sinks without a trace.

 

[imported_MrAngryOne]

Bomber,

Would you believe that Bennett actually wrote in the Sunday Mail that Chris did the right thing and he was proud of him, not sure if he would take him back, but he believes he did the right thing. The basic thrust of the article was he could have stayed and taken the money, but instead he took the brave step of leaving.
My problem is the salary cap side of things. I think it isunfair that a player can chew up $300,000 per season at one club and only $40,000 at another.

 

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[Bomber]

Mr Angry,

I can see one side of Bennett's argument (I haven't read the Sunday Mail in years), that if Walker was disinterested at Souths, didn't have the motivation etc, didn't have the desire to run around, then stand up and leave for the betterement of the club. That's good. I can see the point in that (one certain Mr. A.Langer did the same in 1999). However, to come totally about facein the space of five short days and sign with a club that is:

(a) the reigning premiers as opposed to wooden spoon material
(b) loaded with money
(c) surely straining under the salary cap, and
(d) full of quality backs who can actually tackle

is hypocritical in my view. It goes against every moral in the book.

You mentioned the Salary Cap. I fully agree - it is a joke, and should be complementedwith a points system that is not judged by hypotheticals and inconsistencies in salary. I make the point that it shouldn't be replaced totally by the points cap as that would reduce the NRL to a three team comp (those who can afford the big bucks to keep players i.e. Roosters, Dogs and Broncos).

I'm sure everyone knows of various points system, but the main advantage is that a player keeps his rating i.e. if the player has played for (say) their state in the past two years (such as our friend Mr Walker), he would be worth x points. If he was a test player, he would be worth y points.

 

[imported_MrAngryOne]

Mate the Sunday Mail has the TV Guide.
Had Chris walked away and not played again this season I would call it a brave move too. However going to another club mid season is nothing short of a joke. I like the idea of a points system, seems equitable. If I think that then Bennett would be against probably.

 

[Bomber]

From the SMH website

Former Queensland Origin star Chris Walker signed with the Sydney Roosters for the remainder of the year after quitting South Sydney last week. It is understood that Walker will receive only $40,000 from the Roosters <u>but the NRL has no concerns about the premiers exceeding the salary cap as he is being paid as a second-tier player</u>, and Bennett said that the 23-year-old was back in consideration for Origin selection. "Good luck to him, I'm glad he's found a team," Bennett said. "It's important that he starts playing some football." Former Rabbitohs teammates also wished Walker well. "It would have been good if he could have stayed until the end of the year because he's a good player," halfback Willie Peters said. Prop Paul Stringer added: "Good luck to him. I'm glad he's found a club. I hope he doesn't come back and bite us on the bum when we play them." Well! Why don't we all start paying our players as second tiered players? Here you go Freddy, here's$600,000 in the kicker.....and what about you Mr Sherwin? Want to play for our club? Here's $120,000, plus another $400,000 from the 'second-tiered slush fund' It is this sort of double-standard hegemonic bullshit from the NRL that stuffs the game up. Those who play by the rules may as well give up now.

 

[imported_MrAngryOne]

here here

Well said.

I am not having a go at the roosters, it is the system that has problems.

 

[Johnsy]

Looking at Walkers motives, he will fit right in.

Johnsy

 

[imported_midas]

I don,t think second-tier payments could accomodate big amounts of loot-I think second tier teams have a cap of $500k.
Anyway it,s totally irrelevant,the Chooks can pay whatever they like via their benefactors and there,s nothing the NRL can do about it.First Kafusi,now Walker,they just keep adding to their list.

 

[imported_midas]

As an afterthought,how big a dickhead is David Tapp?.Not only is Walker paid in full for his time with the Rabbits,there is no embargo placed on his movements,so he pops up with their next-door neighbours within a week and can afford to accept $45,000 because Souths have already paid him $100,000 plus for the year.
Although if anyone seriously believes this second-tier crap ,then I,ve got some land in Moreton Bay I,d like to show you at low tide.

 

[El Duque]

What exactly are second tier payments and why wouldn't they count in the cap?

It's a joke that the mob who offer nothing to RL sign all and sundry.

The NRL can get stuffed if this is how the comp is run.